Finding God in Our Pain: Recent Episodes

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Summary:Gina Economopoulos shares her journey of faith, family, and personal struggles.She grew up in a large, loving Italian-Greek Catholic family.After college, Gina became a bartender, finding it a suitable job due to her social personality.She struggled with alcoholism, initially not recognizing it as a problem.Gina faced significant grief with the loss of her mother, which led her to question her faith.Her journey included becoming a Catholic nun, seeking deeper meaning and love.She experienced significant suffering and confusion during her time in the convent.Gina eventually left the convent and struggled with identity and faith.Her fiancé's death from alcoholism was a turning point in her life.Gina found healing and a renewed relationship with God through a 12-step program, leading to sobriety.

Intro to the Podcast:My guest, Gina Economopoulos has quite the unexpected twists, turns and cliffhangers in the chapters of her life story. Even as unique as our individual stories are I feel sure you’ll find many ways that you can connect with Gina. Her message is most definitely is for us all, God never gives up!

Raised in a large, traditional Italian-Greek family, Gina's early life was a rich tapestry of Catholic values and unconditional love. The seventh child of 8, Gina was doing all the expected things as well as all the typical things of her youthful days in college and young adulthood but as life does, her world is flipped upside down and for her it was the death of her mother.

Gina shares her story of navigating the fragility of life both in her (in her brokenness and searching for love and purpose) as well as the brokenness of the world around her. Throughout her mistakes, searching, challenges and heartbreak after heartbreak, Gina maintains her out-going, people loving personality. Her resilience continues to bring her faith to the forefront and even her sense of humor remained albeit, at times it was used to cover up the pain.

A quick line of events for Gina’s life gives you the overview of the various challenges and a glimpse of God’s faithfulness to be along for the whole journey. A child who had medical/health complications that lead to a feeling of lack and the need to excel and prove her worth.

In college she was a party girl and also graduated with a degree in social work. Out of college she began bartending as a career but as mentioned it was the death of her beloved mother that shook her to the core. She found herself turning back to her Catholic roots, searching for meaning and solace in her grief. This loss acted as a catalyst, propelling her into a period of searching for something more profound—something to fill the void that partying and alcohol could not.

Her spiritual journey took a sharp turn when she joined a convent, seeking a deeper relationship with God and a sense of belonging. Despite her efforts to discover the peace she thought the convent would give her, the challenges within herself as well as the added difficulties and conflicts with the other nuns/sisters, would lead to her being asked to leave the convent. This was a devastating blow that increased her feelings of lack, adding more confusion and uncertainty.

The next chapter of Gina's life brought her back into the world where she would need a job and a paycheck, problem is she hadn’t worked for 12 years. So she returns to what she knows best, bartending. Her knowledge of religion struggles against the intimate relationship with Christ that is developing but it’s never more challenged than when she finds love and is then forced to endure the heartbreak of losing her fiancé and his death is associated with alcoholism.

She walks away from God but little does she know, God never gives up and she hasn’t given up either, she just doesn’t know it yet. She goes to a global recovery program modeled after AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) called The Rooms. Heartbreak/pain and anguish were in full anger and hatred mode but just maybe a tinge of fear lead her to The Rooms. And this is the very place where she slowly allows God to reveal Himself in a deeper and more intimate way. Learning that God never gives up on us solidified her journey from religion to relationship and it’s been maturing ever since.

Gina's story highlights the incredible resilience of the human spirit and the unwavering belief that even in the darkest times, there is hope and healing available. Her message is clear: don't give up, because God never does. He loves you and He will transform you if you let Him. It's a testament to God’s heart to save, heal and redeem. No matter how winding the road may be God is there every step of the way. God never gives up on us!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Other Related Podcast/Blog Topics & Resources:Resource:In the Rooms - A Global Recovery Community: https://www.intherooms.com/home/Podcasts:Did God Fail Jane?: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/05/10/did-god-fail-jane/In the Presence of God: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/02/presence/Blog:The Good God: https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/06/01/good-god/

Connect with Gina:https://www.ginaecon.com/

Bio:Gina Economopoulos was born in Syosset, NY, to a strong Italian and Greek loving family. She graduated from Eastern CT State University and bartended before embarking on a 12 year convent journey after her mother’s passing.

Settled on the Jersey Shore, Gina now works as an End of Life Doula, extending her compassionate heart to those in there final chapter. She found solace in sobriety as a proud Alcoholics Anonymous member, and her story of resilience through tragedy and faith inspires others to face life’s challenges.

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Summary -RevelationShip* Concept: Cathy Garland discusses the concept of "revelationship," a term that emerged from a teaching session at her father's church. It emphasizes a dynamic relationship with God through ongoing revelations, exploring how God reveals Himself through various ways, including scripture, creation, and personal experiences.

*Suffering and Faith: Cathy shares her personal journey through significant life challenges such as divorce, child loss, and a severe car accident. Despite these hardships, her faith remained strong, and she questions why churches often fail to teach believers how to suffer well and glorify God through their suffering.

*Authentic Faith and Deconstruction: Cathy talks about the importance of authentic questioning in faith, drawing from her own deconstruction experience. She highlights the value of testing one's beliefs and the dangers of adopting a consumer-like approach to religion by picking elements from different faiths without deeper understanding.

*Attributes of God: The discussion touches on God's holiness as the foundation of His attributes, referencing a quote by Stephen Charnock. Cathy emphasizes that every action of God is inherently holy and serves a purpose, even if difficult to understand.

*Upcoming Works and Study Guides: Cathy mentions her upcoming book "The God Who," which will further explore how God reveals Himself. Both this and her previous work, "Revelationship," include study guides designed to help readers apply theological insights practically in their lives.

Podcast Intro:My guest Cathy Garland introduces us to the word and concept of revelationship. She shares her journey of faith, which has been tested through numerous hardships, including divorce, child loss, and a car accident. These experiences have led her to develop a concept called "revelationship," which she explains as an evolving relationship with God through revelations. Cathy emphasizes the importance of seeing God in all aspects of life, including the painful parts, and how this understanding forms the basis of her book titled Revelationship - Transformative Intimacy with Christ.

Cathy discusses the shortcomings of the church in teaching believers how to suffer and mourn well. She critiques certain prosperity-driven teachings that suggest hardships are solely a result of personal failures. Instead, she argues that suffering is a part of life and can serve as a profound teacher that draws individuals closer to God. Cathy stresses the importance of authentic mourning and the discomfort it can cause others, highlighting the cultural reluctance to face and share pain openly.

The conversation also delves into the topic of deconstruction of faith, with Cathy sharing her own experience of questioning her beliefs and how her parents, her father was a pastor, supported her exploration. She emphasizes that true faith can withstand questioning and that deconstruction should not be feared. Cathy advocates for the importance of surrender and obedience to God, suggesting that these practices help train us to resist the our human tendency to choose lesser things over what God offers us and Cathy even points out how we would easily and consistently choose the very thing that will kill us if left to our own understanding and our own desires.

Finally, Cathy discusses various ways people can experience God, such as through worship, nature, and service, noting that these are legitimate pathways to deepen one's faith. She highlights the significance of repentance, not as a means to earn God's forgiveness but as a process of personal growth and sanctification. As we wrapped up you’ll hear Cathy’s passion for people to understand that God actively pursues a relationship with us, and that He’s eager to reveal Himself, driven by His unwavering and holy love for us.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Other Related Podcast topics and/or blogs:The Trouble With Jesus, Navigating Faith with Constance Hastings: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/10/09/the-trouble-with-jesus-navigating-faith-with-constance-hastings/Relationship is Simple (Blog - Sherrie): https://alifeofthrive.com/2019/03/11/relationship-is-simple-but-it-will-take-courage/Micro Moments with God to Grow Relationship Intimacy: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/08/14/micro-moments-with-god-to-grow-relationship-intimacy/

Connect with Cathy - Revelationship:Revelationship site: revelationship.netRevelationship on IG: https://www.instagram.com/seekrevelationship/Revelationship on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seekrevelationshipRevelationship on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@seekrevelationshipFree Devotional & Study Guide: https://www.revelationship.net/devotional-and-study-guide-lpGracefull Garlands:Gracefull Garlands on IG: https://www.instagram.com/gracefullgarlandsThreads: https://www.threads.net/@gracefullgarlandsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracefullgarlandsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinegarland/Blog: https://cathy544.wixsite.com/gracefullgarlands (also on Revelationship.net)

Bio:Cathy Colver Garland, oldest daughter of Dr. Randy Colver, writes Gracefull Musings, a blog providing
women a moment of rest and challenge before those little fingers appear under the bathroom door. A
former Vice-President of a software company, she currently consults with institutions and companies on
marketing, sales, and strategy. She also mentors women in professional, spiritual, and personal
development. Saved and living an “absolutely surrendered” life, her passion is to teach people to hear
God's voice and obey, surrender their lives absolutely, and walk in freedom. She is married to
Mickey and has two children in elementary school.

Since Cathy mentioned her father (Dr. Randy Clover) as being the co-author of the book, here is his Bio:Ordained in 1982, Dr. Randy Colver is a seasoned Bible teacher who has written numerous Bible
workbooks for class instruction and online studies. Dr. Colver received his ThD from Logos University
and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Dr. Colver serves as an elder and teacher at the
Coweta Community Church. Dr. Colver and his wife, Kim, have been married for over forty years. They
have six children and fifteen grandchildren, including co-author Cathy Colver Garland. Dr. Colver
believes, “My greatest blessing is to know that all my children are serving God.“

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Summary - Navigating FaithConstance discusses her book, "The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before You Walk Away," which explores controversial topics related to faith and encourages readers to reflect on their beliefs and understanding of Jesus.The conversation delves into themes such as understanding God's role in suffering, the transformative power of faith, and the importance of maintaining a relationship with God despite doubts and challenges.Constance shares personal anecdotes to illustrate her journey of faith, including experiences that reinforced her belief in God's presence and guidance through difficult times.The discussion touches on contemporary issues like the deconstruction of faith and contrasts the world's view of love and tolerance with the unconditional love of God.*The importance of engaging in respectful conversations about faith with skeptics or doubters is emphasized, with Constance suggesting that her book can serve as a catalyst for meaningful dialogue and spiritual exploration.

Podcast Intro:My guest, is author, Constance Hastings, who has recently written a book titled "The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before You Walk Away." I think you can tell by the title that we poked around in some pretty weighty specifics on faith, skepticism, and how we make sense of the world. The reason I wanted to have this conversation because suffering will have you contemplating the plan to leave your faith. If you find yourself if a place of skepticism because the pain is too great and you it simply does not match your definition of what a good God would do, take some time to listen to all that Constance has to share.

Constance talks about her personal growth with the Christian faith and she also shared examples of her journey and the moments in her life where she felt God's presence most profoundly.

One story she shared was about a time when she felt abandoned—not just by people, but by God. She described a church retreat where, somehow, she was left behind as everyone else packed up and left the area the group had been visiting. Alone and angry, she journeyed down the rock road and finds herself standing in front of an unusually large stop sign…with the wind whipping through the night air she continues demanding answers from God. And then something remarkable happened: a sense of peace washed over her, and the Holy Spirit reminds her spirit that she is not alone…for me, it’s always that marker of peace in the midst of struggle that reminds us of God’s presence. When she was finally reunited with the group, she knew the experience had changed her. The first-hand experience of not only God attending to her on a dark road, all alone. But feeling His presence evaporated those moments of vulnerability and hard questions and drew her into a deeper intimacy with Christ.

Listening to Constance's stories made me reflect on my own life and those moments when I've felt life's troubles weighing heavily on me. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to have all the answers or we need to be in control of the outcome. But as Constance pointed out, the real beauty is revealed when we let go of the need to control everything and allow ourselves to be open to the possibility of transformation. Her words reminded me that faith isn't about having everything figured out; it's about trusting that in the midst of our struggles, we're never truly alone. So next time you're feeling overwhelmed, have the courage to discover who God really is vs who you think He should be—pause, engage the heart of God, and remember that the love and answers that you're seeking is already available, He’s just waiting for you to notice and lean in to His great love for you.

Live loved and thrive!

Related Podcast Topics on having hope and growing faith:Here’s How Psalm 23 Showed Me God’s Faithfulness w/Sherrie Pilkington: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/08/17/heres-how-psalm-23-showed-me-gods-faithfulness/

Finding Hope in the Ashes w/Lea Turner: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/09/25/finding-hope-in-the-ashes-with-lea-turner/

Blog Post - Life Verse: https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/09/07/life-verse/

Connect with Constance:Link to purchase book: The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before You Walk Away - https://amazon.com/author/constancehastingsSubstack: https://jesustrouble.substack.comBlog: https://constancehastings.com The Trouble with Jesus blogLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/constance-hastings-0969a7136X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/@cm_hastingsFacebook: https://facebook.com/TheTroublewithJesus

Bio:I did not intend to write a book about Jesus. I did not believe I would ever join any church. I never thought I would be involved in formal church ministry as ordained clergy. My life should have been my own, teaching the literature I loved and having a life to enjoy my simple hobbies and family. But the Trouble with Jesus is God does not let us walk away, but instead pursues us until we find ourselves found. I was very good arguing with God, wanting my own direction and expecting it to be blessed. Didn't happen. With gentle nudges and a Holy Spirit grab around the throat, God has taken me through a life-journey to places and people I would have never known except by God's plan. Not the path I ever wanted, but the one I was given. Thank God.

Constance Hastings brings an outsider’s perspective to what insiders know about the story of Jesus. Raised by non-religious parents, educated in a Christian school; lover of great literature, teacher of the disadvantaged; ordained in a mainline denomination, mental health counselor outside the church; she aims to make connections speaking in new places the old voices of meaning. With an edgy voice recognized by those caught in an existential dilemma, for those who have never or not been in church for a long time, for those who used to think they knew him, Constance Hastings confronts your concept of one of the most controversial figures whoever existed and the trouble Jesus means.

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Summary:

• Personal Experience and Faith: Leah shares her personal journey through multiple hardships, including the loss of her house, her son's addiction, and her mother's cancer. She emphasizes how these experiences have deepened her intimacy with God and strengthened her faith.
• Permission to Feel and Wrestle with God: The discussion touches on the importance of embracing emotions and being transparent with God. Leah explains that acknowledging and wrestling with feelings of grief and suffering can lead to experiencing God's peace and presence more profoundly.
• Community and Support: Leah highlights the significance of community support during times of grief. She shares examples from her own life where friends and community members provided crucial support, reinforcing the idea that healing often involves others helping to "unravel our grave clothes."
• Message of Hope and Redemption: Throughout the conversation, Leah and Speaker 1 underscore the message of hope in Christ. They stress that while grief and suffering are inevitable, turning towards God and trusting in His plan of redemption can lead to healing and transformation.

Podcast Intro:My guest is Lea Turner, a wife, a mom to 5 children, she’s an author and a grief coach. When you hear just a little bit of her story today, you’ll see how much experience she’s had in the area of grief and it will explain why she’s the perfect one to come alongside grieving hearts and help them navigate the seasons of life when we live with loss and uncertainty.

A quick overview of her grief journeys (with an S - plural)…within a very short time period of 3 years it included death, cancer, a house fire where she and her family lost absolutely everything include the family dog), her son battling addiction, shattered dreams, heart surgery…and just recently her mom’s cancer journey has shifted and is adding yet more uncertainty for the days ahead.

Our conversation focuses on Lea's book, The Freedom to Feel: Finding God in Grief and Trauma, Her book goes into greater depth with regard to what we discussed plus additional topics that we didn’t have time to discuss.

I really picked around in Lea’s pain and she was gracious enough to answer every question. She explains how her relationship with God has evolved through each season of loss, emphasizing the importance of building a foundation with God to weather difficult times. She shares a story about a pastor's advice that spending time with God is preparation for future hardships.

Lea highlights the importance of embracing feelings of grief and suffering rather than running from them and she explains that acknowledging and feeling pain allows the Holy Spirit to provide comfort, contrasting this with numbing behaviors like alcohol or excessive activities. She also discusses the importance of not becoming a victim of grief, suggesting that continually dwelling on hard stories can trap a person in their suffering. Instead, she recommends balancing necessary daily responsibilities with the need to process emotions and seek God's guidance.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did as we discussed the hope and transformation that comes from a relationship with God. All that she shared is very encouraging but I especially loved the reminder when she said that as believers we lament, meaning we grieve with hope.

I’d say that Leah's over all message and I whole heartedly agree with it….is the importance of continually turning towards God. Even in the midst of grief and heartache we can count on God's character and presence to remain constant through every crashing wave of any storm we endure.

Let’s listen in for encouragement and a reminder that God has a plan of redemption for every form of suffering they endure.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Podcasts Related to this Topic:Widows, Grief and Finding Hope with Anne-Marie Lockmyer: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/02/14/widows-grief-and-finding-hope-with-anne-marie-lockmyer/

Life and Hope After an Accidental Death, with Jennifer Eikenhorst: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/07/18/life-and-hope-after-an-accidental-death-with-jennifer-eikenhorst/

Hope Deferred with Lainie Stubblefield - Marriage and Children - https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/10/26/hope-deferred/

Connect with Lea:Website: leaturner.comIG: @leagjturnerFB: facebook.com/aheartatrestNewest book: The Freedom to Feel: Finding God in Grief and TraumaAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Feel-Finding-Midst-Trauma/dp/B0D2PGK11T/ref=monarch_sidesheet

Bio:Lea Turner is a heartfelt, empathetic writer and speaker who longs to meet and encourage us in our pain. Joyfully broken through three years of her family struggling with trauma and loss, including death, cancer, losing everything to a house fire, drug addiction, loss of a dream, and heart surgery has made her a reluctant expert on grief. Lea is a soulful listener and wisdom seeker, passionate about walking with grieving people through trauma, pain, and loss. She lives in Mississippi with her husband and five kids making her a northern girl stuck in a southern world.

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Summary:

• Faith and Surrender: Both speakers highlight the importance of faith, surrendering one's will to God, and trusting Him even when it requires personal sacrifice and letting go of one's own desires.
• Discerning God's Voice: Identifying God's voice involves aligning it with Scripture and recognizing the fruits of the Spirit, while being cautious of one's own desires potentially deceiving them.
• Spiritual Dreams and Visions: Dr. Sheila explains that dreams and visions connect believers to the spiritual realm, can be used for personal guidance or intercession for others, and should be journaled for clarity and interpretation.
• God's Unfailing Support: The conversation concludes with the affirmation that nothing is impossible with God, and He is always willing to go to great lengths to support and guide His followers, even in their most challenging times.

INTRO TO THE EPISODE:Life can throw some seriously tough curveballs. When it does, it’s our spiritual foundation that can make all the difference. My guest Dr. Sheila Jackson is an intercessor, a prophetic voice, Biblical teacher, and an Associate Pastor. Additionally, she founded the Wind Spirit Soul Prophetic School in 2006, dedicated to training prophetic vessels, people just like you and I.

In this episode I had the privilege of sitting down with her to unpack what it really means to be spiritually mature, how to hear from God, and why faith and prayer are so crucial. We had a very relaxed conversation exploring God’s Word and His heart for us as we pursue an intimate relationship with Him.

Dr. Sheila opened up about the journey to spiritual maturity, describing it as a process of developing a deeper relationship with God and transforming into His image. It's about embodying the character of God, showing love, patience, and kindness, and living it out. It’s not just about knowing these virtues intellectually. It’s about putting them into action. Being the hands and feet of the Lord.

Dr. Sheila shared her struggles with submitting her will to God. Boy, can I relate to that! Dr. Sheila, someone who’s always made things happen, found it tough to let go and trust God, especially when His plans didn't align with her desires. She candidly admitted that it’s easy to obey God when His will matches ours, but the real test comes when He asks us to give up something we deeply want. It’s in those moments of surrender that we grow the most.

We also delved into the intricacies of discerning God’s voice amidst the noise of our own desires and the enemy’s deceptions. Dr. Sheila emphasized that God’s voice always aligns with Scripture and is rooted in love and truth. Yet, when our desires are strong, it’s easy to be deceived. She shared personal stories, including a poignant one about almost marrying the wrong person because she mistook her own desires for God’s will. It’s a humbling reminder that we need to constantly renew our minds and seek God’s guidance with a pure heart.

We touched on the mysterious realm of spiritual dreams and visions. As we talked about discerning God’s voice from the voice of the enemy in the context of dreams and visions, I share my experience with a dream that until now, I’ve only told my sister about. It has to do with satan injecting himself into my dream and God breaks the communication.

But these spiritual dreams and visions aren’t just for the prophets of old; they’re a way God communicates with us today. Dr. Sheila encouraged us to journal our dreams and visions, as they often contain messages from God meant for prayer and intercession, not just for the sake of knowing. It’s a practice that connects us to the spiritual realm and helps us align our lives with God’s purpose.

If you’re a Christian who gets uncomfortable with the thought of moving in the spiritual realm; you have a spirit; you’re already part of the spiritual realm. As you pursue the Lord, and you receive discernment from the Lord it is of the spirit. A relationship with God is spiritual so there’s no reason to fear it and besides In Ephesians 12 it tells us who we battle. We do not fight against flesh and that the real fight is rooted in, and based on the spiritual realm.

So the journey to spiritual maturity is about constant growth, surrender, and the courage to seek God’s will above our own. It’s a path filled with challenges and detours, but also with profound revelations and deeper intimacy with God. As Dr. Sheila so beautifully put it, “There’s nothing impossible with God.” And that’s a truth worth holding onto, most especially as we learn to grow in relationship with God. So no matter where you are on your spiritual journey God delights in us as we journey to His heart.

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Related Topic Resources:Micro Moments with God to Grow Relationship Intimacy: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/08/14/micro-moments-with-god-to-grow-relationship-intimacy/Living In Uncertainty with Angie Baughman: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/02/28/uncertainty/In the Presence of God with Kevin White: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/02/presence/

Connect with Dr. Sheila Jackson:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua2715Email: sheilajac12@yahoo.comEmail: windspiritsoul28@yahoo.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sheila-jackson-ed-d-99116a29/

Bio:Dr. Jackson holds an Ed.D. in Transformational Leadership from Concordia University and an M.S. in Business Administration from Central Michigan University. After nearly 15 years as a Corporate Buyer for General Motors, she transitioned into education and ministry. With over 20 years of ministry experience, Dr. Jackson has served as an intercessor, prophetic voice, Biblical teacher, and Associate Pastor. She founded the Wind Spirit Soul Prophetic School in 2006, dedicated to training prophetic vessels. Dr. Jackson also expanded her ministry internationally and is a staff instructor with The Prophetic Empowerment Network. She is a mother, grandmother, and spiritual mentor to many.

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Points of Discussion:

• Melinda emphasizes the importance of prayer and surrender to God, highlighting that your LGBTQ identified child’s same-sex attraction itself isn't a sin, but acting on it is, and her main prayer is for her daughter's holiness rather than heterosexuality. Melinda emphasizes that a parent's responsibility is to love, pray for, and support their child, but not to control or fix them, as transformation is God's role.
• The conversation covers practical steps for parents, such as setting boundaries with love, having open and honest conversations, and not compromising biblical truths, while still showing unconditional love and support to their children.
• Melinda shares her personal experiences and the transformation in her relationship with her daughter, advocating for the pursuit of Jesus and intimate prayer as key elements in walking this difficult journey.
• The show notes include resources, as well as Melinda’s links where you can purchase her book, sign up for her newsletter, follow her podcast etc. If you sign up for her newsletter you can find out where she’s speaking next and the various events that are available for parents dealing with similar situations.

Podcast Intro:

My guest Melinda Patrick is multi-talented on many levels. She is a podcast host of two podcasts, one of which is The Bridge Between Us: Loving Your LGBTQ Identified Child Without Compromising Truth. Melinda is a writer, an international speaker and she recently added author to her writing credentials in early 2024 when she published, The Daring Rescue: Joining Jesus Christ in His Pursuit of Your LGBTQ Identified Child’s Heart.

What I believe makes Melinda successful at connecting with people and loving them well is her passion to love Christ first and foremost; to discover His heart and to willingly make her own heart transparent so that the Lord can write His love story with her, onto/into her own heart.

I’m going to try and make this intro super short because I want to get right into all the information and insight that Melinda has to share but I am excited about everything she shared so hopefully I can contain myself. May you have ears to hear all that the Holy Spirit shares through her. Listen to this episode a couple of times because you don’t want to miss anything. From practical advice, deep wisdom, a parent's insight, knowledge of how to navigate this sensitive topic with God, you simply do not want to miss anything.

Here are just a few of the questions she addressed: What is the parent’s responsibility? Is it our job, the parent's job, to save our child? Is there any hope for relationship if our child doesn’t want to be saved? What is the difference between desiring our child to change vs our child being transformed? How do we navigate hard conversations? Melinda says we need to define some words as the basis of hard conversations. I think we can all agree that in this particular time and culture, words have been hijacked and they no longer mean what they used to mean.

My biggest take away from our conversation was personal. I loved how her experience of allowing God to challenge her heart, her fears and her pride was in line with what I am discovering about the Lord myself.

Taking our emotions, fears, lie based thinking and all the ways we feel/believe that God should/would/could answer our prayers and we pause. We bring Him our pain and our hard questions, expose what our heart believes, we get real about our motives with the One who thoroughly knows these things about us.

God’s not afraid of our emotions. He gave us emotions and I personally believe they also serve as an alarm system of sorts. Emotions let us know when we need to engage the heart of God for His truth and healing. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the word says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” In short, we bring God our pain and we allow Him to speak His truth/His Word into that pain and it redefines what we’ve built our false belief system on.

I can’t express to you the level of freedom, peace, truth, love that is available to you through this process of trusting God with our pain. Actually, here’s a perfect example. Let’s jump into my conversation with Melinda! What you see, in this case what you hear, is what you get in real life with her.

Listen in and be encouraged by her passion for the things of God because He’s doing a deep revelatory work in this woman’s heart and you get to glean the wisdom.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Related Podcast Topics:Melinda Patrick (May 16, 2021): Christian Mom Whose Daughter has Same Sex Attraction - https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/05/16/same-sex-attraction/Sherrie Pilkington (Solo Podcast Episode): Micro Moments With God To Grow Relationship Intimacy - https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/08/14/micro-moments-with-god-to-grow-relationship-intimacy/Rachel Fahrenbach, Practicing Rest, Practicing Sabbath - https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/10/27/sabbath/Complicated Questions (Blog Post): https://alifeofthrive.com/2019/07/22/complicated-questions/

Connect with Melinda:Author of The Daring Rescue: Joining Jesus Christ In His Pursuit Of Your LGBTQ-Identified Child's HeartHost of The Bridge Between Us Podcast and The Even While PodcastOpt-in for Living Life, Waiting Well NewsletterOpt-in for The Bridge Between Us Newslettermelindapatrick.org

Bio:Having a child involved in the LGBTQ community for more than 11 years, Melinda Patrick knows what it is like to grieve the choices our loved ones have made and understands the helplessness we feel when things aren't as we had hoped. Through her healing journey and healing relationship with her daughter, she is passionate about emboldening and equipping parents to join God where He is at work in their lives and families. Melinda Patrick provides parent support for His Wonderful Works, Inc., is the host of the award-winningpodcast - The Bridge Between Us, author of The Daring Rescue: Joining Jesus Christ In His Pursuit Of Your LGBTQ-Identified Child's Heart and serves on the board for Restored Hope Network. She is an international speaker who often speaks at family conferences, church ministry events, and parent groups to equip families and the church to love well while not compromising Truth.

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Discussion Points:Host, Sherrie discusses a Bible Study titled "Do You Love Me? Exploring Our Relationships with God and Others" by Debbie Swindall, facilitated by Amy Heilman of Breathe Deep Ministries, which has deeply impacted her relationship with God.Sherrie emphasizes the importance of making intentional time to engage with God, especially during emotional or challenging moments, to discover His love and purpose for us.She shares her journey of finding peace and intimacy with God, highlighting the challenges of slowing down and truly resting in Him, rather than merely checking off religious tasks.The episode encourages listeners to seek God's presence in every micro moment, using specific action steps to process emotions and receive God's grace and guidance, ultimately experiencing a more peaceful and fulfilling life.

Podcast Episode/Transcript: This is going to be a short episode but it was important enough for me to make it an episode because I had to share this study with you. It’s titled, Do You Love Me? Exploring our relationships with God and others by Debbie Swindoll. Published by Grafted Life Ministries. From what I can discern it’s been around since 2014; I have the 3rd edition published in 2018.

Have you ever had the opportunity to participate in this particular bible study? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts, your takeaway. This is the first time I’ve ever described a bible study as sweet. The most tender hearted bible study I’ve ever been a part of. When I say tender hearted, it’s because of the way it reveals the Father’s love for us, His heart to know us and for us to discover Him. The point that was highlighted for me, was the simplicity of what God requires of us in order to know Him more. Then I was perplexed because I treat it with such difficulty.

Because of the way I’ve grown in my intimacy with Christ (after doing this bible study) I wanted to make you aware of it as well. Should you want to participate I can definitely get you in contact with my friend who is the founder of Breathe Deep Ministries, Amy Hellman. I don’t receive any type of compensation for connecting you with her. Her contact info will be in the show notes. She’s not the publisher nor the author but she facilitates this study.

You may be familiar with Amy’s name because she has been on my podcast a couple of times. A few years back she was a guest and we talked about her book Soul Stripper. It’s a free download online. It is her personal story of how God works with us to strip us of (by way of healing) the various ways we’re attached to this world. As well as the ways we attempt to satisfy our flesh or people please etc. and she moves us into finding our identity in Christ, a strong identity in Him alone.

Also, she did one other episode where she took the mic to interview me about my first year of podcasting, asking me questions about all that I had learned through the messages that my guests had shared. That would have been in Sept. of 2021, which reminds me, I’m putting together some pretty exciting things for my 4 year anniversary in September of this year! I’ll keep you posted.

And then lastly, real quick with Amy you may have heard me speak of finding, what I considered and it has proven true, my last layer of healing from abandonment issues. Part of my journey with finding healing for various things associated with my childhood. Amy walked me through Theophostic Prayer and using that healing model the Lord gave me a vision.

I’ve talked about the vision before so I won’t repeat it again, so we can get to the purpose of this episode but engaging the Holy Spirit through Theophostic prayer and the vision of the Lord’s presence (in a very scary time as a child), broke off the last bit of pain associated with abandonment. All that to say this, the reason I even know anything about this study is because I’m currently seeing Amy for Spiritual Direction counseling and she offered me this study and I gladly joined in and boy am I happy I did.

The Lord has been calling me into these pockets of quiet time with Him. As He’s doing that it’s never been more obvious to me that my challenge is to slow down. Rest. Rest in Him. Rest with Him.

I actually thought I was slowing down because my typical pace and the fact that I was making time to engage the Holy Spirit showed a marked difference in my life even from a couple of years ago. I’m thinking I’m doing the thing and knocking it out of the park but something just stayed under the surface that simply did not sit right. A feeling of doing the thing but still missing out. Not getting the full expression, the full experience. However, I simply couldn’t put my finger on what was possibly missing.

I’m reading the word, I’m making a joyful noise unto the Lord singing praise and worship music, praying for my family/friends, I go to church etc. I’m checking off the good Christian girl checklist. Well, I did the Christian checklist for many years but at this time in my life I would not have called it that because my heart is head over heels in love with Jesus.

I love my time with the Lord. I’m no longer trying to perform to earn His affection or make sure I’m maintaining His approval. He has seen me at my absolute worst. And not just once. But countless times. He has yet to turn away. As an example of my affection for the Lord, in this particular season of my life, I am very content, very happy and I have a deep rooted peace in my soul. I need nothing and I want nothing. He has my full attention and I wait on Him to direct my life.

So it was in those quiet times with the Lord, that the missing something seemed to be more prominent when I rushed the wrap up of my time with Him. I would enjoy my bible reading and prayer time but in the mornings I’d get to a certain point and then I’d be up and into something else so quickly I was left wondering if I even told the Lord, "I love you?!"

When I’d have my quiet time with the Lord in the evenings, it often ended with me going to sleep and not remembering if I even finished my prayers. I would fall asleep in the middle of praying or simply talking to God about something or reading His word. It’s not that I felt condemned because if you have children, is that not the sweetest thing you can experience; your children so content with you that they will let their guard down, and surrender to the day, falling asleep with you nearby.

However, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I’m missing out on something. That Jesus intended more for me. But what was missing?

It’s intriguing to me that the simplicity with which we have access to the heart of God as He sits on His sovereign throne and yet in real time our actions say it’s incredibly difficult. Maybe on a subconscious level, we believe it to be a, too good to be true, scenario and so our heart discredits it so that it carries no weight in our life?

Or maybe it’s that God’s goodness and kindness are always available and so we take it for granted. It’ll always be there so it’s no rush, I’ll get to it when I can. I know I’ve treated God that way. The Creator of all things wants to know me and I have “better things” more pressing things to do. As I say that out loud it’s incredibly humbling. It’s mind boggling that I pass up these moments with such ease. Even if I experience a flash of guilt, it’s simply that, a flash.

Because the truth is, as a daughter of the One True King of kings and Lord of lords, the One who has no rival and no equal that you can picture yourself running up to the throne room doors and not only do the armed guards step aside they open the massive doors without a question. You run toward your Father. No one stops you as you climb up the steps, probably stepping all over His royal train that fills the throne room. Into His lap you sit and you begin to tell Him about your day and He is absolutely delighted that you have chosen to come and sit with Him.

If you’re a parent, you can imagine or maybe you know the feeling when your children chose to spend time with you OR when your children choose lesser things (like video games or being on their phone). We’ve all heard it said that one of our biggest mistakes is that we think we have time….but time is a resource that quickly evaporates.

Many times I have questioned, you’ve heard me ask on my podcasts, why-oh-why do we choose lesser things than the perfection that God offers us. After engaging this study I have the answer!

Many of you already have the answer but God is so kind to us in the way He brings revelation to us as the individuals He created us to be. Sometimes, things just click and you have a DUH moment. Like, I knew that part and that part but now it’s all come together for a much clearer understanding. Maybe that’s when you move from the duh moment to the ah ha moment.

Why do we choose lesser things compared to what God has for us? Because in this life we will deal with the flesh and yet our soul knows there’s something more. We are made mind, body and soul/spirit. We’re trapped in an earthly body, with a soul that longs for heaven and our mind is the battlefield. We straddle this world with our flesh and the spiritual world with our spirit.

There is an intentional action, an intentional choice, in the battleground of the mind that takes us from being controlled by the flesh to walking in the fullness of who God created us to be but let’s look at the details of what we’re working against first.

In this place between discovering what we were created for and heaven, we fight against the desires of the flesh because the flesh that we’re wrapped-in is broken and sinful; it wants what it wants using the quickest, least resistant path to immediate gratification and yet our soul intuitively knows there is something more.

In our DNA, God placed His image and therefore a natural desire for Garden of Eden moments. Our soul longs for beauty, truth, life, relationship, love, joy, etc. etc so the soul searches and its first access point is to use the flesh to find it. Our emotions, our 5 senses, the world around us…it’s natural to us, God gave us those things….but this is why the Lord says we must be born again, that we need to die to our flesh, that we need to pick up our cross and follow the Lord. As uninviting as that sounds always remember you are never alone in the process. You have the very presence of God and our biggest trials bring the most beautiful rewards.

In the midst of choosing lesser things over taking those incremental steps toward discovering and fulfilling what you were created for, which is rooted in discovering God’s heart for you, you can be encouraged that God is never offended, never mad, nor does He want to teach you a lesson. We can learn plenty of hard knock lessons from following our flesh…God doesn’t need to do anything to us, there’s plenty of teachable moments in one days time based on how we personally engage life….one micro decision at a time, throughout any given day.

In the moments when our feelings and/or our emotions are driving us, it’s time to take breath, maybe a couple of breaths, and grab a few minutes with Holy Spirit. This juncture (of environment and our emotion) is the place where we can interrupt old patterns, challenge lie based thinking and negative reactions. Because the truth is, if we do not create a space in which we give God our emotions and allow Him to filter them with His truth we will, without fail, end up creating survival skills and self-coping vices (based on our own limited understanding/experiences) that we think are helping or at the very least, protecting us.

When we don’t take responsibility by way of making time to heal from our past traumas, emotional and mental scars, all the affects of living in a broken world and with our self-imposed survival skills and self-coping vices we will stay in our own dry, dusty desert for 40+ years just like the Israelites. God is with us but our eyes are never seeing and our ears never hear.

Sadly, trauma never leaves on its own. The grip of that which seeks to steal, kill, and destroy has to be evicted. You have to break agreement with it, cast it out when necessary. You’ve heard me say this before, we’re not responsible for what has been done to us but we are responsible to find the healing we need and to not give up until we are walking in God’s peace, healing and redemption.

When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and invited Him to live in your heart, you gained access (through Jesus) to now discover who you were created to be. Something that had been hidden from you as a prior enemy of Christ.

Now with direct access to the throne of God, you have the opportunity to discover how He knit you together in our own mother’s womb. What is it about you that is most like God? What gifts and talents mirror His creative heart? What are your core charateristics that align with Him?

As you go on this adventure with Christ and He reveals your gifts, talents, skills and He begins to open doors and create certain connections and relationships, He will reveal this things and teach you how to steward them with Heaven’s value system vs our own value system. He will reveal it little by little so that you can digest and apply what He is showing you. Hence the lifelong adventure of relationship and His revelation after revelation.

The simplicity with which we can know the depths of God’s love for us and who He created us to be, what we were created for, the different seasons He’s calling us into, what our gifts and talents are… comes down to this, time.

To make time, is the intentional action, the intentional choice in the midst of the emotional and mental battleground of the mind that takes us from being controlled by the flesh to walking in the fullness of who God created us to be.

Not time checking off the good Christian girl to do list with the just get it done heart posture. The result of that type of investment is fake at best and you can expect your return to be empty as well; ask me how I know. Take the time to be still and discover the type of Father who loves you. Intimacy grows over time and engagement.

In every circumstance of your life and in every micro moment that you have an emotion or a question about who you are, maybe you’re being challenged in an area where you’re weak, or your moments when you feel disconnected, overwhelmed and you’re loosing hope. Pause, be still, breathe, turn your heart and mind toward Jesus. Engage God/Jesus/Holy Spirit (you can start with any one of the 3), invite Him in, ask Him what is this I’m feeling. Why am I feeling this?

If He reveals it (because sometimes He simply gives you encouragement in the moment to endure and/or He offers His reassurance that He’s with you and He’ll see you through) ... so when the time comes that He reveals it, ask Him to help you. And maybe this might be the most challenging part of the process is to accept His grace as you are stepping into who He’s called you to be.

Most of the time it’s not a flawless transition. Here’s what I think is the perfect example of this journey we’re on. Adam and Eve started off living in intimacy with God. They had daily, face to face conversations with God. He was present 24/7, and they rejected Him. We’re born in the condition of having rejected Him and we’re on the journey to return to the benefits of the Garden of Eden. Daily, direct access spirit to spirit or heart to heart with God. He’s present 24/7 and He waits for our invitation for Him to join us in our darkest, most painful places of life.

Nothing about this life, our existence, our challenges, how we use our gift of choice etc. has God concerned, confused or disengaged. Nor is He overwhelmed or disgusted. No. God knows marriage is hard. God knows that the various types of handicaps or physical illness will cause us to question who He is. He knows the evil that people do to one another. Heat breaking yes, but He’s the God who walks among His people

He’s never taken off guard and you know why? Because He’s already put those things to death in the spiritual and He wants you and I to know and experience it too. He wants those Garden of Eden moments with us.

He’s saying, babe, will you bring that to me? Will you trust me with that pain, that emotion, your reaction? I’ve already healed that on the cross but I want you to allow me to walk you through your personal pain because I want you to experience, first-hand, the healing I’ve provided. I want you to see how much I love you as you let me dismantle the lie based thinking or the painful memories you have. I give double for the what the enemy has robbed you of. I take the very thing that satan wanted to destroy you with and I flip it producing good things in your life. I bring redemption, I bring restoration.

Allow me to remind your heart of Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Making time is a challenge. Accepting God’s grace as a way of life is humbling and therefore it struggles against our pride/our flesh, but there may be an even bigger challenge for the flesh and that is to have the courage to see God for who He really is. Not who we want Him to be and not who we think He should be. It threatens our flesh because we may have to redefine some foundational things we have been building our life on. I actually think it might even be more scary to change direction when we realize that some of our foundational blocks have been lies.

All the more reason to give God space (by being still) and allow Him to reveal Himself to us in every context of life, most especially in the context of pain and suffering. If we can do that and actually embrace who He is even though it may be in direct opposition to what we thought would be, or what we want it to be … that’s the place of transformation, where we step into more and more of who we were created to be. Where we find the kind of purpose that even if it’s the hardest thing we’ve ever done, we’ve never felt more alive, fulfilled and rewarded.

(side note: God moves in unique ways with us as the individual He created us to be but what we experience or the revelations we receive with Him will never contradict God’s character and nature. If you feel that God is revealing Himself and it is in opposition to His word, question the source. If not inline with God, it is not of Him).

Do you have the courage today to give God those micro moments of engagement with the emotions or feelings that need some healing, maturing; things that need a closer inspection even though it will challenge the way you perceive yourself? I would encourage you to start today and try to catch yourself in those type moments. Interrupt where those emotions will take you. Pause, breathe and engage God with these 3 actions steps/conversation that were in the study (I’ve added some of my words for the way I shared this message but they are in the same in nature).

1. God, what is happening with regard to what I’m experiencing or feeling?
2. God, help me to perceive what you reveal and give me courageous ears to hear.
3. God, show me what your grace looks like in this moment.

And I’d even add this question for God ... Who do you want to be for me in this situation?

The more time we spend with God to process the impact or purge the residue of this life, the more peaceful, and the more beautiful life becomes. We don’t have to wait for heaven to enjoy the heart of the Father, the joy of the Son, Jesus nor the wisdom/revelations of Holy Spirit. We can know a slice of heaven, a small taste of the Garden of Eden in the here and now. All it takes are micro moments of pausing, of investing our time in the heart of God. When we do, we watch our meager offer, our 5 loaves and 2 fish if you will, multiplied beyond our imagination.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Resources:Breathe Deep Ministries/Amy Hellman - https://www.breathedeepministries.org/Grafted Life Ministries: Graftedlife.org

Related Podcast Episodes:In the Presence of God (w/Kevin White): https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/02/presence/Here’s How Psalm 23 Showed Me God’s Faithfulness (w/Sherrie Pilkington): https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/08/17/heres-how-psalm-23-showed-me-gods-faithfulness/Can I (or Anyone) Ruin God’s Plan for My Life? (W/Sherrie Pilkington): https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/04/24/can-i-or-anyone-ruin-gods-plan-for-my-life/

Related Bog Posts:Investing in Relationship: https://alifeofthrive.com/2020/11/03/investing-in-relationship/Relationship is Simple But it Takes Courage: https://alifeofthrive.com/2019/03/11/relationship-is-simple-but-it-will-take-courage/

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Bullet Points:Impact of Trauma:* Lindsey details the profound effects of her childhood trauma on her mental health, relationships, and self-worth. She describes how these experiences led to severe anxiety, depression, and feelings of shame, impacting her ability to form healthy relationships.Healing Process: Lindsey explains how she sought various forms of therapy and self-help without success until she found healing through a relationship with Jesus. Her faith journey involved overcoming misconceptions about God and slowly understanding His true nature.Forgiveness and Generational Curses: Lindsey discusses the importance of forgiveness in her healing process, including forgiving her father and ex-husband. She also highlights the role of breaking generational curses and soul ties as part of her spiritual and emotional recovery.*God's Redemption: Lindsey emphasizes the transformative power of God's love and redemption, stating that God can heal any trauma and restore what has been lost. She encourages others to trust in God's plan and His ability to bring good out of even the most painful experiences.

Podcast Intro:Lindsey Smith is my guest today and I admire her courage to talk about the darkest experiences of trauma in her life; some of which include sexual abuse, marital abuse and the various ways it impacted her mental health and self-worth.

Side Note: I want to pause for just a moment before I jump back into this intro because I want to point out how important it is that once we have healed we share our story of God turning our pain into purpose….right before Lindsey and I get together for this recording for her to share her testimony of healing and restoration despite the evil of this life, she gets a call that gives her some very disturbing news. This happens …I’d say with 1 out of every 15 of my guests; something unforeseen and certainly the timing is unexpected that an obstacle to our recording or a type of derailment presents itself and we have the decision to make, do we stop, do we delay or cancel our conversation. To me, it was obvious that the enemy wanted to break Lindsey’s focus, silence her voice, cause her to cancel our conversation. But the enemy did not win. We prayed and asked Holy Spirit to intervene and bring peace to her heart and mind so that the goodness of God could be proclaimed. We went from the prayer right into the recording and maybe it was just me but I could hear it in her voice as Holy Spirit began to bring her into a place of calm.

Lindsey’s courage to share her story reveals her passion to let people know the importance of God’s role in her healing process, saying that it was through a gradual and gentle reintroduction to faith that she began to understand and accept God’s love and salvation.

Every single one of us are created in God’s image, but we’re born into a sinful world. Lindsey, born in God’s perfect image entered into a generational curse that plagued her family which included sexual abuse and a lack of respect for the women in the family. Since no one before had stood in authority to break the curse Lindsey bore the effects that resulted in a very unstable and fearful mental state of mind. Fear crippled her ability to live her life, cultivate healthy relationships and make confident decisions. The expected result of these influences resulted in an abusive marriage for 18 years.

We talk about the significance of breaking generational curses and soul ties as part of her spiritual healing and how God's guidance was crucial in orchestrating her recovery. Lindsey also discusses her journey through various forms of therapy, and her eventual realization that only through Jesus could she find true healing and freedom from shame.

Lindsey's message is clear: despite the severity of her traumas, God's grace can transform and redeem, turning even the darkest experiences into sources of strength and hope.

Listen in and be encouraged today! God’s heart for healing and restoration breaks the grip of the enemy’s plans over your life.

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Lindsey:IG: https://www.instagram.com/lindseymary_smith/

Bio:Lindsey Smith is Spiritual Coach for women specializing in anxiety and trauma. In her decades long pursuit of relief from the effects of childhood trauma she trained in many modalities to facilitate her own healing while also developing a deep desire to help other women. Her path ultimately brought her back to the Heavenly Father and Jesus where she experienced deep healing of long-time wounds and restoration of her wholeness as a Holy Daughter. It is her greatest desire to help free women from the bondage and suffering that results from trauma and abuse so they can reclaim their birthright of peace, love, joy and abundance. As a coach she helps women find a place of safety within themselves by building a relationship with God. Guided by God and the Holy Spirit, she assists them in finding healing and liberation from anxiety and the consequences of complex trauma such as shame, depression, hopelessness, toxic relationships and chronic pain.

Related Podcast Topics:Kimberly Bell - Taking Responsibility for Your Healing: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/12/07/taking-responsibility-for-your-healing-with-kimberly-bell/Amy Nordhues - Sexual Abuse at the Hands of a Mental Health Professional: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/16/amy-nordhues-sexual-abuse-by-a-mental-health-professional/Tina Ivey - From Survive to Thrive, Overcoming Sexual Abuse: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/01/03/from-survive-to-thrive-overcoming-sexual-abuse-with-tina-ivey/Dr. Kelli Palfy - Healing for Male Sexual Abuse Survivors: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/30/male-sexual-abuse/

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Bullet Points:Spiritual and Psychological Struggles*: Logan experienced deep shame, self-hatred, and hopelessness, feeling disconnected from God despite frequent prayers. He struggled with both sexual addiction and anger, which he describes as major hurdles in his journey.Role of Support and Community: Key to Logan's recovery was joining a Christ-centered 12-step program called Prodigals, where he found intense accountability and support. This community played a crucial role in his healing, providing practical tools and spiritual guidance.Importance of the Amends Process: A significant part of Logan's recovery involved making amends to those he hurt, which helped him take ownership of his actions and heal from his past.*Message of Hope and Encouragement: Logan emphasizes that no one is beyond hope or redemption. He encourages others struggling with addiction to seek help and trust in the transformative power of God and supportive communities.

PODCAST INTRO:

The topics of sexual addiction, being a sex addict and really any addiction is a prison that I know God not only desires to set people free from but absolutely can break the chains and offer people truth, freedom, and forgiveness. Which in turn allows them to live a life that many do not image is possible.

My guest, Logan Hufford has a candid conversation about his struggle with sexual addictions. While this is a man’s perspective I do believe that my primarily female audience can benefit from what Logan shares. Logan says that 60-80% of men struggle with a sexual addiction of some degree so there is the possibility that someone you love is silently struggling and I’d like to think that this conversation will give you courage to bring up this topic, or give you hope in knowing that healing and recovery is possible and may the resources Logan shares encourage your loved one to take step toward recovery.

Logan is brutally honest about the way he operated in his addiction and the dual life he was living. After bargaining with God to change him, and not receiving a response, the simple realization that there were other men who had found freedom from this dark cave of existence gave Logan a glimmer of hope that started him on the road to recovery. He also sheds some light on the fact that it’s a spiritual battle, and that Satan’s goal is to pervert anything good that God has established, with the family being the number one target.

He shares the resources that he has participated in to overcome the demonic grip of addiction and in this specific conversation, (sexual addiction as it pertains to men), he spoke about these resources:The Conquer Series - Ted Roberts (Pure Desire Ministries) Logan said this is the best resource for someone who wants to understand sexual addiction & sexual addiction recovery. It goes in to great depth about what is happening to the body and the mind (spiritually, physically, emotionally). Because it is more than making a choice. You’ll hear Logan talk about how the brain and body are changed by the very things that God created and meant for our good but as Logan shares, we can pervert the good things God has for us.

Prodigals - This is a men’s group that offers accountability - Logan himself leads a Prodigals group.The Amends Process - Elective Mentorship programHe briefly mentioned Celebrate Recovery - I know of the Celebrate Recovery programs here in my area because a previous church that I attended hosts them. It’s a 12 step, faith based program that offers hope, and help to anyone who struggles with things such as addiction, co-dependency, compulsive behaviors.

Side Note: At one point Logan uses a term FOMO and just in case you wonder what that means, it’s Fear Of Missing Out.

Let’s dive into this conversation to discover Logan’s journey through addiction and into his willingness to be proactive, engage recovery, and submit himself to God’s transforming, sustaining power and in exchange he receives freedom, wholeness and living the life he had only dreamed was possible.

Live Loved and Thrive!

More Episodes Similar to this Topic:Rosie MaKinney, A Porn Free Marriage is Possible: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/05/11/porn-free/Rose Anne Forte, Consider The Possibility of a Transformed Life Without Alcohol: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/01/17/consider-the-possibility-of-a-transformed-life-without-alcohol/

Connect with Logan:IG: @no.longer.in.bondage (direct link: https://www.instagram.com/no.longer.in.bondage?igsh=MWl6d3B0NzE0Y2ltdQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr)Prodigals (in Alaska, where Logan lives) - Www.prodigalsofalaska.com

Resources:The Conquer Series: https://conquerseries.com/whats-the-conquer-seriesCelebrate Recovery: https://celebraterecovery.com/

Bio:Logan is a born & raised Alaskan, married to his gorgeous bride Carrie, who herself is a 4th-generation Alaskan; and together they are raising 4 amazing but crazy little monkeys.

Their life is a simple one - they love their family time, their dogs, and exploring the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.

And yet, absolutely none of this should be possible today. For years, Logan did just about everything in his power to destroy his marriage and his life. Logan was a raging sex addict. Porn, affairs, hiring prostitutes, and more had simply become a way of life for Logan. He thought he had no hope.

In 2016, God began to change all that. Through Recovery, God transformed Logan’s life and his marriage.

Logan and his wife Carrie each now lead Recovery groups, doing what they can to give back by sharing the gifts that God has given them.

Since January of 2021, Logan has been blessed to be able to use many of the tools he’s learned in Addiction Recovery, as a Dave Ramsey-endorsed personal finance coach. He’s honored to help folks find freedom & healthy living, in a different venue than just specifically recovery.

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My guest Bridgett Dunbar, holds a Master’s Degree in marriage and family therapy, and is a Grief Counselor. She’s served in the pastoral ministry, healing ministry and several other positions, all with the focus on helping people find healing and wholeness in Jesus. But when she was faced with the devastating pain of child loss would she still believe that God is good?

When her personal life was flipped upside down by the loss of her precious son (at birth) would it be her professional training that helped her or her personal relationship with Christ? After having the chance to talk with her I see where both were very beneficial.

To me, what I came away with (and granted this is just a small portion of her story), in and around the initial impact of such devastating pain it was her faith, her intimate relationship with Christ that enabled her to struggle well with the good God she professed in the context of suffering. And now, after having walked through that very personal valley of death Bridgett uses the revelations/the healing she experienced coupled with her professional skills.

True to God’s nature He wastes nothing and you’ll hear that in this conversation and you’ll see the fruit on her website bridgettdunbar.com. She offers various resources and services that give focus in helping others find their way through confusion, uncertainty, grief and loss.

Along with those resources on her website you’ll also see that one of the ways that she extends her hand and heart to others is through the book she authored, Grief, Loss and the Goodness of God - A Path to Healing After the Death of a Child. You can learn more about this book on her website. At the time of this episode going live in July of 2024, she’s offering the download for free.

There are many layers to Bridgett’s personal story and you know me, I ask some bold questions of my guests, only because I truly desire to know how did the God of the Holy Bible meet them in their pain. I genuinely want to know, does knowing, following, and serving God make a difference?

I asked Bridgett, questions like, “What did you need to surrender to God in order to heal?” I asked, “After such a deep dive with God what is your personal discovery about the meaning of life?” And, “What did it do to you, what did it mean to come face-to-face with the fact that the good God you professed did not show up when you needed him?”

Bridgett did not shy away from these tough questions and as I listened, there was a strong theme that kept coming up. It was the way she reminded me that grief makes us very vulnerable and in that vulnerability we are at war with the enemy. She lays out clear strategies in order to overcome each wave of grief and spiritual attack. You’ll hear her say she’s not denying reality but rather she’s engaging it with truth.

She shares that when we’re pressed in on all sides, what we’ve been cultivating on the inside of us, in our heart, our mind, our emotions will come to the surface.

Pain causes us to clash with our belief system. In that clash, that struggle to make sense of what we thought life was supposed to be and where we find ourself, which is faced with uncertainty about everything we thought, then we’re challenged with what comes to the surface. Will it be fear, lack of faith, lie based thinking? It all comes to the surface.

Our emotions that were grounded in experiences rather than truth are at question. Bridgett shares that when she engaged worship she experienced one of the most effective strategies in a spiritual battle. It’s when we take the battle stance of worship that we engage the power of the Kingdom of God.

It’s such a simple engagement when you turn worship music on, begin to listen, begin to sing. No matter where we are in our grief/healing journey, it’s immediately effective. It grounds us, invites the very presence of God, the joy (that is beyond our ability to comprehend/or create on our own) shows up. It gives us hope in a better tomorrow and lifts our gaze to God’s promises for us.

Let’s listen in and hear all the beautiful ways that Bridgett points us to the heart of God and equips us to fight well in the midst of grief, pain, and suffering.

Live Loved and Thrive! W/Sherrie Pilkington

Connect with Bridgett:Website: BridgettDunbar.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/bridgettrdunbar/FB: https://www.facebook.com/brdunbarFree (at time of original release 07.2024) Download of her book titled, Grief, Loss and the Goodness of God - A Path to Healing after the death of a Child: https://bridgettdunbar.com/griefResources (both free and very affordable!) - https://bridgettdunbar.com/resources444

BIO:BRIDGETT DUNBAR is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, public speaker, co-host of the HE/She Podcast, and co-founder of the Outlier’s Way. She has personally experienced the loss of two children through stillbirth and miscarriage. Since then, Bridgett has dedicated herself to helping individuals dealing with grief and loss find their way back to joy and peace.

With a diverse background that includes positions as a spiritual leader, pastor, inner healing trainer, facilitator, and prophetic teacher, Bridgett is deeply passionate about guiding both men and women toward a life of freedom, wholeness, and an authentic connection with God.

More podcasts on this topic:Erin Honeycutt on Infertility and Miscarriage: https://alifeofthrive.com/2020/12/16/bonus-podcast-episode-erin-honeycutt-infertility-and-miscarriage/Alicia Hodges - Finding Peace and Comfort After the Death of Her Son: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/08/30/finding-peace-and-comfort-after-the-death-of-her-son-alicia-hodges/Serena Dyksen - After Abortion Care and Healing: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/06/05/after-abortion-care-and-healing-with-serena-dyksen/Hope Reager - The Death of Her Adult Son: https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/12/22/hope/

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Lately I’ve taken a keen interest in finding ways, methods, tools for my listeners to not only pursue peace in their life but I also want to connect them with actual people who can make a difference in their pursuit for freedom in the mind/mental health, heart/emotional health and body/physical health. With that in mind, my guest today is Psychotherapist Healey Ikerd. As you listen in you’ll hear that she can definitely make a difference in those areas of your life.

Together she and I want you to know, to have, to experience freedom in all the ways God meant for you to be free so that you can walk in your true identity in Christ and know the fullness of His plans for your life.

God is the only deity that I’m aware of who never asks you to act like something didn’t happen or to accept what happened or to distance yourself from your traumas. The God of the Holy Bible says give me your hand, I’m going to guide you through this valley and into healing. So God boldly walks us right through the middle of our personal valley of death. He takes pain and gives it purpose, redeems what we’ve lost and replaces it with better and He restores us to our right mind where fear does not reign.

The more I talk about the transforming power of God’s word the more I realize that change starts with a simple decision that we want peace more than we want to live with what fear cultivates in our life. That decision is not enough though because we must take action with some discipline and intention. Among many things that Healey talked about she gave us a super simple way to start the process of changing the way we think and therefore changing the way we live.

Healey suggests that we take a situation or a lie based thought, such as I don’t like my smile, no one loves me, I can never do anything right,(fill in the blank with your personal fear or negative self-talk). Then find a scripture to replace the destructive nature of the words and beliefs you are currently using/thinking. Using scripture to replace destructive self-talk will begin to feed the creation of new neuropathways in the brain and starve the life based neuropathways that you previously created and used. lie. By not focusing on our lack but by speaking God’s truth into life starves the lie we believed.

Scriptures such as Psalm 139:14, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Or if fear is overwhelming, then turn to a full scripture such as Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

In short, every time your negative thought comes into your head, interrupt it with your phrase or wash your thoughts with scripture and rewrite the lies with God’s truth. I’d suggests you practice this discipline with intention for a minimum of 21 days because that’s the time it takes to rewrite a neuro pathway in your brain. Thirty days is even better!

Something else that Healey shared that was super simple and yet oh so powerful with regard to changing our language is to rephrase your I am statements and to I feel.

She made the distinction that speaking I am statements over ourselves such as I am scared, I am lonely, I am weary, are statements of identity and yet we are not our emotions or our fears. So when we’re talking about emotions use the phase I feel scared, I feel lonely, I feel weary.

I’d even suggest you include self defeating statements such as I am ugly, I am fat because there is an emotion/a fear behind these words and change them to I feel ugly, I feel fat.

When we intentionally change the wording to I feel, this gives us control over our emotions and we move from labeling ourself as less than, to healing; in other words, restored to who God says we are. We’re no longer a victim of an emotion. We have emotions but it’s not who we are.

That is just a few of the simple actions that we can take that will change the direction of our life!

Alright, let’s get into this informative and potentially life changing conversation with Healey Ikerd.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Healey:Website: https://writtenbyhealey.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writtenbyhealey/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WrittenbyHealey

Bio:Healey Ikerd is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Arkansas and a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor.

She has also earned a Certificate in Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is a U.S. Army Veteran and has worked in the mental health field for over 17 years.

She owns her own private practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas called HopeLife Counseling and is the author of Changing Your Feeling – A Workbook for Anxiety and Worry From a Christian Perspective and a newly released children’s book called The Red Ball – A Story of Friendship and Forgiveness.

Her passion is to help others excel in life and relationships through biblical principles. Healey is a mom and a new “Grammie”. She and her husband live on a small farm in Northwest Arkansas.

Additional Podcasts on Various Other Healing Ministries:Theophostic Healing w/Frank Meadows: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/04/10/theophostic-healing-prayer-with-frank-meadows/Deliverance Ministry w/Karen King: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/09/13/finding-freedom-through-the-deliverance-ministry/Emotion Code w/Eileen Love: Part 1 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/07/emotion-code-therapy-part-1-with-eileen-love/ & Part 2 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/22/emotion-code-therapy-with-eileen-love-part-2/

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You will be so encouraged to hear all that my guest, Serena Dyksen has to share. Serena is an author, speaker and she and her husband Bruce are the Chief Visionary Officers for the ministry, She Found His Grace. After Serena found healing for her abortion, she accepted God’s invitation to spearhead His plan to bring healing and restoration to others just like her.

Per their website SheFoundHisGrace.org, their mission is “For men and women to find forgiveness after abortion and be set free from shame, guilt and regret. Turning our pain into purpose.”

I’ll start with this statistic that Serena shared however, this episode does not shame or guilt anyone. You’ll hear Serena share her abortion experience at the age of 13 and how it impacted her life for many years, even in ways she didn’t connect with the abortion. We are discussing truths, facts, personal stories and examples but only encouragement for those who are hurting is what you’ll hear.

Serena shared that 63 million babies have been lost to abortion so that made me think about the ripple effect. If we want to look at, say a ballpark figur with regard to the level of pain that is present in our communities, our families, our churches we can’t forget that there is a set of parents. We need to remember that the abortion has affected 2 additional people (per baby) who will potentially live with guilt and shame.

She Found His Grace Ministry has a mission to provide post abortion healing so mothers and fathers can find forgiveness, purpose and redemption. Every hurting heart that connects with She Found His Grace is pointed to the only One who can do such a transformational work of the heart. Only God is the superior opponent for satan. God is the only reason we can know anything good in the reality of a broken world and an enemy who hates us.

God has the power and the authority to use the very thing that satan meant to destroy you with and give it purpose in your life. Victory over sin and shame is God’s expertise. How can we experience a come back from one of life’s most devastating choices? Jesus’ example on the cross and his resurrection is for us today and He offers us that same ability to rise again to new life in Him. Yes, we’ll know new life in eternity with Him but the God of the Holy Bible is alive and active in our life today and he offers us new life. New life to experience and to know it in the here and now.

I stress this because I want you to know that you can never go too far and that you are not alone in your pain and confusion. Throughout this podcast episode you’ll hear reason after reason to reinforce this truth.

Serena and I talked about so many things one of which was how the abortion pill has shifted the abortion clinic from an office environment into the personal home. This move shifts the responsibility and magnifies how the mom is even more isolated in her abortion experience. Something that Serena is hearing more and more is that when the so called “clump of cells” passes from the body looks more like a baby than the women were prepared for. The level of trauma is layers deep. What are they supposed to do under those circumstances because abortion clinics do not offer any after care even though they know how traumatizing it is for their customers.

Something that I wasn’t aware of and I don’t hear it being talked about AT ALL is the abortion pill reversal option. Serena shares some helpful and encouraging information and a beautiful testimony of a woman who regretted taking the abortion pill, took action within the required timeframe, received and took the reversal antidote pill and was able to deliver a healthy baby.

Here’s a perspective I never considered, on the She Found His Grace website there are personal stories from siblings who grieve the loss of the aborted baby and Serena shares that these are some of the most passionate supporters because they see the healing transformation their family experiences and they want that for other families too.

There is a lot of heartbreaking aspects about abortion but something Serena talked about was the various types of abuse experienced in abortion clinics. This caused me to wondered out loud how much worse it could get especially if the woman shows any indication that she may not get the abortion.

Something precious we talked about was the event Serena hosts and it’s when mothers and fathers give dignity to their children and part of that experience is to name their child. Serena almost had me in tears hearing how beautiful God is to not only make it okay to acknowledge the life of the child, but to give him/her an identity with a name and to create a family bond. That’s so God’s heart; family, relationship. Yet another reason why He wants more than anything for you to bring Him your pain. You’re His son or daughter and He wants to heal you.

After this conversation and getting a glimpse into Serena’s passion to facilitate healing for the men and women who have experienced abortion I was left with the lingering impression on my heart of the powerful impact that a once broken heart made whole in Jesus can realistically have on those around them.

Every healed heart becomes a voice and gives courage for other broken hearts to find healing as well…Think about how Serena herself found healing and gave God her yes in obedience and look at what He’s done with her transformed heart. If the gospel started with 12 transformed lives and has reached around the globe, I’m in awe to think what’s possible with each ripple affect that individual people will start and the contribution they’ll make for post abortion healing throughout the continents.

All the more reason to find healing for guilt, shame, condemnation because when you do, it flips the table on satan’s plans to destroy your life. Letting God rewrite the painful places with His extravagant love, forgiveness, restoration, grace, mercy and all the beautiful ways that He cares for us and heals us, that’s true victory.

Let’s listen in to hear all that Serena has to share. Not only is it very interesting and life changing but I love to hear the joy in her voice. God has done a good work because even her laughter is a testimony that with God it’ll all work out for our good and His glory.

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Serena:serenadyksen.comSheFoundHisGrace.orgHotline: 574-400-5272abortionpillreversal.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/shefoundhisgraceInstagram: Instagram.com/she_found_his_gracePinterest: Pinterest.com/sdyksen

Bio:Serena Dyksen is a wife, mother, speaker, post-abortive, author and founder of the She Found His Grace Ministry. She is also a sidewalk counselor where she ministers to abortion-minded mothers and fathers. Serena shares her story to empower men and women to know their worth through the saving power of Jesus Christ. She currently serves on the board of Northern Indiana Adult and Teen Challenge along with her husband Bruce. When she’s not in the trenches of ministry, she enjoys spending time with her family, drinking coffee, traveling and enjoying the beach.

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My guest Cindy LaFavre Yorks is on a mission to help people identify their emotions and press into the heart of God for both healing whenever needed and the ability to live in peace.

Cindy will help you get to the root cause of various emotions such as anxiety, worry, fear, overwhelm right down to the root cause. Once identified, any lie based thinking will be challenged and rewritten with the truth of God’s word. Doing this will deliver you into a place of freedom as you begin to interrupt thought patterns and belief systems that we’ve built on lies. This is where freedom is introduced into your life because dismantling lie based thinking will bring results that will be seen and felt in the quality of your life and your relationships not to mention the physical peace in your mind and body.

Cindy showed me a colorful wheel that has 6 core emotions and from there the wheel fans out into other possible underlying emotions. It looked intimidating but as she talked me through it I can see where it’s an effective tool that goes right to the heart of things. This pinpoints a starting place, an emotion to work with and begin your healing journey right away.

As I talked with Cindy I realized how tangled our emotions can be and gained a better appreciation on how important it is to take the time to sort them out. Cindy’s knowledge, the ability to ask the right questions, her tools, especially the emotion wheel partnered with the word of God, will give you the ability to take ownership of your emotions. Cindy equips you to actively move toward healthy emotions and healthy mental condition for the win. And the win is using God's truth to find freedom and peace.

We talk about personalities like those who stuff feelings down, those who don’t know what they really feel and would prefer to avoid having to confront them as well as those who explode saying exactly how they feel without a filter.

In the middle of looking at these types of reactions that people have Cindy said something that stood out to me (among other things), she was talking about being embarrassed by forgetting to pay a friend for their services and how Satan can get a foothold with emotions such as embarrassment. This caused Cindy to want to avoid other friends who might know she failed to pay their mutual friend Then Cindy begin to isolate, which of course is satan’s playground of the mind. Cindy’s experience reminded her of the power of our emotions to cause chaos and anxiety until she was able to get back to her friend and make that payment.

Just another reminder of why we need to pause and evaluate our emotions when they seem out of proportion to the situation, whenever they’re over the top or even concerning when the result is unhealthy (as a pattern for responding) such as isolating or avoidance. Because ultimately satan’s strategy is to separate us from our friends and especially separate us from God because He is the Fountain Head of truth. He’s the God of relationship and therefore satan will delight and work overtime to rob us of knowing freedom and thriving at life especially in these specific areas of our life.

I like that Cindy didn’t side step the fact that the way we process our emotions is a life-long challenge but that the gift you give yourself when learning to identify them is that you do so quicker. Being more efficient at identifying unproductive thinking helps us to resolve our emotions faster which returns us to a healthy mental condition even sooner and that is a beautiful thing if you ask me.

This reminds me of being a Christian in the sense that It’s not that we’ll never sin again, it’s that we recognize our patterns faster. We begin to take immediate responsibility, we repent which keeps an ongoing, open communication relationship with God. Because satan is betting, hoping that we’ll hide ourselves form God (because of our sin). That way satan can work us over punishing us as he mentally beats us up about our sin.

Cindy shared so much more but I’ve said enough so let’s get into this most interesting topic that can pave the way for a whole new skill set by enabling you to maintain your peace and live in freedom from mental chaos and overwhelm.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Cindy:Website: https://cindyyorks.com/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-emotional-rescue/id1527487292Instagram: @_cindy_lafavre_yorksFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindylafavre.yorks?mibextid=LQQJ4dYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CindyLaFavreYorksPublished Trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cindy-Yorks/author/B07L7GG8H3?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Bio:Cindy LaFavre Yorks shares her gift of encouragement and passion for authenticity and emotional healing through a variety of artistic mediums. She is an award winning journalist, a speaker and the author of a devotion door trilogy available on Amazon (The Side Door: Welcoming God's Divine Detours (Book 1 of 3, Door Devotional Trilogy). Additionally, Cindy is a podcast host and her podcast “Your Emotional Rescue” debuted this spring (2024) and can be found on YouTube and a variety of other hosting sites.

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My guest Rachel Shirley is a Certified Professional Coach and Pet Loss Grief Companion and she’s here today to talk about her book, Pet Loss and Divine Healing - A compassionate Guide for navigating your Devastating Loss.

When Rachel and I were connected up I was so excited to learn that there is true support for those who are grieving the loss of a beloved pet. I love my pets but I’m also one who tries to just push through my grief possibly because I’ve bought into societies value system with regard to grading the level of importance when it comes to death. I don’t really know why I try very hard to push through the death of my pets

Every time I’ve lost a pet I am utterly heartbroken but I never take the time to grieve like I need to and with each passing pet loss my grief seems to get more difficult and more difficult. I had my 13 year old, little 5lb Yorkiepoo put down in March of 2023 and it broke. My. Heart. So much so that I kept feeling like I wanted to cry the whole time I was talking with Rachel and even now tears are threatening to start but as usual I’m holding them back as I do this intro. Something that is the distance for me is that I currently have 2 senior dogs who are each 11 years old and a cat who is 7 years old. Flesh or fur we never get them as long as we want them so it is inevitable that I will have to lay them to rest sometime in the near future. The thought of that causes me to struggle with whether or not I’ll get any more animals. I just don’t know if my heart can take it.

So when I learned there is grief support I knew I wanted to share this with you, my listeners! Rachel is someone who cares about your beloved fur baby and she can help you navigate this painful season. As soon as Rachel starts talking you’ll be able to tell that she’s comforting and kind, 2 wonderful traits that let you know you can trust her with your pain and that she’s genuinely there to help heal your broken heart. She knows your pain firsthand because she lost her beloved fur baby, Winston.

We delve into all the aspects of her book which, in my opinion cover the full scope of what someone will go through when they lose a pet. I can’t think of a topic in her book that she left out right down to the last chapter where it addressed the los of various professions that either care for dogs like veterinarians as well as dogs who serve their community both professionally and personally to include military, police, support animals. But she didn’t stop there, she brings these additional topics to the table…having to euthanize a pet due to financial or behavioral issues, a pet who died of a tragic accident.

She addresses people who do not have children and she wraps up her book by sharing first-hand stories from her clients.

Some of the topics that Rachel and I talked about were how does one process grief for a pet, the importance of a bond between human and pet, is there a right way or wrong way to grieve, honoring your precious fur baby and we didn’t side step the debate about pets going to heaven.

At one point Rachel and I talk about our pets being a gift form God and how much they embody His spirit of unconditional love, joy, and tangible affection. We refer to God reveling Himself through our pets…I even said that His spirit shows up in animals…but to be clear I’m not saying that God is a dog or is a specific animal I’m saying that God uses our pets and any animal he wants to speak to us….like the Balaam’s donkey in the book of Numbers 22:21-39 - not only did the donkey save Balaam’s life because God reveals Himself to the Donkey… but God also opens the donkeys mouth and he spoke truth, common sense to Balaam. So when/if you hear me say that God is like a dog or a cat etc. I’m not saying He is an animal but that He uses His creation to reveal His nature and give tangible ways that we can experience His character.

If you’re grieving the loss of a precious pet, I hope that what Rachel shares with you today will strengthen your heart for the grief journey because you’re not alone!

Let’s get into this most encouraging conversation and you can find all the links in the show notes.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Rachel:Website: https://www.rachel-shirley.com/Book: https://www.rachel-shirley.com/the-book-pet-loss-and-divine-healingPurchase Her Book - Amazon: https://www.amzn.to/4a2HYFn

Bio:As a mother of two incredible boxer boys, Spencer and Charley, my life is deeply enriched by their loving companionship. As a devoted wife and woman of faith, I've dedicated my life to helping those in need of comfort and care during the most painful seasons of their lives. Many people ask me how I can walk so closely with others during their time of difficulty when losing a pet. I affectionately share with them that I could not imagine doing anything besides serving my fellow man and their beautiful pets in this loving way. Life is precious. Together, let's honor what we've been graciously blessed with…our pet's lives with whom we love so dearly.

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Transcript: The topic, or the question for today is, can God's plan for your life be ruined, specifically ruined by our own poor choices, or can it be ruined by the choices of other people by way of impacting our life? I wish that question was cut and dry, but the answer is yes and no. That's the best short answer I can provide, but we're going to use Scripture as our basis as we push out this topic.

There are tons of truth that will show you, no, God's plan for your life cannot be ruined, no matter the contributing force. However, near the end of this podcast, I talk about the one thing that can indeed block God's plan for your life, and I don't think you'll be surprised when you hear what it is. I do hope that you'll receive a fresh dose of encouragement and that you feel empowered to take the next step.

And here's how this topic came up and why I wanted to share it with you. I had the chance to speak at a Christian women's event, and Psalm 23 was the verse that their gathering was based on. I get excited about Psalm 23 (as many of you know this about me). Memorizing that particular Psalm has been such an incredible weapon for me, not only in my every day, ordinary life, but it's my lifeline when things are complicated and painful.

When I proclaim Psalm 23 over my life or the life of my loved ones, it infuses me with hope, encouragement, confidence, and it strengthens my faith muscle.

Allow me to tie this in really quick as another resource for Psalm 23. After I had a measure of grief healing, I could look back and see how God worked in my life in ways (at the time) that I did not discern, and I wanted to share how God showed up. And so, I did a stand-alone podcast episode titled Here's How Psalm 23 Showed Me God's Faithfulness. In this episode I gave tangible examples of what it meant for God to be faithful in the midst of my grief.

Currently it has over seven thousand six hundred downloads (I'll put the link in the show notes). I add that little bit of info because in this episode we're going to specifically build on Psalm 23:3 as our core scripture. With regard to the question, can God's plan for our life be ruined, the verse reads, "He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

The purpose of drawing the focus in on that specific verse is that I want to look at God's heart for restoration, as well as look at other examples of how the heart of God is to restore us to his paths of righteousness, who He created us to be for His name's sake. Think about how invested God is in us. We are His name sake.

If you're one of my faithful listeners, many of you know my story of unexpectedly losing my husband in early 2018. It was six years ago as of February 21st, 2024. He left our home at 8AM. Everything seemed fine. However, by lunchtime that same day, he had a massive heart attack and passed away. Something my boys and I never saw coming. Never.

Out of that pain a portion of my redemption is to encourage believers in the dark valleys of life, so I spend a lot of my time looking at the good God I profess through the lens of pain and suffering. I have the precious privilege of my guests allowing me into some of the most vulnerable moments they've ever known. It is an intimate space to be allowed into because I get a glimpse of how God enters into our pain and how he works in the privacy of someone's personal devastation.

When life no longer resembles anything we once knew, I think it's a fair request we make of God to put things back like they used to be. I too have pleaded with God. I had been with my husband for a little over 33 years. I repeatedly asked the Lord to give me back my normal, return things to how they used to be. Give me back my old life.

Struggling under the weight of pain and an internal fight to orient myself and to gain my footing, in my mind, it actually seemed possible that if I could just go back to the way things used to be, everything would be OK. Life would be good again.

If you've got some life under your belt, life experiences with some hard things, more than likely you've asked God to put things back like they used to be. And I've shared this with you before, this type of pain, loss, suffering is not exclusive to losing a loved one.

Anytime we struggle under an immense weight of pain, (no matter what it personally means to have your world flipped upside down), our brain is grasping at anything familiar. And yet, at the same time, panic is there because we know in the back of our mind, or maybe it's in the back of our heart, knowing that this shaking and shifting is actually exploding our life into tiny little pieces.

That's why it's so important to grieve when life takes unexpected twists and turns. After a life changing event, it will not return to how things used to be. It simply can't. And we need time for our head and our heart to catch up.

When life goes missing, the good news of the gospel isn't exclusive to our salvation. It is the reason that we can know anything good on this side of heaven.

There are times when we'll find ourselves in broken, painful consequences because of our own choices. And then there are times when we'll find ourselves in broken, painful consequences because of someone else's choices or simply because life happens, like with my husband. Either way, we're left with the aftermath of what feels like a head on collision.

In any of these situations, something that had been previously tethered to our heart, our life, our identity has been disrupted. And when it's broken, it's broken. Acting like it isn't broken only delays the suffering.

Whether we find ourselves in the position of needing God to restore us because of our own choices or the choices of others, we have two perfect biblical examples that are proof that we can know and experience God's hope, healing and restoration. The biblical proof that I'm going to share is something you are more than likely very familiar with but I want to look at these historical accounts, potentially/hopefully through the lens of a fresh new reminder.

For those of us who have made poor decisions (and I count myself among these precious people), whether we're living with lifelong consequences, maybe unforgiveness is eating at us, or shame and guilt stab us like a knife. Be encouraged by this beautiful example of God's power and authority to repurpose our poor decisions.

God's standard, His rules, His precepts, are for our safety. So, when he told Eve (and he told Adam too) eat from any tree in the garden except that one, the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he did so as a loving father who wanted to protect his children.

And as we know, Eve decided to go outside the boundary that God had put in place because she had heard from the serpent that eating the fruit would make her like God so that couldn't be a bad thing, right? Eve loved God.

But what Eve didn't bargain for is that while she would indeed know something God knew, Eve did not have the authority and the sovereignty to handle or overcome this new knowledge. The reality of her choice came with consequences, and that's what God was trying to protect her from. He didn't want her to endure the consequences that he knew were attached to her choice. It was going to break his heart as he watched her struggle under the reality of this knowledge with no power against it.

I feel sure, because I'm a mama, that what broke his Fatherly heart the most, Eve was now separated from him. And He knew who was coming for her. The enemy and a constant battering on her mind and her heart and her body. Steal, kill, destroy, steal, kill, destroy.

Sean Covey said, “We are free to choose our paths, but we can't choose the consequences that come with them."

Eve's choice to do things on her own terms resulted in more than a lifelong consequence. We live under a generational curse because of Eve's choices.

The language of the culture today gives us so-called encouragement by telling us to handle things on our own. You see all the social media quotes and posts about being independent and strong and how you don't need to rely on anyone. You don't have to ask for help, you can do it yourself, and you're so strong but that my friend, is the world talking. Every single time without exception when I want to handle things in my own understanding and with my own discernment, I will create a coping skill or some sort of self protection method apart from God’s plan to heal and redeem.

If I don't take the thing straight to God and expose it, ask for his guidance, input and his wisdom, I end up struggling with something God never intended for me to endure. I end up in the negative, struggling with things that are detrimental to my well-being, less than God's best for me. The result of me doing things independent from God is that fear and anxiety show up. My emotions want to lean into depression. I start feeling disconnected, feeling like no one sees me or no one cares. I have a constant feeling of overwhelm. All these things have Satan's fingerprints on them. These types of steal, kill, destroy feelings.

So, Eve bites the apple, introduces sin to the world, and then God threw his hands up and proclaimed that his plan was ruined and that he didn't know what he was going to do now, right? No! Thank God, no!

Eve's choice, catastrophic as it was, did not overpower God's authority. God always has a plan of restoration. A plan that overwhelms the broken things of this life. God flips the script on the pain and suffering in this life and brings beauty from our ashes, both for our good and his glory.

For those who choose the finished work of the cross, the curse that Eve put on us is broken. Because of Christ's shed blood and resurrection, we have direct access to the heart of the Father. His heart for us that desires to save and restore.

And that, my sweet friend, is why your poor choices do not have the power to destroy the calling on your life. Can we temporarily derail the original path? Delay it? Cause added obstacles and complications where we show up with additional baggage than before we went off the rails? Yes, we can. But once we submit ourselves to God, when we repent and bring it into the light, His light, we get to watch him transform our situation and return us to His paths of righteousness.

In God's plan of redemption things like regret, shame, guilt, unforgiveness, and the like have been accounted for or planned for. God knew it was coming. He's not surprised by our humanity. He was not caught off guard and had to scramble to figure out how to manage this new revelation that we threw at him.

Sweet friend, he's made a way for you and I to lift our heads under the weight of our choices and even better, we don't have to wait for heaven. I think our biggest challenge is comprehending the truth of God's heart for restoration and stepping into it.

If we knew how true, how strong God's heart is for restoration, we would grab a hold of it in the here and now. We wouldn't delay for a single second. We don't have to pray for God to have a heart of mercy and restoration. We don't have to look for it, work for it, hope for it. That's who he is, with or without our acknowledgement. All we need to do is engage his heart. And how do we do that?

Cultivate a life of intimacy with our Father. Discovering who he really is versus who we want him to be, who we think he is or who we think he should be. Get to know his heart and who he says we are and watch your life be transformed.

For those of us who by no choice of our own, find our lives flipped upside down, that which was the atoning sacrifice to correct Eve's selfish decision is also perfect proof that despite the horrific tragedies in this life, abandonment, rejection, innocent blood, being misunderstood, lied about, betrayed, all the different ways that one human being can choose to assault another human being, the list is endless.

Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing is impossible for God. His plans are bigger, his power is sovereign, and his authority answers to no one. He has no rival and no equal.

And allow me to add this example of God's extensive power and authority. Hell, the lake of eternal fire, is the place God has ordained where people will spend eternity if they choose not to allow Jesus to pay their sin debt.

Hell is God's real estate. That's why God's word plainly tells us in Philippians 2:10-11, "Whether in, heaven, on the earth, or under the earth, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

From the very pit of hell, God will be acknowledged. In either eternity, (heaven or hell), we're on God's turf and we are on His Kingdom territory. And that is why I can guarantee you that God can bring good despite the devastation of this life. Hell answers to God.

With God having no rival and no equal, and because all things are under His authority, He ordained the death of His only Son as the acceptable atoning sacrifice that would break the curse of our sin penalty.

Yes, Christ's death was planned, but Jesus would not have the luxury of avoiding the human aspect of that suffering. He would suffer in every way that we do as humans.

Jesus's life, his horrific death, the burial, the victory of his resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father would not be without deep pain. A soul aching, bone saturating submission that caused him to cry out to the Father to give him relief from the torment, anguish that brought blood out of Jesus's pores while in the garden of Gethsemane. And not just the physical suffering, but the very core of who God is.

Our God, the God of the Holy Bible is the God of relationship, and Father and Son would be separated. God would turn away from his son until our sin penalty was paid in full and the curse was broken. And what result does God bring about with his son's horrific death? Colossians 2:15 tells us in the NIV, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

And let's not forget Ephesians 6:12 that tells us the importance of disarming the powers and authorities, Ephesians 6:12 in the NIV tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Christ's death publicly put Satan to shame, both in the physical world as well as being acknowledged in the spiritual realm.

If you've had no choice about what happened to you, where does this leave you? What does Christ's death, burial, and resurrection mean regarding what you've lost? Ultimately, Jesus offers us hope, healing and restoration but it will take courage to heal. The dark valley you find yourself in…God knows the way through. He’s been there. He put to shame the evil that has been inflicted on you. You do not walk this journey alone. No valley is too dark nor is there one that is too deep for him to bring healing.

I do hope it's comforting to know that God fears nothing. Not our anger or our rage, not our ungodly questions, not the evil of this life.

There is simply nothing about our existence that God fears because he has the power and authority (the permission and ability) to take the very thing that Satan meant to destroy us with…and not necessarily destroy us, as in our physical death. Satan is content if he can destroy us with our thought life, hold us captive through our emotions, or keep trauma locked in our hearts. It's all the same to him. If it will silence us, make us bitter, isolate us, paralyze us, or separate us from God from his truth in any way, shape, or form, it's a payoff for Satan.

God isn't afraid, dismayed, overwhelmed or disconnected because no matter our situation, his solution is redemption for absolutely anything evil that this life can dish out. What we can't do in our own strength, the fact that we have no power or authority to change our circumstances, but God. God repurposes the reality of pain. Not that He immediately takes us out of it, but in His hands, we're guaranteed that our pain is never for no reason. He takes the evil pain inflicted upon you and turns it into purpose. That's a table prepared for you in the presence of your enemies.

I feel sure I've shared this with you before but allow me to share once again, something the Lord spoke into my spirit as I processed the death of my husband. I was telling God that I found no comfort in what people were saying to me, that God does not give you more than you can handle. I knew they were trying to be kind, and so I received it with grace, mainly because even I've said that before to people.

But now, standing on the receiving side, it's stung every time because I wanted to scream. Oh, yes, he does. I assure you he does. I am undone in every way. I did not choose this, and I don't want to be here.

So, I took all of that pain to the Lord. It was probably considered ungodly, and it was raw, but it was honest. And in the midst of my breakdown, the quiet, calm voice of the Holy Spirit downloaded something very precious into my heart, and it changed my perspective. It is something that I will always hold close to my heart, he said Sherrie, I don't allow anything I don't plan to redeem.

And that didn't mean that I was going to skip the grieving process or forget my husband. It simply meant that nothing touches his children that he does not have the power to use for our good in his glory. He always has a plan. God always has a plan that overwhelms our limitations, that rewrites the mental, emotional, and spiritual demise that Satan had planned for us.

So, my sweet friend, no matter the reason that you're struggling with the evil of this life, my encouragement for you today is rest. Rest your weary heart. Rest your mind and the constant running from one anxiety laden thought and memory to another.

Grab a hold of this lifeline Matthew 11:28 "And then Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Your heart can have complete confidence that God will take care of you to the degree that you allow Him. And here's where the Yes, God's plan for your life can be blocked. Because remember, He will never force himself on us. He doesn't push us into anything. He extends His hand and invites us to allow Him into our pain. He will gently, tenderly work in the places that we expose to him. To walk in our full calling is to engage God’s heart on an intimate level. In that intimacy we find healing, meaning, clarity, and our calling.

Plenty of people leave this life, never having fulfilled the calling on their life because they did not have the courage to allow God to heal them. And I'm not saying God can't work in your life on your behalf. I'm just saying that if you don't engage him, the benefits of your healing are limited, and you won't perceive what he's doing.

In the healing process, you discover things about God that solidifies your value and your worth. If you keep God at arm's length, you'll miss out on the secrets that He has that he only reveals in the darkest, most painful places of life. He responds to our authentic, honest, and transparent pain when we trust Him with it.

Whether we're a victim of our own bullying because we won't accept God's forgiveness, nor will we forgive ourselves, or we're a victim to someone else's choices and maybe there's some unforgiveness there that holds us hostage. I want you to remember this. In the fight between good and evil. Forgive, don't forgive. Heal, don’t heal. Rest, don't rest. Trust, don't trust. The push and the pull. Do you know what the prize is? Do you know why the fight is so intense?

It's your heart. Your heart is the prize. It’s the place where the fountain of your devotion, affections, love, commitment, are sheltered in. All that God placed in you when He knit you together, creating you in His image.

You get to choose who you give your heart to. Either one. Satan or Jesus. Because both are pursuing you, both have a plan for your life.

Let this truth settle deep into your heart. Amid such a savage battle for your heart and I say savage because we know that Satan is cruel, ruthless, and full of vile hatred for the things that bear the image of God, you. But God is savage in his extravagant, pure, selfless, uncompromising, unapologetic love for us.In this every day battle for your heart, Satan sees your heart as a trophy with bragging rights. But God sees your heart as a priceless treasure that he longs to restore, right up until the moment you get to see him face to face.

Friend, let's embrace God's restoration. Let's have the courage to heal and fulfill God's plan for our lives.

Additional Resource: Another Podcast Episode You May LikeEpisode Title: Here’s How Psalm 23 Showed Me God’s Faithfulness -Website w/audio: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/08/17/heres-how-psalm-23-showed-me-gods-faithfulness/Audio Only: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-mqbaw-1295c97

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My guest today is the former Clinical Director of Christian Psychotherapy Services where he had been in practice since 1989 but then left that practice to become the Founder of the Meadows Healing Prayer Center. He is a mental health professional and a licensed clinical social worker. My guest is Frank Meadows and he has been counseling and ministering with Theophostic Healing Prayer and seeing countless people being healed and delivered.

This episode with Frank Meadows takes a very close look at the benefits of healing and deliverance. You’ll hear me press into this healing and deliverance a few times as I try to dig down for a deeper understanding.

Frank takes us back to his roots on why he would even become interested in the healing ministry and how it impacted his life. He does an incredible job of explaining healing and deliverance as he shares his practices, methods and overall goal when he’s working with a client.

What excites me the most about the deliverance ministry is that even though we’re Christians the fact remains that we still deal with trauma and with Theophostic Healing Prayer we have the ability to be set free. Which equates to peace for our minds and our hearts.

Ever wonder why a Christian pastor can also be a slave to porn? Why would a Christian wife be unfaithful? Didn’t she make a vow to her husband in the presence of God? Wouldn’t you be shocked to find out that a highly respected Christian is prone to fits or rage and physically abuses his/her spouse and children?

There’s been more than one Christian family dealing with wayward children struggling with drugs, alcohol, identity issues, same sex attraction. Why are believers still using curse words in their every day language? Why are we lying about things, cheating people or the business we work for? Especially if we know God’s word and walk in a deep relationship with him? And yet, that is exactly what can and does happen.

Ultimately, we know that becoming a Christian does not mean that we are instantly perfect. We were born into sin and our maturing process with God is done in layers as He washes off the residue of this life, transforming us into His likeness.

Could it be that believing what we read in the Bible or hear in church is not enough or more accurately our knowledge needs experience too?

If our living God wants a living breathing relationship with us might He want to take us from believing what we read/hear to knowing by way of experiencing His benefits? I believe so because when we experience God it reinforces what we’ve read/heard/believed with our mind and now our heart has proof because of God’s peace and freedom that floods our life.

I’m not knocking traditional therapy, I’ve used it, it’s great but the difference that I have experienced between traditional therapy and Christian deliverance therapy has been hands down a level of sustained peace in my life that I have never known before. At the core of my heart, mind, body I am at peace. I’m not saying that situations/circumstances/people do not challenge that peace but I have a place of rest that I can continually return to or build on whenever I find myself using/trying to create self-protection/coping skills.

Because remember, as Christians we don’t need to go looking, begging, praying, wishing, hoping for God’s peace, healing, deliverance. It’s already there. We’re called to engage what is already available to us and live with the benefits in the here and now.

Let’s get into this episode because I want you to hear all the good stuff that my guest Frank Meadows has to share, let’s dive in and hear how our lie based thinking is how we stay trapped and how using Theophostic Healing Prayer to dismantle these barriers opens up a floodgate of freedom and peace; living water poured into our hearts, bodies, minds.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Frank on his website: https://www.meadowshealingprayercenter.com/about-us/

Bio:Frank is the founder of the Meadows Healing Prayer Center in Chesapeake, Va. For years,he has counseled and ministered healing prayer to many in the Hampton Roads, VA area. He has been utilizing Theophostic Healing Prayer with great results since 1999. Since that time many have come from across the United States to receive Franks’ ministry for extended times of intensive healing prayer. Since that time he has ministered over 17,000 hours using Theophostic Healing Prayer. Frank has taught and facilitated many Theophostic Basic Training Seminars and healing prayer training locally, nationally, and internationally.

Frank is a mental health professional and a licensed clinical social worker. He is also the clinical director of Christian Psychotherapy Services in Chesapeake, Virginia. He has been in practice there since 1989 ministering to clients and families with emotional, relational, spiritual and abuse trauma recover issues.

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My guest is Mary Beth Powers and we connected over the topic that we’re discussing today, unhealthy soul ties. Mary Beth is a long-time Bible teacher, a certified speaker, she currently serves as a connection Pastor at her church and we’ll be able to call her author as soon as her book is completed and published. Additionally, she leads a healing ministry called Freedom.

We talked about the impact that soul ties have on relationships, personal growth, and the importance of recognizing and breaking these ties through self-evaluation, Godly instruction, leaning into the heart of God and professional counseling with regard to trauma associated with some soul ties.

Mary Beth defined a soul tie and while it is not a biblical term she connected the dots for us with regard to how the Bible refers to uniting/joining/cleaving to someone as the same result of a soul tie.

I had a lot of curiosity about soul ties because it’s not something often spoken about in church and yet when they go undetected they rob us personally in countless ways, some of which are delaying our ability to fulfill the calling on our life, becoming a victim because of a lack of identity, staying stuck in trauma which cripples mentally, emotionally/physically. These are some of the possible results of staying attached to unhealthy soul ties.

I asked some very pointed questions about pornography soul ties, how soul ties created in past sexual relationships impact current ones. We talked about abusive relationship soul ties. I even asked Mary Beth about unwanted soul ties that are forced upon us such as rape and she even included incest in that portion of the discussion. In short, it was a very I interesting topic for me.

You may hear Mary Beth back on my show again because the book that she is in the process of writing is on generational curses and that is something else that I’m very interested in!

Let’s jump in and educate ourselves on soul ties, see if they apply to our life and if so, let’s break them off and walk in countless new levels of freedom!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Mary Beth:Website marybethpowers.comFB: https://www.facebook.com/mary.b.powersIG: girl.be.still

Bio:Mary Beth is passionate about seeing women experience Jesus in a life-changing way.

She speaks authentically as a safe place for women to share their struggles. Whether one-on-one or from a podium in a room full of women, she loves to see women thriving in the fullness of Jesus!

Mary Beth is a certified speaker and long-time Bible teacher. She currently serves as a connection Pastor at her church. She is known for her infectious personality and caring for others. She has a deep devotion to her family. She is married to her forever crush, Mike, and they parent three children together. They live in North Alabama in a small but growing town called Hazel Green. They enjoy the empty-nest season, and together, they love to travel and try out new restaurants.

She loves exploring new coffee shops, but most days, you will find her curled up next to her Aussie, Hartlee, coffee in one hand and her journal in the other, finishing a book about God’s unfailing love.

But she has a new role that she finds her favorite: being a Nana to her 3 new grandsons!

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My guest, author Noah Asher has written a book titled Chaos, Overcoming the Overwhelming. Noah uses his personal experience with chaos and leads us through what I believe (after talking to Noah and hearing this examples) is our own journey into, through and out of what Jesus modeled on the cross.

Don’t get me wrong our pain and suffering do not fulfill the same purpose and plan as the crucifixion. It will never equate to the work He accomplished. My point in making the connection of the Easter weekend from Friday to Sunday is that Jesus took all of our suffering, anguish, shame, guilt, regret, trauma and nailed it to the cross. This is proof that He has the power to turn our chaos into purpose too!

Through the model that Jesus gave us on the cross of overcoming the evil of this life, when we experience heartbreaking seasons we have an example of what processing the pain of this life looks like: Friday can be the pain of the impact, the moment our life changed forever. Saturday is the waiting season in-between Friday and Sunday. And then Sunday is the season of healing and restoration.

Noah breaks down a season of chaos into 3 phases:

The Prepare* Season - I really liked that Noah equips us to prepare for our own Friday moment. I was really curious to know, how can someone actually prepare for their life to be interrupted with chaos because we all know it’s not an “if it happens” scenario it’s a “when it happens” reality and yet I don’t consciously prepare for bad things to happen. So his insight is very helpful to first recognize that you probably are preparing yourself you just didn’t recognize it and then to see other ways you can equip yourself.

The second season is In The Midst* - Noah terms it as your Saturday season. You’re between the life changing event and the healing, restoration, redemption phase. Noah talked about how we can make this time as beneficial as possible, what value does this phase even have? What can you learn about God in (what I call the) the struggle season because it can be full of questions as we struggle to understand all that has been impacted. Questions like, "Why did you let this happen God?” "Why did this happen to me?” "What am I supposed to do with my life now?” "Who am I now?"

And the final season, the Aftermath* which I now term as Sunday. This is a time of healing, restoration and redemption - but what does that even mean in an individual life? It means a lot of beautiful things. Discovering your purpose, receiving revelation of God’s heart for you as his son or daughter and Noah talks about several more.

Noah did a fantastic job of making this topic of chaos very relatable and as you’ll hear he adds humor to what can be a very weighty topic. Not only does he back up his revelation and the real examples with Biblical truth, he also adds a little wit with references to characters such as The Lion Kin and Eeyore.

I asked Noah if there was a difference between chaos and trauma, and we talked about grief and grace, perseverance on the journey and we used Joseph’s story (among other biblical examples) to look at how God repurposed everything that was done to Joseph to bring good out of despair, and not just good for Joseph but for many and of course that echos the work of the cross as well. When you think about the good that the cross produced for as many who will accept Jesus’ payment for our sin debt.

Let’s listen in to find out how to navigate the 3 phases of chaos so that we might be prepared when our Friday arrives. If we’re prepared we know Who to turn to so that we can go from pain to purpose! We can have hope in a better tomorrow because we have the promise and the proof that Sunday is coming.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Noah:Website: www.thenoahasher.comIG: @TheNoahAsher on Instagram Email: chaosovercomer@gmail.com

Bio:Noah Asher is an author, Chaos-survivor, business owner, and communicator. Noah helps people find purpose within their pain and their past. His new book, CHAOS: Overcoming the Overwhelming, is a guide on how to navigate through difficult times and come out stronger on the other side. Noah believes that everyone has a purpose, and he is dedicated to helping people find it.

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This conversation is deeply layered and beautifully delivered by my guest Angie Baughman who intimately knows loss and what it means to live with complete uncertainty.

A simple car ride with her family turns their world upside down. She’s in the car with her husband and 2 young sons, a vehicle crosses the line and hits them head on. The crash affects her entire family; immediate, extended, church as well as their friends. Everyone who was courageous enough to step into roles and take on responsibilities of what it entails to support a family.

The tragic results of the accident put Angie and her oldest son who was 7 years old at the time, in the hospital. Between the two of them they had 8 surgeries. In the blink of an eye she began a journey of loss and total uncertainty at no fault of her own.

And then at a point where she’s gaining some independence, she’s working hard to hit the physical therapy goals with a strong desire to do away with the level of need and personal care she receives, including the desire to be the one making all of the decision for her and her family, but then she’s blind signed by a brain bleed. It was a result of the car crash but yet it doesn’t present itself until 18 months later. She’s in a great place of improvement, moving forward and now she’s starting all over again.

Because of her extended recovery Angie’s belief system, and not exclusive to her faith, is more than simply challenged or shaken, it’s shattered. Since satan is famous for attaching himself to our traumas, in the midst of Angie questioning everything about her life, satan brings a past trauma to the forefront of her mind/heart.

Satan’s intention, of course, is to destroy Angie with this compounding trauma but she decides to accept God’s invitation and allow Him to heal her. In the intimacy of His invitation, He lets her know, He’s not giving her back the life she had, He’s taking her back to move her forward. Satan may have brought back past trauma but God was going to reveal His heart to healing. He was preparing a table for her in the presence of her enemy.

At one point in our conversation I asked her how do we take negative/traumatic/lies/thoughts captive to Christ and she lays out several things we can do to interrupt satan’s intentions and rewrite them with God’s promises.

If you’re living with uncertainty or it’s one of your biggest fears, then you’ll find quotable wisdom that you can hang on to, right down to her parting words as we closed our time together. Listen in to discover what those lifelines are that Angie has to share. Let’s dive in to find God in the painful places of life.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Angie:Website: https://livesteadyon.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/angiebaughman421/FB: https://www.facebook.com/livesteadyonYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwl0_Edd8fNHz7y1jLOqj4g

Bio:Angie Baughman is a pastor, Bible teacher, author, podcaster, founder of Steady On ministries, and creator of the Step By Step Bible study method.

At sixteen, she was groomed into a romantic relationship with a high school teacher and faced community rejection when she went public with her story. Knowing and living by the promises of God helped free her from layers of shame, and she now creates resources that help people cultivate consistent Bible study habits.

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My guest Karen King has developed a passion for the deliverance ministry specifically the deliverance from demonic attachment, influence, oppression, all the plans and schemes that Satan has set against us.

It’s no secret, God has a plan for your life and so does Satan but before we jump into finding freedom I do want to pause for one minute and acknowledge that some people do not believe that a Christian should or could have trouble with demonic attachments and influences or oppression, and if that's you, don’t check out.

Allow me to humbly submit to you Job. A man who was tested in every single capacity of life and never sinned against God. As a matter of fact, it was because of Job’s faithfulness that God offered him up to Satan. With restrictions of course, but none the less we see Job go from traumatic emotional pain, to physical illness pain to a place where the pain turned inward on himself as he cried out to the God he believed in.

We have this perspective about Job but we can also acknowledge that we’ve all been through portions of Job’s journey. Our own emotions can become weary unless we isolate ourselves from life and relationship. But isolation is Satan’s playground with regard to our mental thought life. So take the time to talk to Holy Spirit and ask Him to reveal the various ways that your enemy works against you to steal your mental health, kill your peace of mind and ultimately destroy you, even though you remain physically alive. Ask Holy Spirit to give you revelation and then whatever He reveals, take it captive to Christ.

Karen is here to let us know that we can find freedom from anguish, confusion, depression and anxiety, all the ways that we suffer when Satan goes undetected and therefore runs rampant in our thought life. Times when we allow negative thoughts and experiences to overwhelm us to the point that we live in fear and cannot find any peace. We’re in constant survival mode, never confident about which way to turn.

Mental health is simply one way Satan works against us and Karen feels that stored emotions in her body (from a 20 year abusive marriage) contributed to the 2 cancer diagnoses that she’s received. But it has only fueled her desire to stand on God’s word and experience what it means when we read in the Holy Bible that, "...by His stripes (His wounds) we are healed." (My emphasis inserted)

He paid the price for our healing (be it mental, physical or emotional) with every drop of His Son’s blood so I am confident that the blood He’s invested is a clear indication that healing is for everyone. In other words, God wants a return on His most precious investment.

Not only does Karen participate in the deliverance ministry by assisting people to be set free by the power of Christ but she herself has benefited greatly by also allowing others in the deliverance ministry to break off demonic influences that she has experienced.

Additionally, she’s taken the time to investigate in what ways she has allowed Satan to have access to her and when she finds points of access she exercises the power and authority of Christ’s work on the cross. She shuts down the strongman and his structured kingdom, forbidding any division and casting them all into the pit of hell where they came from.

Another way that Satan finds an access point and then we’ll get to the conversation with Karen, is when the uncertainty of life hits us it creates an environment that is rich with regard to questioning God’s goodness which in turn causes us to question God’s love for us and His intentions. Questioning God in the midst of pain is normal and expected but it’s an opportune time for Satan to attach himself to our pain and flood us with past pain that lines up with our current situation and therefore validating our emotions. All with the purpose of driving a wedge between our heart and God’s heart. Satan wants us to lose our footing on the truths that we already know about God.

Satan wants us to define God based on our pain and fear. Satan attacks us in our most vulnerable places. Our weakest moments are the perfect time for him to slay us and again, he doesn’t necessarily want to kill us physically but rather slay us emotionally and mentally. I can only imagine the daily celebration we afford him when we are alive yet dead inside. And really what kind of Christian testimony is that to the world especially when we’ve been given authority over our enemy and freedom in the presence of our enemies, despite the existence of evil in his life. Take that Satan!

Let’s get started so we can hear all that Karen has to share!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Karen: https://finding-freedom-ministries.com

Resources: Downloads: https://finding-freedom-ministries.com/oppression-groupings-and-gateways/ Books: https://finding-freedom-ministries.com/books/ Videos: https://finding-freedom-ministries.com/videos/

Want more information/episodes about other types of deliverance ministry options? Here are some links to past episodes: Emotion Code Part 1 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/07/emotion-code-therapy-part-1-with-eileen-love/ Emotion Code Part 2 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/22/emotion-code-therapy-with-eileen-love-part-2/

Bio: Karen King is an ordained minister who has been involved in ministry in Hampton Roads for many years. She is trained in deliverance, inner healing, and counseling. She is also a mother of seven children and has four grandchildren. Karen spent many years raising her large family as a single mom. Because of her perseverance and years walking closely with the Holy Spirit, she experienced deep inner healing from fear and low esteem. In the midst of these trials, she was also diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She has an amazing testimony of walking out her physical and emotional healing that was activated by her amazing faith in the healing power of Christ. Karen’s faith and determination through these trials allowed her to flourish in her spiritual gifts as she sought deliverance and inner healing from the oppression.

Karen also has a passion for nutrition and is a certified health coach. This has played a large role in her physical healing. Karen spent many years in catering and loves to mentor others in nutrition and wellness. The Lord has given Karen a vision of one day opening a healing ranch where people can come for health coaching, physical healing, inner healing, and deliverance. She has a passion to help people from the inside out and shares the love of Christ through her relationships.

Karen now serves the Lord by ministering to others who are fighting through the same mental, spiritual, and physical trials that she conquered through the power of Christ. She has a special calling to mentor young people and woman who are struggling in their spiritual and physical walk. Karen also specializes in personality assessments using the Disc assessment system to discover a person’s personality type. These assessments help improve communication, productivity, and conflict management in one’s spiritual walk, job, and ministry. She also has taught Disc assessment to churches, ministries, and businesses.

Karen also actively serves as a deliverance minister and is on staff with Finding Freedom Ministries, helping break ungodly oppression through the power of Christ and counseling others through inner healing.

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My precious friend, Alicia Hodges sat down with me to talk about the death of her son, Zane Hodges who was 30 at the time of his passing. We’ve had many of these conversations over the last 3 years. Our time together is full of exploring God in this context of loss and crying.

I want to back up just a little bit. Allow me to layout my day before I learned we had lost Zane. I had recently started a 7am Tuesday morning prayer time with a sweet mom of 10. We had to start early because of the demands on her day.

On the morning of June 16th 2020, we met and this young momma shared an amazing miracle that she and her family experienced that past weekend. True to the nature of a miracle something horrific presents itself and despite everything saying it should have a tragic ending it turns out completely different and their (then) 4 year old son is perfectly fine with no concerns left about his physical condition or motor skills etc. I can testify to the fact that he is indeed complete, whole, typical little boy. I left our short visit in awe of how God shows Himself faithful.

On that same day, twelve hours later I saw my phone ringing with a number I did not recognize so I ignored it. What immediately followed was a text and the caller shared her name saying she was a good friend of Alicias

Alicia, my sweet friend and devoted mx (motocross) mom whose family we had grown close to through many years of traveling together cheering our sons on, praying for their safety and nursing them when they were injured. We shared in tragedy and triumph, good and bad, highs and lows.

I snatched up the phone and dialed the number back. I knew in my spirit I didn’t want to hear what she had to say. But of course when someone you love is in need you’re propelled to run toward them.

As the woman spoke on behalf of Alicia my heart shattered into a million pieces. It would seem that God did not show Himself faithful for her baby boy. Yes, Zane was 30 but do our children ever stop being our babies?

These two women, my young mom of 10 and Alicia wear many hats in order to fulfill all the roles they are responsible for and they both value that of wife and mother above all the titles they’re known by. They are passionate about God and they each serve Him with their whole heart.

Two moms serving the same God whom they profess to be good, kind, loving and protective. One with a beautiful story of restoration and protection and the other laid her son to rest.

Neither mom did anything wrong. Neither mom was more perfect than the other, more godly and more favored and loved by God.

How do we make sense of the good God who, at times seems cruel and at the very least does not treat us fair or equal. One minute He’s saving the day and the next it seems He’s disinterested, nowhere to be found.

I’m not going to pretend I have the answers to understand what is clearly beyond my ability to grasp or process. A deep wisdom beyond my limited understanding holds the answers to the deepest cry of a shattered heart.

What I can do though is share personal, first hand stories that give real life examples of how God cares for us in the darkest of dark valleys and that’s what Alicia does in this episode.

We discuss the sovereignty of God, His authority over life and death and why He is trustworthy with our pain. We touch on the stigma of drug abuse and whether or not it’s a choice. Especially when it’s introduced to a young person because of an injury. Maybe it’s a choice early on but at some point the chemical change in the brain takes over and that’s the reality of the fight, not a simple choice to use or not use.

She briefly talks about what she refers to as “growth edges” and how, not wanting to be stuck in her grief, caused her to step out in faith to new territory in her spiritual growth and personal life.

At one point I ask her a question that I like to ask my guests because I think it’s one of the major ways Satan attempts to separate us from God, His truth, healing, and redemption.

I asked her, in what ways did Satan try to drive a wedge between her and God. Her answer gave me a different perspective. One I hadn’t thought about. Satan was set on destroying relationship but since He couldn’t shake Alicia’s connection with God he came after her personal relationships.

Near the end of our conversation I asked her about Psalm 23, specifically how did God prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemy and what she shared gave revelation of what God did and made it clear that what He did in that situation can be applied to everyday life.

Where is the good God we profess when things become to much to bear? Listen in and hear Alicia’s testimony on how to find God in our pain.

Connect with Alicia: Email: skinsoreal@gmail.com IG: @aliciahodges7 FB: Alicia Williams Hodges Biz Website: aliciahodges.neora.com

Bio: My name is Alicia Williams Hodges and I am originally from Roanoke, VA. I have been married 37 years and we live right outside Roanoke on Smith Mountain Lake. I have two beautiful children and a 2 year old granddaughter.

I am a Founding Member with Neora, a Holistic Anti-Aging Beauty and Wellness Company and celebrated my 11th year in May of 2023. Previously, I had been a stay at home mom for 20 years and my days were filled with ministry, non-profit work and raising my kids.

Life happened in “08 and Neora found me! I am a solution provider for your aging needs and concerns. I am very passionate about helping people look, feel and live their BEST life NOW, while building a legacy of faith, hope, love and wealth for families and future generations.

Although I have an international business, I love networking, connecting and helping people build their businesses.

Want more encouragement on this topic? Listen to this episode with guest Carole Sluski, a mom who lost her daughter: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/03/15/surviving-grief-and-the-death-of-her-daughter-with-carol/

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My guest, Suzanne Stines has an absolute amazing story. A story that begins with complete and utter uncertainty. Suzanne and I talk about her diagnosis of Choroidal Melanoma, a cancer in the eye that is believed to never go away. Only 6 people in a million get this type of eye cancer.

Even though Suzanne was having trouble with her eyes she felt it had more to do with her new schedule and work environment than anything serious so she didn’t make a doctor’s visit a priority. What initiated this journey of uncertainty was a simple, but out of character request from her young daughter to see an eye doctor based on the fact that she was having trouble seeing the front of the classroom, the chalkboard.

In the process of diagnosing Suzanne accurately, they look at 3 markers that will tell a patient what their chances are of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body. Suzanne’s test revealed that of the 3 levels, she has the highest marker indicating she is at the highest risk for her cancer to spread. But that initial diagnosis, is just the beginning of her journey as she pressed into the God who has shown Himself faithful in so many other areas of her life.

As you listen to her story, maybe you’ll hear what I heard with regard to Suzanne’s faith. Yes, she struggled with God, yes it was frightening, yes she had questions for God as the heart stopping news continued to unfold. But God was already in motion, putting things in place. In His perfect timing, He moves Suzanne and her family from rural North Carolina to the hustle and bustle of Richmond, VA. This location would put her much closer to the doctors that she would need before she even knows she’ll need them.

Here’s why I ponder how her faith has increased the miracles in her life. 1 Chronicles 5:20, the last part of verse 20 says, “…they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him.”

Suzanne’s story is going to encourage your heart in knowing that God is trustworthy and faithful through the dark valleys especially because she shares 2 very important updates that I’m sure have the medical field scratching their heads or at the very least rereading previous data. But now they have some hope to share with their other patients.

You know, if someone told me I was one of 6 people, in one million who had received something, I’d be thanking God for the lottery win. It's embarrassing, but I do believe that is where my mind would go first. But listen to the end of this episode and hear Suzanne’s parting words. In her heart she did win. She discovered the most precious, intimate things about God in the fight for her life.

Let’s jump in to this amazing testimony of finding the God of the Holy Bible in the midst of pain and suffering.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Suzanne: Freebie - 6 verses for peace, trust, and healing: https://suzanne-stines.ck.page/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homebasewithsuz

Bio: When Suzanne was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer in 2018, her world came crashing down. She felt completely overwhelmed and struggled through every stage of grief. She learned how to chase Jesus with her whole heart and has since pursued a deeper and more intimate walk with Him. She will encourage you, make you laugh and bring you to tears with stories of how God has moved in her life before and after the diagnosis. Suzanne resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and daughter. Ladies are invited to join her Facebook group, Home B.A.S.E. with Suz, where she provides weekly Biblical and spiritual encouragement. You can find more info about Suzanne here where you can sign up for her newsletter and contact her for speaking events.

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Think about the new level of joy you can have if you'll take the time to identify the joy stealers in your life! So if you want more joy in your life then what my guest has to offer is going to be a great resource for you! Author Doris Swift is here to throw us a life line and what I mean, is the she’s here to help us identify the joy stealers in our life.

As many of us know joy is not something we have to cultivate in our own power and it isn’t defined by our circumstances. As believers it is a fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control). And because it is a fruit of the spirit it is already present and available to us. We need only identify what we’re allowing to get in between us and the joy that is rightfully ours as God’s children’s.

Doris has written a 6 week bible study on joy and this conversation includes the topics covered in the book: Reveal, Respond, Receive, Renew, Rest and Reach. I believe her bible study provides a full investigation of joy, how we can find the fruit of joy in our life, how we can maintain it, and how we can increase the joy in our life.

At the beginning of this episode Doris shares about an exercise she challenged her audience to participate in with regard to laying down their joy stealers as well as agreeing not to take them back.

She said she’d love to know if my podcast listeners take her challenge too and engage in the exercise she talks about. If you do interact with her proposed exercise, I as well would love to hear how you did and especially what action you took afterward to acknowledge your desire to leave your joy stealer(s) with God allowing Him to work them out in your life as you go about your day in His joy. So leave us a comment associated with this episode.

Let’s listen in to discover the power found in the simplicity of the type of joy that God has provided for us.

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Author Bio:

Doris Swift is an author, speaker, founder of Fierce Calling Ministries, and host of the award-winning Fierce Calling podcast. She is passionate about equipping women to dig deeper into God's word, take action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect, and walk boldly in their fierce calling. Her new Bible study, Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You, a six-week Bible study rooted in John 15, is available at dorisswift.com.

She currently resides in Central Florida with her husband Brian, is mom to an amazing son and daughter and their spouses, and Gammy to six awesome grandkids.

Connect With Doris: Website: dorisswift.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DorisSSwift Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorissusanswift/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorisSSwift

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/621e62d78ba64b39ad5170405c44bc78/view?organization_id=868176

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My guest, author Jennifer Eikenhorst knows a depth of sorrow, I pray I never know. She knows the reality of causing someone's accidental death. She's been on a healing journey ever since that fateful day in October of 2014. A journey that has spanned the full gamut of human suffering as she struggled and grappled with trying to make sense of what she used to know and who she used to be tangled with the reality of what she's forced to know in every area of her existence.

She's recently published a book about her journey titled, Left Turn: Life Unimagined. Unimagined indeed. The scope of all that this tragedy seeps into is nothing shy of every facet of her life and the lives of others. Her heart and the hearts of everyone affected have been shattered in countless ways.

Jennifer takes full responsibility for the accidental death of David, a motorcyclist that she did not see after stopping at the stop sign. She has an incredibly humble posture in the position of having taken the life of another human being. Additionally, she has great compassion for those who find themselves in the same exact position as her, having accidentally caused the death of another person.

I'm not quite sure why I find the topic of forgiveness so intriguing but when Jennifer and I were able to get our schedules together for this conversation I knew that she would provide us with an incredible glimpse into the heart of God and His forgiveness. And in her case, not only God's forgiveness but the hope for forgiveness from David's family, her children's forgiveness because they were in the car at the time of the accident, her husband's forgiveness whom she withdrew from him feeling unloveable and unworthy, forgiveness from her community, her church, her job not to mention having to forgive herself and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We ran out of time before we had a chance to talk about the legal process that Texas has in place and the way it added to the devastation.

As we talked, the layers that were affected by David's death, boggled my mind. From the moment of impact the repercussions would be felt in both her life as well as David's life. They didn't know each other prior to that moment in the intersection and despite the fact that David did not survive the tragic accident, Jennifer will never forget him or his family and nor does she want to.

I'm going to keep this intro short. I'm finding it difficult to put into words the beauty and wisdom that Jennifer has to offer because of what God has walked her through. You're going to have to hear it yourself so that you can absorb this life changing information about the heart of God.

As hard as it was for Jennifer to come to grips with what had happened, she knew that this situation had to pass through God's hands and receive approval. So she had to face the fact that God in His sovereignty had allowed it. In an effort to trust Him with His purpose behind allowing it, she asked God to show her how He had prepared her for this moment and she shares the various ways that He confirmed for her that He had prepared her and that He would see her through.

Part of God's redemption for Jennifer was to connect her with Jada Pinkett Smith as a guest on her show, Red Table Talk. The Red Table Talk website describes the show "where we tackle current social and cultural issues with an inter-generational perspective." (redtabletalk.com)

Jennifer's time on the show gave her the opportunity to share the tragedy she was experiencing and how the God of the Holy Bible made all the difference. Jennifer mentions that the Red Table Talk show has approximately 5 million viewers and I do see where they have 11 million followers on Facebook. I can't help but think about how amazing God is in the redemption process.

God has also put Jennifer in the path of people whom she randomly passes and she's able to give an encouraging word for healing as well as provide resources that can help. We talked about so many things and that's why this audio ran over my preferred 1 hour max but you will not be disappointed with the message that Jennifer has to share.

As we closed I asked her the final question, was there any ONE thing she'd want to share with our listeners today. Her response echoed her compassion and empathy that you'll hear throughout the entire conversation. She didn't plead her case, you'll never hear her side step or avoid taking responsibility for the accidental death of David. Instead, she takes the posture of a surrogate of sorts and offers an apology to anyone who needs to hear, "I'm sorry" from someone like her.

This conversation will give your heart courage to trust God especially when life makes no sense and ending it all sounds more appealing.

Let's listen in to find out what beautiful things God spoke to Jennifer in her very dark valley.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Jennifer: You can connect with Jennifer at accidentalhope.com Her Podcast: Accidental Hope Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccidentalHope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accidentalhope/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopeAccidental

Resource: Accidental Impacts under the Hyacinth Fellowship - a support group for those who have unintentionally caused harm to another person: https://hyacinthfellowship.org/

Bio: Jennifer Eikenhorst loves Jesus which she feels is essential in her healing and therefore she shares her beliefs freely. Her faith is the cornerstone of content for her blog and podcast. She’s the wife of a multi-sport coach, Chris (who stole her heart in her senior year of high school), mom to 4 amazing kids, math teacher, blogger, podcast host (Accidental Hope), grad student, hope-seeker, and notorious over-sharer! She’s also an advocate for CADIs (Causing Accidental Death or Injury). Besides Jesus and her family, she loves their golden-doodle Coda, dance fitness, making recipes her own, and Bible journaling.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/227d72c9f31e45efb44c8d4ba5126b08/edit

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Patty Sepety, a mother of two is my guest and she tells her story with the purpose of encouraging your heart to trust God's faithfulness when life is more than you can handle. She shares her journey of walking both of her children through mental illness and their tragic experiences that set that diagnosis into motion.

What lengths a mother will go to to get her children the help they need and Patty was no exception. She was blindsided by what happened to her daughter when she was only 10 years old and the fallout constantly challenged Patty's ability to get out ahead of the resulting trauma and mental illness issues that would unfold over time.

And I don't remember the time frame in relation to her daughter coming to her about what happened and then her son coming forward but in the midst of meeting her daughter's needs her son, 4 years younger than her daughter, requests to also have professional help like his sister. He receives the professional help and yet he follows through with his thoughts of self-harm and Patty finds herself sitting beside her son's hospital bed looking at the countless pieces of machinery not knowing if he'll live through the night.

Patty's journey into uncharted waters hit her from several sides. Along with her children's level of need, her husband would also be diagnosed with a hole in his heart and endure multiple procedures; each one having the potential to take his life. And her aging parents needed her help as well. Just when you think that would be enough, she, herself is diagnosed with PTSD.

As our conversation unfolded it became apparent to me that through every phase of her dark valley she never questioned God's faithfulness. One of the things that was thought provoking to me is that she shares how she'd read Job's story and it would comfort her that her life was not as bad as what Job had endured. Now that's one way to put perspective in your life.

Patty has the sweetest countenance, you can hear it in her voice. If you think she'd make the sweetest friend, you're right. She has a strong bond with the women that she does life with. I've met the group of women she is connected to. The whole group, not just a percentage of the women, love well. If you're ever on the Eastern Shore in the Cape Charles area of the Virginia side, and you need a kind person to talk to, stop in at Cheriton Church and ask for any one of the women who serve on the WinGS (Women in God's Service) team. I guarantee you, you'll leave feeling like you were loved on by Jesus Himself.

Let's listen in to hear Patty's humble, transparent story of how she navigated mental illness with her children and the uncertainty that life can challenge us with.

Connect with Patty: www.MyConciergeLLCVa.com

Resources: https://www.tuckerpsychiatric.com/ https://www.chkd.org/Our-Services/Mental-Health/ https://www.cctcinc.org/about https://www.gideons.org/read-the-bible

Bio: Patty came from a Christian home where the family attended church wherever they lived. While she and her family were living in Bangkok, Thailand, Patty accepted Jesus and was baptized at age 15.

She has been married to David for 50 years and they have two children and two grandchildren. In 2018 Patty and David relocated to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where they love the quiet lifestyle. They currently reside in a 200-year-old, former parish house relocated from Hog Island to Nassawadox, VA.

Patty and David are active members of Cheriton Baptist Church where she is on the WinGS committee. WinGS stands for Women in God’s Service.

Patty is also the business owner of My Concierge LLC, an office consulting and bookkeeping firm. She loves helping people manage their back office and has no plans to retire. You can learn more about her business on her website: www.MyConciergeLLCVa.com.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/7d62e6959e1141cfb1c65c4563cef0b7/edit

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Welcome to Part 2 and the final episode for my discussion with Emotion Code Practitioner, Eileen Love. In this episode we’ll look at what a typical emotion code session looks like and I share a little bit about what I’ve experienced with my session with regard to feeling like I had no voice. I also share what I’ve experienced afterward, my results.

Eileen tells us why she has a passion to heal those who live with trauma. She talks about how God captivated her heart by redeeming her pain, using her journey of trauma which in turn, allowed her to receive the vision God laid before her in the very midst of grieving the loss of her husband whom she’d been with since she was 18 years old.

When God shared his desire for her to open her home to women with traumatic experiences for the purpose of bringing them into deeper levels of healing He told her that He would make a way. He would provide the means to renovate and sustain the home for His purposes and that He has done!

I’ve just returned from visiting Eileen’s home that she has converted to the Rest and Renewal Ranch. Leaving Virginia where my setting is a combination of rural country, the beach and ocean; where I’m 12’ above sea level and everything here is lush with various shades of green and copious amounts of water everywhere, I was struck by the Arizona beauty for a completely different reason.

I was in awe of the size of the Arizona landscape. Truly breathtaking! If you take the time to look around there are wild flowers growing everywhere. Vibrant colors against the rocky backdrop. It reminded me of the beauty, found in the details that all around us. Beauty that we can capture and appreciate when we slow down.

Eileen’s modest home sits in the rugged terrain and vegetation that are typical to Arizona. When you go inside Eileen’s humble home there is a peace that permeates the space. You’re embraced with comfort and her kindness. You feel like you’ve always known her.

It’s times like that when God speaks to my spirit and says, You tried to put me in a box Sherrie. I’m always in awe with how unassuming God’s presence can be. There have been many times when I'm standing in the presence of God, He’s still and quiet; set in such a way that I can miss His presence. Especially when I’m looking for it in a way that I had defined it should be. A definition based on my knowledge and understanding.

I love when He surprises me like that and He used Eileen as a beautiful example of His hands and feet. My experience reminded me of Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

I thought the contrast between the harsh landscape and her cozy home was similar to how the world can be unyielding and yet her cozy home felt like a respite, a warm embrace from Jesus in the middle of it all.

It just so happened that I visited Eileen on my birthday so she went out of her way to make me feel loved and special on that day. I agreed to try her fresh goats milk and I’m glad I did. What a delight, it was so creamy. As she mentioned in the previous episode, she’s a massage therapist so I got a massage and we also did an emotion code session which has left me with a deeper peace that no one but Jesus can provide.

We talked about spiritual gifts and she told me about the history of the ranch that she shared with her husband before his unexpected passing. At the end of the day we went to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset over the opposing mountains in the west. It was the perfect way to say good by to my 50’s and begin the first day of 60s.

If you decide to visit the Rest and Renewal Ranch you’ll need to reach out to Eileen on her email. Her email will be in the show notes but I can give it to you right now cuz it’s pretty easy to remember: Restandrenewal@pm.me

Before we jump into the episode, I wanted to point out something that lingered after our conversation. Allow me to share the discernment that the Lord provided me.

In my conversation with Eileen I was expressing my thoughts on how important it was that you find someone trustworthy when it comes to emotion code therapy. And by trustworthy I mean a solid Christian. Mainly because you’re allowing someone into your mental and emotional space; you’re giving them access to a core element of who you are.

To me, that is to be taken very seriously because you are entering into a spiritual realm. That is not something that I completely understand so I want to guard that. I know through Jesus I have power over the works of Satan but I never want to intentionally allow Satan to have access to me through the spiritual realm.

I’ve done yoga before because stretching is extremely important for your overall health. When you think about Physical Therapy or Chiropractors (with regard to regaining mobility in your body) it’s all about stretching the body. To protect myself in the yoga atmosphere, whenever I did poses I would have an internal dialog with God or say breath prayers to God and tell Him I worship Him alone.

When they’d do the palms together I’d clasp my fingers in more of a child like prayer. When they ask you to clear your head or relax into Shavasana, I’d recite scripture or I’d invite God to insulate and protect me. I was only there for the stretching practices not the worship poses nor the practices of another religion so I kept my focus on the God of the Holy Bible. I thanked Him for my body, the ability to use it and desire to keep it healthy.

I say all that to preface this, Eileen had a valid point of not knowing if our physicians are faith based or if they believe in our God yet we trust them with surgery on our bodies and we trust psychologist/psychiatrist with our emotional and mental well being. She had me thinking.

I’ll be the first one to say that we need to be selective about who we allow to have access to us, be that physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually etc. so I pondered my process with physicians and other medical personnel.

My first acknowledgement was that I am prone to easily give them access because they’ve gone through strenuous requirements to be in those positions and yet it cannot be ignored that we all know they are considered to be Practicing medicine….in short, they’re practicing on us.

Pondering that thought with the Lord reminded me and I haven’t always done this, that I pray not only for the doctor I should go to but once I have a doctor I pray for him/her. If there is a medical procedure that I need I pray for the nurses, those who assist, I pray about the equipment and instruments/tools needed, I even pray that within the attending medical team there is no conflict both in personalities nor personal relationship during my medical procedure.

So any doctor that I use, whether I know if they serve my God or not, I’m confident God has lead me to them and that He will use them to meet the need I have.

So I’ve used that same process with Eileen. I didn’t necessarily go looking for Emotion Code therapy but when God had our paths cross and I began to talk to Him about what I was learning it lined up with my desire to have Godly influence when giving someone access to the intimacy of who I am created to be.

We live in a world that is so incredibly diverse, extremely diverse so it’s quite a challenge to live a strict Christian life when it comes to who we interact with, whom we trust with our safety, our health etc. So ultimately our goal is to pray for discernment in which doctors we would use and to invite God into the services we receive. Pray over our doctors as they administer any type of healing to us. We can’t go wrong when we invite God to provide discernment and protection and we’re responsible to respond to His leading.

So let’s get into the episode. Quick recap of Part 1. It was mainly about how the body is created by God to have its own internal language, how we are created (mind, body and spirit) and how these 3 parts mesh together in such an intricate way that our body parts hold our experiences good and bad. So much so, Eileen gave a couple of examples of times when people received transplants and were subject to the original persons life. She also talked about how the body communicates within as well as gives us indication, warning and alarms when it needs attention, expression, healing. Let’s get started!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Eileen via her email: restandrenewal@pm.me

Resources: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. Restored for Life Now - Is the Emotion Code Safe for Christians: https://www.restoredforlifenow.com/post/is-the-emotion-code-safe-for-christians Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-you-and-me/201509/the-good-and-bad-emotion-regulation-strategies

Bio: Eileen understands firsthand the significance and impact of trauma. Growing up amidst the constant fear, anxiety and rage of her divorced mother’s boyfriend left the type of wounds in Eileen that so many people have experienced – wounds that impact the spirit, soul, and body.

Fortunately, these wounds led her to Christ where she found healing, hope and a life of devotion to God that has now spanned over 48 years.

On her journey of devotion, God has called Eileen to a lifetime of helping those who are experiencing trauma, including: serving as a Reserve Firefighter, an EMT, and 8 years in a hospital ER. From there Eileen went on to individually practice as a Licensed Massage Therapist for over 24 years, specializing in injury treatment and trauma relief.

When severe trauma visited Eileen again in 2021 with the sudden death of her husband of 43 years, it was her relationship with God that brought her through. In the wake of this most recent trauma, God brought Eileen back into the full service of others through her continued work as a Licensed Massage Therapist, while expanding her services to include work as a Certified Emotion Code Practitioner.

In addition to this return to service, God has given birth to “Rest and Renewal Ranch”, which will open at its Arizona location in June. This ranch will incorporate all of Eileen's gifts to help women rest after a loss and to find hope and renewal from the persistent fog of grief.

While at Rest and Renewal Ranch women will enjoy the peace, quiet, and care needed to recover amidst several acres of private property with a river, large garden, and friendly goat.

You can find out more about Eileen’s services and Rest and Renewal Ranch by contacting her at Restandrenewal@pm.me.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/2b8a14315ff14b879c04aec47ee74356/edit?organization_id=868176

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I’m excited to bring you this topic on emotion code therapy because of the difference it has made in my mental and emotional health. My guest, Eileen Love is an Emotion Code Practitioner. This is a 2 part series with the fist covering all the different ways that the human body holds trauma and tries to convey the need for us to find healing.

This is going to be a lengthy intro and a I hate that for you but there’s so much to unpack that I want to sort it out a little bit before we jump into the bulk of episode. My conversation with Eileen is full of examples, scripture, and first hand experiences to the point that I realized I'd have to create 2 episodes from all that Eileen shares. Part 2 will cover more of what an emotion code session looks like.

The first thing I want to address is that this topic is going to be controversial in the Christian community. The reason is because it has been hijacked by new age healers.

Before I explain why, allow me to give you a quick glimpse of why I brought emotion code healing to God for His input and it's because of a very good experience that I had with something similar, Theophostic Prayer Ministry or as many people call it Inner Healing Prayer therapy.

In my theophostic prayer session I received breakthrough healing for what I believe (based on the peace in my mind/life/heart)to be the last layer of trauma for abandonment. However, I’ll be the first one to say that if I get triggered again around an abandonment issue it simply means that I still have some work to do for another layer of healing and I’m open to that because God heals me in layers. But in the meantime I live with deep peace because of Theophostic Prayer therapy.

A little history on this type of ministry is that a Baptist Minister, Ed Smith, developed the Theophostic Prayer Ministry model here in the United States back in the 90’s.

A simplified explanation for what happens during a theophostic therapy session is that you sit with someone who is trained in this type of therapy and they guide you with questions around a traumatic event in your life and you talk with Jesus about what you are experiencing.

In my theophostic prayer work I came to a place where I asked Jesus, "Where were you when my mother left me on the side of the road when I was 6 years old?"

As I verbally asked God this question, I was sitting still, eyes closed, nothing but darkness before me. Then The Holy Spirit gave me the most precious image of Jesus walking beside me, his hand in the middle of my shoulder blades, He’s looking down at me. Maybe I’m talking and He’s listening but He’s looking at me and we’re walking together. That visual gave me proof that Jesus fulfills His promise that He’d never leave me nor forsake me. That one image broke off years of unforgiveness towards my mother. The power of guided prayer through painful memories stored in the body has immense reward when God and the Holy Spirit are engaged.

The outcome that I experienced with theophostic prayer is why I wanted to know God's opinion about Emotion Code therapy.

Okay, so back to why the new age wants to make its claims on emotion code therapy.

As believers this is no secret to us, whatever God says is good, Satan wants to distort it at the very least and destroy at the very worst. So when we look at God’s intention behind the healing qualities of herbs and oils or natural and organic healing options (because, in my humble opinion before all of the genetic mutations and man-made virus and chemicals etc. the human body, made from a handful of dust, would naturally find the healing elements that it needed from the earth) But Satan is not going to let God get the credit for that so in a vague and unassuming way satan adds his half truth to something and twists the focus away from the Creator to the created such as crystals, potions using the herbs, as well as energy healings.

In satan’s half truths he uses a connecting link such as the fact that there is an energy to the body. God has given us a beating heart that is independent of anything outside itself. It has a rythm, a beat you can feel when you touch your pulse, an electrical current that registers on medical equipment.

But For us, Christians know that God sustains us and that by His hand we have breath, have life and healing in our body….So of course Satan is going to introduce something that sounds legit like energy healings. If you agree that there is an energy to the body then an energy healing sounds appropriate, right?

So why does emotion code therapy fall under that type of category of Satan wanting to distort and/or destroy it…emotion code healing, in a very simplistic explanation, is a therapy that locates and dislodges trauma trapped in the body. We all know that the body holds trauma and sometimes it gets so many layers buried on top of it that we loose sight of what the problem could be.

Using the powerful name of Jesus and inviting Holy Spirit to discern trauma hidden in the body, people are finding healing and breakthrough for physical ailments that have no medical explanation, mental health is restored, anxiety is gone people are being set free from trauma. My favorite is set free from past trauma that the body has held onto.

One of the unique things about emotion code healing is that It addresses the unique way that God has created us as mind/body/spirit/soul. The intricacies with which God has created us can only be fully appreciated and accessed by the One who knows His creation. Calling on God’s name for the restoration of our mind or our body is the only true source of healing.

Please know that I’m not trying to twist anybodies arm on this. Do like I did, check it out. Bring your concerns to God. Talk with Him about you fears. Give Him space to speak His truth to you.

Here are 3 scriptures that you can start to engage God’s heart about mental and emotional healing and ask Him to show you what it means to have a crushed spirit (something that is mental and/or emotional) and how it can dry up your bones (a physical manifestation):

Proverbs 18:14 “A man's spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”

Proverbs 15:13 “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed”

Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

As solid Christians we know to stay away from anyone who calls on any other name, other than that of Jesus Christ for healing. We steer clear from those who would try to lead us to believe that crystals have some sort of magical powers. So when it comes to emotion code therapy we’re not looking for anything other than someone who calls on the name of Jesus, talks to Holy Spirit. In my research I even found professed Christian sites that used crystals as part of their healing process. That's a big fat no. Anything that deviates from God's name as the healing power is a strong no.

Back to my guest, Eileen. She is a solid Christian sold out on the love of Jesus. She and her husband came to the knowledge of Christ during the Jesus Revolution era. That in itself is an interesting aspect of her story and if you’d like to hear more about that then check out the episode she did with me on March 28th 2023 titled When a Husband disengages, God’s love is enough”

But back to the current topic at hand.

When it comes to Eileen’s daily pursuit of God’s heart, there’s no better day for her than inviting the Holy Spirit to give her discernment that allows her to lead God’s children into breakthrough and healing.

In this episode she talks about the journey God has taken her on over the past 30 years working with the human body. She goes into detail telling you what she’s learned and how it impacted her so I’ll simply give a quick overview.

From being the first woman reserve firefighter with the city of Kirkland Washington, an EMT who worked in the ER, massage therapist and then emotion code practitioner. At every phase she’s learned how miraculous the body is and the intimacy of God’s care for His beloved children.

After listening to Eileen, it’s very intriguing to me to understand how the body has the ability to heal on a physical level, say bruises, cuts, breaks, surgery, and yet there can be additional damage on a mental or emotional level.

It is becoming very apparent that to fully heal from various traumas against/to/in the body, it will also entail addressing the mental and emotional impact as well.

Further fascinating to me is the way the body communicates with the other parts of the body, specifically the brain. The body can have a whole conversation going on within itself and we can totally miss it. And yet it cries out to us, indicating where we need to take a closer look, calling us, demanding us to find a source of healing. All using the natural alarm system given to us by God himself which is our emotions.

Listen in to these amazing examples that Eileen gives us of how the body conveys its need internally as well as externally. For me, it’s another beautiful display of God’s Sovereign design and the intimacy with which He created us.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Eileen via her email: Restandrenewal@pm.me

Resources: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.. Restored for Life Now - Is the Emotion Code Safe for Christians: https://www.restoredforlifenow.com/post/is-the-emotion-code-safe-for-christians American Psychological Association: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-48202-001 Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-you-and-me/201509/the-good-and-bad-emotion-regulation-strategies

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/bf0b7a426be54071953826e78bb874c0/view

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Believe it or not you are a natural born story-teller and your story has the power to change lives. In this episode I'm not talking about the crafted stories you see in books or movies because if we wrote books and movies in the vernacular that we naturally use, they would never sell. So I’m focused on the way we organically engage the world around us with the spoken word.

So let's first look at how we might underestimate and under appreciate words. While I know that you know how important words are, I liken it to, someone who has a natural understanding of something; maybe it's science, art, music, language and because it comes easy to them, they downplay the importance, the gift. They don't understand why it's not obvious to other people. Same with words, it’s such a natural way for us to communicate that we don’t grasp the absolute power of our spoken words.

Dr. Jordan Peterson (a Canadian Psychologist) said something to this effect (with regard to the importance of words), "our whole culture is based on the idea of the supremacy of the word, that it is the word itself that extracts habitable order from chaos and possibility."

For me, the most compelling example of the absolute power of the spoken word is that God spoke everything into being. Psalm 33:9 says, "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." There are many other scriptures that tell of God speaking things into being. Genesis, right? When God spoke everything into existence. He gives us a beautiful example of the power and importance of words.

And to further drive home the value of words in our every day life. Every morning, you rise and begin to use words to bring order to your day as you make choices. You share things about yourself with those around you. Each time you connect with someone, you’re communicating in a way that conveys your needs, sharing a little bit about what’s been going on in your life, maybe sharing bits of information about your family as well as asking them questions and listening to their reply about what’s happening in their world. You are engaging in shared story.

And that’s why I say you are a natural born story-teller. The simple act of using words to navigate our day is the most natural form of communication where we share experiences and create connection.

Here’s another way to look at the importance of words. For a moment think about a solitary confinement environment. It doesn’t have to be a jail cell because there are plenty of people who live alone and have a limited ability to interact with others. People such as the elderly, or widows, those who have an illness that limits mobility, the youth of today are isolated from real life. So imagine what it would be like if you were not able to talk to anyone.

Even if you saw someone, maybe they come to drop off food or provide a health appointment like a nurse stops by your house, but the time frame that they’re there is limited and they’e simply fulfilling their job duties so it’s a brief exchange at best. Very limited.

To have a friendly verbal exchange with someone is vital to life with regard to mental health, relationship, connection and posterity? One of the most common desires of the human heart is to be seen, heard, valued and conversation can fill that need. Life is automatically enriched and becomes more meaningful when we talk with, share with and listen to those around us.

A minute ago I mentioned movies and books, and there is also the news and social media, various outlets that engage people. The attraction to these types of formats is that they are all story based and that’s why people tune in. Shared story will never get old. It’s foundation to our culture.

I think this establishes the importance of words and this is where I want to intersect your story. When we give proof of something in our lie, things based on our personal knowledge and experience, that is also known as a testimony.

Most times when people hear the word testimony they immediately categorize that as exclusive to a church setting. They automatically assume that means someone’s salvation story (your story of how God’s love overwhelmed you to the point that you accepted what He did on the cross, acknowledged that you were a sinner and asked Him to dwell in you with His Holy Spirit). But In this particular episode I want to go beyond the standard salvation testimony. Don’t get me wrong, they’re needed and they’re powerful and I’m not going to exclude them but I want to push out this topic when it comes to how we think about our personal testimony with regard to God’s goodness.

As believers (those who have made a profession of Fatih, accepting what Christ did on the cross/the shedding of His blood as payment for our sins) we have a place of authority in Christ. We exercise the authority given to us is when we follow in God's footsteps using the example He gave us. We open our mouth and speak. And in the particular context of shared story, we tell about the goodness of God in all types of situations in our lives.

In Revelation 12:11 God shares a 2 part position of authority over Satan. The latter part of that verse says that we triumph over him (the evil one) by the blood of the Lamb (the lamb being Christ crucified on the cross) and the word of our testimony.

God gives us specific instructions on how we can overcome Satan’s influence in our mind, our body…our life and the lives of those around us. So part of our authority has to do with opening our mouth and sharing with others, our personal experience aka testimony of who God has been for us in the painful places of our life. When we do, we weaken and even break the lies that Satan is wooing us to believe, or maybe even has us believing.

When we experience God’s presence, influence, truth, love, comfort, peace, joy …..It literally exposes Satan as the liar that he is.

And when we open our mouth and speak of the goodness of God we become tangible evidence to the world around us. We are evidence of the fact that God cares about our pain. That He enters into our suffering with us to comfort us, and lead us through.

Here are a few examples of testimonies you have to share about with others. To be honest, as you move through your full cycle of life, you may have each one of these testimonies throughout the years ahead:

If you’ve professed God as your personal Lord and Savior, then you have a salvation testimony - you have an Acts 4:12 testimony (12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”). You can share where you were in life, what sort of condition your heart was in or the journey you were on to find truth, peace, comfort…how did God meet you in your moment of need and what is the difference He has made.

If God showed up for you in your dark valley, then you have a Psalm 23:4 testimony. (…yea though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death I will fear no evil). You can testify to who God is in some of the darkest places that the human heart can experience.

Has God healed you..then you have a Psalm 147:3 testimony (He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.) People need to know the heart of God for those who are afflicted.

Maybe you’re experiencing a long term health condition? Are you a caregiver? You have a Deu 31:8 testimony (Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.) If this is you, then you have the ability to testify to the mysteries that God has revealed to you about His heart for those who suffer long term.

Sharing your first hand experience of what you discovered about God in your trauma is a sliver of gold to another hurting heart. It’s the knot at the end of the rope for someone who feels all alone and wants to give up.

As many of you know this podcast was born out of a very dark valley that I walked though. My guests, predominantly women, share their personal story of who God is in the context of pain and suffering. I do this because shared story lightened my grief stricken heart when I unexpectedly lost my husband.

As I would experience the various emotions that are associated with grief and in the times when my emotions became very intense and I was really struggling, God would send me a woman who would share her story and it would ease the pain that seared my heart.

One example I’ll give you and it’s the story that always stands out to me when I think about the purpose of my podcast so I may have already shared this. I was struggling with the would’ves, should’ves and could’ves. In other words, the guilt of not having done enough for my husband because if I had, he’d still be alive today. That’s how Satan approached me in this painful place…I believed that if I had picked up on something, and of course in hindsight it seems so obvious, I could have changed the outcome for my husband, me, our family, my grandchildren. The weight on my heart was massive.

I kept running the various scenarios over and over in my mind. The ones that would have me get him to the hospital and they’d see that he was having a heart attack and they’d get him the help he needed and he’d still be here with us.

And God, in His sweetness, in His kindness, sent a woman who had the courage to share her story. She said, Sherrie, my husband was in the care of doctors twice. The third time was an ambulance ride in the wee hours of the morning. I was up with our one week old daughter when he left in the ambulance. His third trip to the hospital. He died. In the care of professionals. He had meningitis and they missed it. It hit me…Professionals are not God and I’m not God.

Hearing her story broke the grip that Satan had on my beliefs and lifted the weight of mental and emotional chaos and torment that was suffocating me.

Some things simply belong to God and that revelation was made clear through the example in her story. Submitting myself to God’s sovereignty gave my mind and my heart a place to rest.

Sometimes I rested in His lap, other times draped across His shoulders because He had to carry me and other times face down in the floor at His feet. But every time that I got a glimpse of His tender hands and His firmly rooted feet I got a glimpse of His scars…the scars on the hands and feet of the One who carries the burden of life and death.

Knowing that God has a solution to death…a literal reunion for His believers…and experiencing His intimacy in the darkest time of my life I now have a story that I will never get tired of sharing because I know what it feels like to struggle with God about serious faith and life questions. I know what it’s like for Satan to constantly undermine our well being with lies, planting chaos and spinning the truth at every turn.

The part of my story that I will share until my last breath is the goodness and kindness of God despite the pain of this life. I love using those 2 simple words…goodness and kindness. They’re extremely simple but don’t be fooled like I was….with God, in the dark places of life His goodness and kindness run extravagantly deep, and reveal infinite wisdom. Nothing about the pain of this life negates, detracts from God. It’s why you’ll often hear me say these 2 things:

1- God has not given us a vocabulary to accurately describe Him. I am unable to give Him His due honor, His proper praise and my full thanksgiving because of our limited vocabulary.

2- God speaks beautiful things in the dark. In the intimacy of pain, a place where no one else can reach, is where we discover how extravagantly deep and how infinitely wise God is as He reveals mysteries about His heart for us.

God gives us, not just anywhere, but a specific somewhere and even better, He gives us a specific someone…to rest our heart and quiet our mind, we’re able lift our head under the weight of the pain. He gives us His son Jesus. And because of Jesus, we can have a joy that does not make any sense in the context of suffering. We can have peace knowing that God will bring beauty from the rubble and ash that used to resemble your life.

So when it comes to our story, we’ve looked at the natural way we engage in shared story, We looked at the power of the spoken word when God spoke things into being. We also looked at the authority given to believers when we open our mouth and testify as well as the various ways we can let other’s know they’re not alone in their questions, confusion, chaos.

And that brings us to this question…Whether it’s your salvation testimony, a dark valley where God met you or the faithfulness of God through a painful health condition, how do we tell our story in a way that reveals the heart of God and reminds those who are suffering that they are not alone in their bone saturating pain.

Here are 3 ways that you can encourage someone to not give up. To point them to the One who is able to turn the painful places of this life into something they never imagined possible and it's by using your story to introduce them to the One they can lean on, rest in and find peace in the days ahead.

Keep this in mind when you are ready to share your story: People are genuinely overwhelmed with life so we want to be as intentional and purposeful about the parts of our story we want to share vs need to shared.

1. What was life like before your moment of conversion, trauma, the health crisis?

Choose one example that reflects the condition of your life before it was interrupted and flipped upside down. One of the things that I would share with someone (especially if I knew it would only be a brief exchange) would be to say, my husband and I were in the sweet spot of life having weathered a little over 33 years of being together and then out of nowhere, he was gone leaving behind absolute emotional and mental devastation.

1. What did it look like for you to hit the wall and cry out to God?

Describe that moment when you finally came to the end of yourself…acknowledged that you did not have the ability to change your circumstance and you cried out to God.

As an example I might say, I struggled to make sense of what happened. The questions swirling in my mind and my heart created a level of chaos in my life that I could not escape. When I finally decided to lay down my self-defined rights to have all of my questions answered in a way that made sense and fit together nice neat is when I could finally discern God's gentle kind voice.

1. In what ways did God respond? Share one of two ways that God showed Himself faithful.

I'd probably finish up by saying, I found Jesus to be a safe place to struggle with heavy questions about life, death and faith. He never shamed me nor rejected me. He simply absorbed my pain and gently showed me the way to healing.

At that point you can wrap up with a question that would connect the encouragement your offering with their pain point or you can simply offer to pray for them right there.

Those suggestions are a great starting point so that you can structure your story with purpose and clarity. Add more if you're speaking in relaxed setting and you have more time. Add less if you only get 60 seconds with someone.

You may have heard me say this before, shared story makes the world go around in a much richer way. It is your shared story that will connect people to healing, grow relationship, create community and solidify your family.

The final benefit of sharing your testimony about the God of the Holy Bible (whether it be in the context of pain and suffering without God and therefore your conversion/salvation testimony or pain and suffering in the midst of a relationship with God) is that to do so is to take part in a portion of the redemption that God has for you. God never allows anything that He does not plan to redeem. In God’s hands, redemption is guaranteed. He wastes nothing. He is the sole power and authority to take what Satan meant to destroy us with and turn it for our good and God’s glory.

And people need to know that. So Share your story every time you get a chance because someone's heart needs to be encouraged. Someone needs to know that it's going to get better. Someone needs to know that God cares. Your story can make a difference to someone.

Live Loved and Thrive!

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My guest Stephanie Jordan and I talk about boundaries and how they are necessary in unhealthy relationships. We even discussed Christian marriage where abuse is present and she shares what God revealed to her about releasing her from her first marriage and how divorce was the fruit of her sin.

Stephanie, a mother of 5 and now a widow talks about the difference in her two marriages, one that turned abusive and included alcohol and the second to a man who was previously known as a hard core punk rocker with a drug problem but before you make any assumptions, he did come to a point in his life where he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, was living a clean life and even started a ministry for the homeless. But as many of you may know….addiction is a demon that does not give up easily and so Stephanie found herself once again having to draw boundaries to keep her and her children safe.

Stephanie gave us insight into what it looks like when relationship goes off the rails, how do we know we need to remove ourself from the equation, under what circumstances, for how long etc. She even talks about the importance of relaying clear boundaries to your children so that you can keep yourself healthy and sane as a parent who is getting pulled in every direction.

She and I talked also talked about how God has set boundaries and has requirements in place for us to be able to do life with Him, a life that is healthy, respectful, wise, discerning, loving, kind and that’s just to name of few of the benefits.

If you’re thinking boundaries don’t feel so loving. She also explained why those who have a hard time saying no (for the purpose of setting a boundary), how they perceive boundaries, one of which is that they feel selfish when they set a boundary especially with someone they love. Something she said that I really liked and it was along the lines of, if you can’t say no, you’re not ready for no so don’t miss that part when she breaks that down for us.

Stephanie is light hearted, grounded in the word, and down to earth in other words, you’ll connect with her easily! Let’s listen in!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Stephanie:My website: https://thestephaniejordan.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thestephaniejordan/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheStephanieJordan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_StephJordan

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestephanie-jordan/

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1958441007 (book)https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1W6SQNK (ebook)

Bio:Stephanie Jordan is an author, teacher, and speaker. She has been a cosmetologist for 24 years. She has 5 amazing kids with 4 extras that her husband brought into the family. She has one dog and two cats. She has broad life experiences and likes adventure. She loves Jesus and intends to spend her life sharing His message in an unconventional way. Her artistic and rock n roll style influence her outlook on life and living it to the full. She is passionate about riding her Harley Davidson Sportster 48 and reading, writing and painting.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/a4bcb88d1fd74eb7b01747a5be652d0a/edit_v2?organization_id=868176

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What do we do when our husband disengages? What are our options when they're not able to give us the emotional attachment we long for? My guest, Eileen Love shares what God showed her after her husband pulled away from his faith and from her.

Eileen and I talk about her faith journey as part of the Jesus Revolution generation. Coming into the knowledge of Jesus and choosing to receive what He offers us, eternal life, was just the beginning of her story. It would be her personal relationship with Christ as the lifeline she’d need to live free in this life, despite the reality of a deep ache in her heart for her beloved husband to return fully to his faith.

Eileen comes to knowledge of Christ as a young person. She meets a young man, he’s a new believer and he later becomes her husband. Once married they seek out and find a church they believe is a good fit to feed their hunger to learn more about Christ. They’re passionate about growing in their faith and they lean into their new church family. But sadly, it would be in this family environment that their faith would be challenged by what they would later come to understand, was a church of false religion, a cult.

This becomes a very significant marker in her husband’s life. That situation, along with some other experiences take its toll on him and Eileen's husband disengages from his faith to the point that Eileen can’t talk to him about God. She can’t share important things with the man she dearly loves. She feels alienated in her marriage, discouraged and mad at God.

How did Eileen stay in her marriage until her husband's passing, a 40+ year commitment with a husband who did not share his whole self with her? A marriage where she was not able to share her whole self with her precious husband.

I know that when things go bad we often ask God to put it back together, make it like it used to be. However, the beauty of allowing God to restore things is that He never puts them back like they used to be. And if we really think about it, do we want it back like it used to be? More than likely it fell apart for a reason. It wasn't able to hold up under the pressure of life. Especially if it's not God centered. God restores with His value system and that’s how we get things we never imagined or thought to ask for.

As it does for all of us at some point in our journey, God draws Eileen back into His heart. He shows her the power of His love for her that overwhelms the lack of her earthly relationship with her beloved husband. She has some wonderful insight and shares the revelations that changed her mindset, encouraged her heart and enabled her to love her husband no matter what.

We close in a really beautiful place talking about the deeper things of relationship that God has for us in the midst of complicated life like a husband who disengages. God has bigger dreams, with deeper roots, bigger revelations that lead to deeper intimacy. Simply put, what He has for us is a beauty that is not of this world. We can’t perceive it until we experience it with Him. He does it for Our good and His Glory

Let's listen in!

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/dab65521df2e48c5be778ad5780ff5dd/edit_v2?organization_id=868176

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One of the most difficult experiences in this life would have to be surviving the loss of a child. I had the sweet opportunity to talk with 78 year old Carole Sluski. She has a passion for offering hope and encouragement to other parents, who, like her, have had to navigate immense grief after loosing a child. Carole laid to rest, her 24 year old daughter, Paula 30 years ago.

Podcasts have become a fresh new way to share one's message so Carole has a renewed passion to tell her story with the goal of letting other parents know they’re not alone. She has also authored a book entitled, Thirty and she shares about her journey from a Catholic perspective of surviving the most painful thing she's ever experienced.

Something worth pointing out for my audience is that I acknowledge the differences between Carole’s Catholic faith and mine being an Evangelical Christian.

With regard to those differences, I talked with Carole prior to our actual podcast episode. She was comfortable with my perspective and what my audience would be looking for and the possibility that some things could potentially be edited out.

For the most part, it was moderately edited. I did however, leave some differences that I felt could be wisely discerned by my Evangelical audience. Additionally, I also left some differing opinions when I was able to add my perspective.

I always enjoy differing conversations because I’m intrigued to hear how we, as one human race, make sense of the world around us. How we set up belief systems, which ones we ascribe to and in what way.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Carole on her website: https://www.carolesluski.com/

BIO: Carole Sluski is a mother of two daughters, but she is also a victim of the worst loss a person can have: she is a parent who lost her child and experienced mental and physical pain of grief. Through devotion in faith, she reached out to God for help to survive.

She currently resides in Florida with her husband Dr. Dennis Sluski, and after thirty years, Carole had a calling to share her journey of learning how to live out life with peace and well-being. Her story will make you cry, laugh, connect, understand, learn, sympathize, appreciate, and believe in hope.

Over the course of years, she gathered her expertise, knowledge, and talent and put it to use for her recovery and to benefit others she loves. Professionally, Carole is an accomplished entrepreneur in business and creative arts.

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Childhood abuse deeply impacts our adult life on many levels but there is hope. My guest Virginia Jones and I talk about recovering from childhood abuse. Topics such as how to heal, the importance of boundaries, and what does it mean to honor your mother and father despite the cruelty they showed you.

Our focus today is not about the details of abuse we endured, we use our types of abuse as a point of reference but our conversation today is how to heal from childhood abuse.

Because of the imprint left on your life from childhood abuse there is often a distance between the effects of it experienced in adulthood and actually discovering full, healthy healing. Virginia and I dig into what it looks like to heal as well as what are some of the ways we can take action or the things we can put in place that is going to move us toward healing.

As an example, in the opening (audio) clip Virginia is talking about how to take control of our thought life and internal dialog when it comes to verbally beating ourself up or dwelling on the pain of what happened. She’s not saying ignore the pain but she is saying to take responsibility for your healing and part of that is dismantling the belief systems we’ve created that are associated with our abuse. Don't misunderstand what I just said. I'm not saying you're responsible for what happened to you, I'm saying take responsibility for your healing by taking the necessary steps to find help and wholeness.

A lot of times when I’m doing the editing for an audio, it puts me in a position where I'm outside of the conversation. That outside looking in often gives me a deeper bit of clarity and that happened with something Virginia said.

We were talking about boundaries and the importance of setting them with regard to what it looked like to honor our parents yet make wise decisions that would keep each of us safe as well as keep our families safe.

One part of that conversation revolved around how other people, specifically our Christian brothers and sisters may define what it means to honor our parents. We may get criticized about our decisions or receive unsolicited advice.

Virginia made the point that we set boundaries based on the full story of what has happened versus what others think we should do based on their personal definitions of the word honor. Anyone outside the actual abuse only has part of the story and what they think they know about our situation.

That's when I was reminded that God has set intentional boundaries for all of creation. His boundaries are based on the fact that He knows the full story from beginning to end and because of what He knows He's set limitations to keep us safe.

When you think about the boundaries in nature, such as ocean water, if the water passes the boundaries set by God it can destroy everything in its path.

When we step outside of His standard for doing relationship the damage can be seen and felt for years.

When we live contrary to His instruction we're at risk of life altering consequences that can bring guilt and shame. His boundaries are in place to keep us from experiencing these painful consequences because of the resulting guilt and shame. Those two consequences, guilt and shame bring separation from Christ and that’s what God is trying to help us avoid.

When I was raising my sons, I set boundaries in my home for two things, morality and safety. Whenever my sons chose to step outside those boundaries they tied my hands. Mainly because they were at risk but also because it grieved my heart to see them suffer the consequences.

In short, boundaries have a purpose and it’s to protect us in situations where wisdom dictates that we need to be protected.

Before I close, I do want to add this thought, guilt and shame can be laid at the feet of Jesus and we can find peace and forgiveness. The blood of Jesus washes the things of this life off of us. It's not about living a perfect life but if we stay in close relationship with Jesus, do this life with God's value system, His heart we can limit the emotional trauma and mental scars and all the work that will need to be done to heal.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that no matter what this life throws at you, no matter what people do to you, or try to label you with…you keep the eyes of your heart of Christ. He’s writing a much bigger love story with you, an over arching love story with you as the individual He created you to be.

Its in the drawing close to Jesus that we find peace, break free from the lies, leave behind guilt and shame and walk in the freedom that Christ has made available to us in the here and now.

Let’s listen in!

Live Loved and Thrive!

You can find Virginia at the website for her podcast: https://www.thevintagecafepodcast.com/

BIO:Welcome to The Vintage Cafe Podcast. I am your host, Virginia Jones. Life is all about living an abundant life in Christ, learning from our past that we might grow in our future, having amazing adventures and making wonderful memories with those we love. It’s about connecting with people around us. On this podcast there will be episodes featuring some amazing people, events and people not so familiar to us, our experiences as new homesteaders and more. So, if this is your cup of tea, grab that cozy and join me as we learn together on this life’s journey.

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Does God really care about people in prison? What does it look like for God to pursue the heart of rebellious, prideful, stiff necked, hard headed, broken people?

Since these adjectives could describe any of us at varying stages of our life, maybe that question has crossed your mind. If so, I’m glad you’e here because my guest today, Steven Snook answers it from the position of having been a prisoner. Not only a prisoner to the experiences and circumstances in his life but as a prisoner in a federal prison, here in the United States.

This is the longest episode I’ve done to date and I’d like to say it’s because Steven and I discuss his twenty-two year prison sentence, therefore it would naturally be a long conversation. But the truth is, it’s long because of the countless stories of how God interrupted Steven’s criminal career, drastically changed his life and then proceeds to use everything about Steven’s prison journey to cross paths with individuals that are on God’s heart.

Steven shares example after example of how God showed up in some of the most unlikely places, one example being solitary confinement.

Steven talks about how God used him to shine the Light of the World (God’s Son) into the hearts of those who were willing to grab the lifeline that God offers to each of us.

Steven also had encouragement for the praying momma, grandmother, sister, aunt who is wrapping their loved one in prayer, asking, begging God to intervene. Because Steven has seen, over and over the power of a praying woman when it comes to inmates making peace with God. Could it be that God searches out the ones that a prayer warrior is petitioning God for and standing in faith for answered prayers?

If you think about it, there’s justice/injustice, good/evil, truth/lie, love/hate, God/Satan. My point being, there are only 2 realities that we should be concerned with, heaven and hell. This life as we know it, is a foreshadowing of what is to come when we transition into eternity.

While here, we get glimpses of what heaven is like and we get glimpses of what hell is like. I personally think that institutionalized correction centers are a prime example of the foreshadowing, a small sample of what hell will be like.

But take heart, because on this side of eternity God enters into those places through willing men and women who will bend their will to God’s plans to reach every person possible.

At the time of this recording, January of 2023, Steven has been out of jail coming up on a year. After fulfilling his sentence, he’s transitioned from reaching the prisoners behind the bars to people outside the jail that have erected their own personal prisons or man-made hell.

Does God care about people in prison? You bet He does! It’s the reason He sent His Son, to save us, to enable us to live free in the here and now no matter your environment/circumstances/situation.

As you listen to what Steven shares, may your heart be captivated by the beauty of who Christ is in this type of setting and the lengths that He will go to in order to create an intersection between His obedient son or daughter and a prodigal that He is passionately pursuing.

God Speaks Beautiful Things in the Dark!

Connect with Steven Snook:Website: JesusSpeaksLLC.comRapha Scripture Frame: https://jesusspeaksllc.com/products/rapha-frame-15Email: JesusSpeaksLLC@gmail.com

Bio:Steven Snook, Owner and Creator of Jesus Speaks LLC (Life, Liberty & Christianity) uses every opportunity he can to share the story of how God interrupted his life of extreme poverty and crime that had started at the age of 15.

After many years of hardened criminal activity God reaches Steven in one personally devastating moment. Even though Steven knew very little about the God of the Holy Bible, he begins to experience this God in supernatural ways. As Steven begins to yield to the miraculous, God works both in him and through him.

God uses everything about Steven's prison sentence, including each passing year, the different prisons he's sent to, even keeping Steven in solitary confinement for a year, using Steven to reach the darkest, most isolated place in prison.

Steven’s personal transformation, including what he has currently brought to the marketplace (Rapha Scripture Frame), is a testimony of God’s power and authority to take what Satan meant to destroy him with and turn it for his good and God’s glory.

His training ground, that of the various federal prisons across the United States, puts Steven in a unique position to speak to those who are not going to be reached for Christ in traditional ways. Now, outside prison, his passion to share the gospel and good news of Jesus Christ has not slowed down. You’ll find him talking to complete strangers about the approachable, miracle working God of the Holy Bible.

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Erin Simeone and I talk about her personal journey with genetic testing, genetic mutations, a breast cancer scare and her double prophylactic mastectomy. Based on her mother's cancer diagnosis Erin started preventive check-ups. At one of these appointments Erin is given the option to check for the BRCA gene. Now mind you, Erin is in her early 30's, raising a baby boy and planning on having more children with her husband so having to face the decision whether or not to pursue genetic testing was very daunting.

Simple as it may sound, making the decision whether or not to get tested actually has a very weighty consideration attached to it. What if it comes back positive for a genetic mutation? She'd then be forced to make a decision on which path to choose and no matter what she chose, it would impact every aspect of her life.

She did decide to do the testing and when the results came back 6 or 8 weeks later, she did discover that she indeed had a genetic mutation. Now she faced even harder decisions. Erin shares an example that her doctor gave her that let her know she faced a 75% chance of having breast cancer. What would this mean for her young family and any future plans for adding more children?

Fresh in Erin's mind is thought of her friend, a young mom herself who passed from breast cancer after a courageous fight. Erin also recalled the painful yet successful battle her mother went through as she faced her breast cancer diagnosis when Erin was only 15.

Erin shares her thoughts as she wrestles with the decision process and eventually deciding to get the double mastectomy. Additionally, she tells us the 2 things that she couldn't live without while going through the recovery period.

As surgeries do, her mastectomy left her feeling very vulnerable and helpless so Erin also shares not only who you want in your corner but how you can come alongside someone to help them through such a vulnerable phase.

I love what she termed 2 am friends. She was saying that you need to find people who you can call at 2am and they're there for you. I immediately thought of my sister and a couple of my friends that I would consider my 2am friends but then I got to thinking, at our age we all cut our phones off in hopes of getting a solid night of sleep and not have to get up to go to the bathroom! But the good news is, Jesus is always accessible and that is the one thing that stands out the most in this conversation with Erin.

She gave example after example of the importance, the difference and the impact that her personal relationship with God made in the midst of uncertainty and hard questions. Her desire to use her pain to make a difference for just one person was the motivation that kept her going. Each time she wanted to focus on the hard parts of this season she would turn her focus to God. Looking, listening and seeking His presence, allowed her to see Him through countless situations and experiences.

One of the bible verses that was very powerful for her was when God lead Moses to the Red Sea. She talks about how encouraged she became when she noticed something about that scripture that she had missed many times before. A small detail and yet oh so powerful!

I do want to pause for a moment and purposefully speak to those who have lost a loved one to cancer...and Erin does touch on it. If you've lost a loved one...and in this context we're talking about cancer....we're not saying God didn't love them or protect them or that He forgot them. God holds the fullness of life in the palm of His hand it's not over until, in His Sovereignty, He brings it to a close.

Every single one of us will leave this life on a vehicle one of which is cancer. Death comes for every living being. Actually, death is a transition phase. We will pass from here into eternity and more to Erin's point, do you know which eternity you'll transition to? There are only 2 choices, heaven and hell and it's on this side of eternity that we get to step out in faith and choose to love Jesus in return....what is love if not a choice, right?

With Erin's salvation in tact and her healing journey in place, the question she gets most often is, would she choose the mastectomy all over again if she had to? Listen in to find out!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Erin:erinlsimeone@gmail.com

Bio:Erin lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her husband of close to eleven years, a son, Cullen who is six and a daughter, Camryn who is one. She is a local to the area, having been born and raised in Virginia, and is truly blessed to have most of her immediate family still living locally.

She teaches in the local community and finds joy in building relationships with her students as well as working with them to achieve their hopes, dreams and goals, making learning fun and engaging. Erin attends River Oak Church where she has met life long, 2am friends that have become family, and is an active member of the church body, as well as her in home life group. She enjoys working in the children’s ministry, helping with VBS, helping new members find a place to serve wherever and whenever she meets new people, or helping in any way the Lord moves.

While cancer has been such a tremendous part of her family, in both positive and negative ways, Erin counts it all joy to have been given the opportunity to get ahead of a cancer diagnosis, and hopes to continue to be used as a vessel for the Lord in her family, her church, her school and her community. She strives to find Jesus in every day, and leans wholly on His direction and guidance as she maneuvers through marriage, motherhood, family, church, friendships, and school.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

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I couldn’t wait to share with you this conversation about mental illness. My guest is Susan Johnson. She’s the author of, Some Dreams Are Worth Keeping: A Memoir of My Bipolar Journey.

I was impressed by her courage to have an open dialog about mental illness. With her personal diagnosis of Bipolar, I had a specific interest in this topic because as many of you may know my mother struggled with bipolar. At that time, back in the mid 80’s, my mom was diagnosed as manic depressive. That's what they use to bipolar.

Not many people, my mother included are willing to talk about mental illness, and I get it. Because when I was growing up having to be on medicine because you were mental was considered shameful. And I’m not proud to admit it, but in a home with a mother who has brutal mood swings, I thought my mother was crazy. I said she was crazy.

So the stigma that surrounds a diagnosis of mental illness can be very unsettling and has the potential to make for a very complicated conversation because let’s be honest, how do you tread lightly with something so sensitive.

Susan is open and honest about her journey and she gives us some insight into what mental illness is and is not. Her willingness to be candid and transparent is creating a dialog that I believe removes a lot of the current day stigma by letting us see that it is manageable and life can be full and rewarding.

I’m confident that Susan's courage will give hope to those who struggle with a mental illness. She’s a college graduate, gainfully employed, happily married and has a full life! Something else she was willing to reveal is why she and her husband decided not to have children.

Her story is very encouraging. I especially liked her TED talk on Youtube (see link below). As you listen in don’t miss her explanation of why memorizing a 15 minute TED talk is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Susan - Order her book: https://www.sjohnsonauthor.com/mybookFollow her on Facebook.com/sjohnsonbooks and instagram.com/sjohnsonbooksInspirational Speaker TM ACBBest Bipolar Blogger Award for Healthline.com 2017Stability Leader www.thestabilitynetwork.org Website : www.sjohnsonauthor.comTEDx talk "Having A Mental Illness Is Not A Death Sentence" hit the link here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgeURPOQ8Ig

BIO:Susan graduated from Drake University with a B.A. in Sociology. Since her diagnosis of Bipolar 1 in 1995, Susan's true passion in life is to help break the stigma of living with a mental illness and bring hope to those living with one. She has given a TEDx talk “Having A Mental Illness Is Not A Death Sentence.” Susan currently works with special education students as an Instructional Assistant for a school district in Nevada. Susan is a guest blogger for a mental health magazine. She received the award for Best Blogger for Healthline.com in 2017 and appeared in the 2018 "This Is Me" article in BP Hope Magazine. Susan is a Stability Leader for a nonprofit organization called “The Stability Network.” For fun she enjoys hiking, baking, traveling, yoga, spending time with her Goddaughter, and trips to the ocean. Susan is originally from Thousand Oaks, CA. She now makes her home in fabulous Las Vegas with her husband, Gary, and Siberian cat, Angel-Ann.

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What a pleasure it is to kick off the New Year around the topic of joy with author, Sonya Mack. My only regret is that our time together was limited. It felt like we had just started when it came to a close.

Sonya's book, "This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say," is a true story of hope for those who grieve. As I've shared before, there are many types of grief because when we are separated from that which we hold near and dear to our heart we need to grieve that loss.

This book and the beauty that it shares was born from Sonya's deep heartache of loosing her closest confident and friend when her mother passed in 2010 due to ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). In today's episode Sonya shares the various ways that she keeps her mother's memory alive with her two young daughters who never had a chance to meet their grandmother.

I definitely benefited from what Sonya shared today because when I think about my husband only meeting two of our 6 grandchildren, I want to keep him alive in our family too. Of the 2 grandchildren that met him, my then four year old grand daughter is the only one who can barely remember him. So I'm going to introduce them to their grandfather and keep his memory alive adding in some of the practices Sonya uses with her daughters.

Finding joy in the midst of grief may sound like an oxymoron but Sonya says it doesn't have to be. In her book she talks about the various ways she found joy again after her profound loss. If experiencing joy despite the presence of grief still sounds a little out of touch with reality or too good to be true, take heart, it wasn't an overnight discovery for Sonya. It wasn't without a genuine struggle in deep pain and with even deeper questions.

My personal experience is that when you're grieving you must be purposeful to step out from under the weight of that type of pain because it can paralyze you. So it's important to change your focus or your surroundings and discover what else is going on around you. Sonya's book tells us of the various ways that we can take that much needed break from the overwhelm of grief and find, even a small, short reprieve.

Sonya is also the CEO of The Live Joy Life and she shared that it's an organization that empowers women through community, mindset, and the LIVE JOY principles, to live in the joy God intended.

Any book is a great book when it shares all the information you're looking for on any given topic and in this case the topic is joy but Sonya didn't stop at telling you why you need to find joy, hoping that you find ways to discover it in your own efforts. She went a step further and developed the ACE Method which lays out actions steps so that we can find the joy of life even in the midst of grief. The A C E Method is the acronym for Access, Contemplate and Execute and she gives a brief explanation on what they are and how to apply them to our life.

This is a brief but encouraging conversation so let's listen in to hear all that Sonya has to share because death does not have the final say.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Sonya:https://sonyajoymack.com/bookhttps://sonyajoymack.com/live-joy-lifehttps://sonya-joy-mack.ck.page/816a66eb5a - download 2 free chapters of, This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer has the Final Say

Bio: Sonya Joy Mack has treated grief and illness since 2006 as a Physician Assistant. In the grief of her mother’s passing, Sonya created The LIVE JOY LIFE, an organization that empowers women through community, mindset, and the LIVE JOY principles, to live in the joy God intended.Her debut book, "This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say," a true story of hope for those who grieve, is available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

Sonya lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her husband and two spunky daughters, where she enjoys red wine, dark chocolate, big hugs and living room dance parties. Sonya continues to advocate for a treatment and cure for ALS, the disease that took her mother’s life.

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It's not too often that a widower (a man who has lost his wife), will talk openly about grief but my guest today, Daniel Doolan took the time to share his experience of loosing his precious wife, Kathy. He and Kathy were married for 48 years before Leukemia snatched her from his embrace. When I think about the stigma attached to a man showing emotion I wondered where does a widower find comfort? And because God has said that it is not good for man to be alone, I questioned if there is any purpose left for a widower (or even a widow) after such a devastating loss?

Daniel talks about taking control of his grief by embracing it. Actually, more like going after it. Which I thought was vey unique because whether male or female I feel like our first response is to protect ourself from it. But when he shared some of the benefits he was experiencing by engaging his grief whenever it wanted to well up in his heart, they were pretty significant so I can see why he'd continue using that method as part of the healing process. He talked about how cathartic and cleansing it was for him. He shared how it felt that it kept him from bitterness and the overwhelm of anxiety. He was seeing improvements whether it be mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

As I was talking with Daniel he said something that made me think, wow, he's been engaging God about death for quite some time. To me, it revealed the depth of his relationship, the comfort, the confidence that he has with his God. All of us know that ain't none of us getting out of here alive but we really don't want to talk about it.

But that doesn't appear to be true with Daniel. He told me about an old prayer he used to pray. It was my impression that this was before Kathy was diagnosed with Leukemia. Maybe it was a conversation he had with God because of their various health concerns prior to her diagnosis. But he was having a conversation with God about death and he said, "Father, when one of us goes, let us be a witness. If it's me, let Kathy be a witness. And if it's her, let me be a witness to those around me of your love and of your hope."

Since God didn't take Daniel home first, he knows God must have a plan. True to God's ability to give purpose to our pain Daniel is more than the title of widower. He has become a certified ATD Therapy Dog Handler. Now he and his blonde sidekick, a Golden Retriever named Amber are able to have difficult conversations that most people feel are awkward and intrusive at best.

Amber's sweet disposition softens the atmosphere as well as someone's heart and that gives way for Daniel to have an honest conversation about the pain and struggle of cancer. He spends his time giving hope, encouragement, and unconditional love to those who are facing the fear of uncertainty and the potential of death.

The more Daniel talked the more obvious it became. Kathy was precious to him. He took her well being, her safety, and her care very serious. You'll be able to hear it in his voice, his love for her and how much he misses her. Be inspired by Daniel's story and by the beauty that is blossoming out of deep, deep anguish.

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Daniel @ dd9293@comcast.net

Bio:Daniel is retired after dedicating 40 years to his trade of choice, Television Studio/Field Engineer. Additionally, he was married to his soulmate Katherine, a true daughter of the King and Savior Jesus Christ. After 48 years together God called Katherine home in April of 2021. True to God’s ability to use our pain and suffering Katherine’s battle with Leukemia gave Daniel a desire to comfort others who are fighting battles that are difficult for many to talk about. Daniel is now an ATD Therapy Dog Handler. He and his furry partner Amber, offer their accepting presence, along with words of encouragement and comfort to those who are going through their journey with cancer.

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My guest today is Kim Sorrelle. She is the Director for Rays of Hope International. She is an award winning author and she is an International Speaker.

If you're familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, you know this chapter is referred to as the love verses. They describe the importance, depth and beauty of God's love for us and since He loved us first, He also expects us to love others in the way He has modeled for us. I'm not sure about you but I really, really struggle to love like God loves.

I want to love like God loves. I know I want someone to love me the way it's described in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I want a love that is patient and kind. One that does not keep a record of wrongs and that covers over a multitude of sins. Wait, that might be yoga pants but you know what I'm getting at. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we'll focus on verses 4 through 12. Verses 4 though 8 describe the way God loves us. Verses 9 through 12 tells us what it will be like when we leave this life behind and step into eternity. For Christians this means we step into God's presence.

Everything about this life is but a mere shadow here and these verses compare this life to being a child with regard to the way we think and reason vs the way we think and reason as an adult. You didn't think the same at 20 years old like you did when you were 13 years old. You didn't think the same from even 16 to 20.

My point being, as we age we grow in our understanding in short, thinking like a child is completely different than thinking like an adult. Same is true when it comes to what we perceive about this life now vs when we stand in God's presence.

Face to face with God will give us a depth of understanding that is unmatched by anything we had previously understood. In eternity, what we thought we knew here and what we find out to be true there will be mind blowing to say the least.

Let's take a look at verses 4 through 12 of 1 Corinthians 13 because I think it's a great chance to meditate on what God is saying here. Take the time to look at the whole chapter.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Verse 8 sets us up for the transition from what love is to leaving this world behind in exchange for face to face with God in eternity.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Let the beauty of God's instruction seep into your heart. What could life be like if every person took to heart, God's instruction on love? Hurt people would no longer hurt people. We could hold others accountable for the purpose of love, we could speak the truth in love and not be afraid. We'd be like iron sharpening iron.

Love would reign in every heart. Think about what that means for families alone. Love is what we'd emulate and spread. Why can't love be as contagious as hate?

Check out all that Kim had to share. May she bless your heart like she did mine!

Live Loved and Thrive!

CONNECT WITH KIM: EMAIL: KIM@KIMSORRELLE.COM WEBSITE https://www.kimsorrelle.com SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS https://tiny.one/kimsfacebookpage https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-langlois-sorrelle-11079523/ https://www.instagram.com/kimsorrelle/?hl=en https://twitter.com/Kim_Sorrelle https://www.facebook.com/ksorrelle https://tiny.one/kimsorrelleyoutube

AMAZON BOOK LINKS https://tiny.one/loveisonamazon https://tinyurl.com/cryuntilyoulaughonamazon

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God's word says, hope deferred makes the heart sick but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. If so, then why would it seem that God withholds good things from us? Specifically for this conversation, withhold marriage and children from my guest Lainie Stubblefield?

If you've longed for something for many years and it feels as though you've been overlooked, let Lainie's story encourage your heart because she shares how she struggles with God about her pain and the revelations she receives by engaging God's heart in her journey of deeply desiring to be a wife and mom.

Hope deferred can be about many different desires of the heart. It's longing for something but not seeing it come to fruition. As mentioned, Lainie's heart desire has been for marriage and children and as a Christian she's chosen to wait on God's timing.

A double edged sword for sure. On the one hand, I consider it a sliver of gold, being confident that God knows the man whom has He chosen to be my spouse. At the very least, when marriage gets tough I could rest in the fact that everything's going to be okay because God picked this one for me. And yet, when it's taking so long for God to answer, it's very easy to also blame Him when things don't turn out like I want or had envisioned.

Lainie reminded me of my friend Kathrine. They are steadfast in their waiting. I'm not saying it's easy. Both women are transparent about their experiences with pain and struggle but they stay the course until God moves His hand. And by move His hand, I am also not saying that He answers in the way they wanted or desired. In their struggling well with God they discover new intimacies about His heart for them. They find that God is enough in every situation.

I can't count the times when I was waiting on the Lord to answer a prayer and then at some point I get it in my head that He needs help. I jump in and "help out" aka take control. I've got this mindset that surely I missed what He was saying or where He was leading so I'm going to steer this prayer request in the right direction and get the answer I'm looking for, pronto. So, more times than I can count I have returned to the Lord in repentance with more baggage attached to my original request. Good news though, God's unfazed with my antics. In the past, He's spoken into my spirit something along the lines of, sweet child I could have saved you all of that if you'd just been patient.

I say that to say this, we can get out there and make things happen. There are other options to waiting on Christ. Lainie has other options. One of those options being that she could stay focused on her struggle and pain becoming bitter but she has set it in her heart and has chosen to submit herself to God's timing and His wisdom.

To some it may look like God has forgotten Lainie or is withholding this good thing, even Laine has asked God that question. But Lainie has pressed deeply into the heart of God to discover the beauty of intimacy with Christ. In doing so, Christ has revealed His sufficiency in singleness.

So you might be thinking, what is the importance of waiting on God? For Christians, it's in the waiting that our faith is exercised. It's where we discover new levels of relationship with God, where He reveals hidden things, gives us access to new dimensions of His heart. It's where we explore and discover things we didn't even imagine to know or ask. After all, an immediate gratification God does not require faith and certainly no relationship. There is beauty to be found in the midst of the pain and waiting.

Lainie is warm, friendly and easy to. She talks about the various revelations that God shared with her and I loved that she had a strong understanding of the importance of both married couples and the singles with regard to the body of Christ. She has, what I would call, an intuitive understanding and even shares what she discerns with her pastor (who is very open to her input) from a singles perspective. She shares how to blend the two (married and single) in various ways for a mutually beneficial experience that edifies the whole body of Christ.

Listen in to hear all that God revealed and how Lainie has applied it to her life so that hope deferred doesn't become the sole pursuit of her life.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Lainie: https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/ https://www.accessmore.com/pd/Have-Love-Will-Travel-

Resources Mentioned: Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage Sam Alberry, The 7 Myths about Singleness

Bio: Lainie Stubblefield has helped others receive healing in their bodies as a massage therapist for over 20 years. As a follower of Jesus, she also has a heart for seeing others receive the freedom that is available in our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. She is the co-host of the Steel Magnolias podcast discussing various aspects of Southern Culture as well as a new travel podcast coming out soon called Have Love, Will Travel on the Access More Network.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/b9efa3a7cff54eb09f74e358bf0dbe94/edit_v2

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My guest Lori Morrison is a Christian who happens to be a PI, Private Investigator. She deals with good and evil on a daily basis. She also hosts the podcast called The Unlovely Truth where she explores the intersection of faith and true crime. In each of her episodes she’s not making up any of the evil she discusses. Evil is real.

All of this is intriguing to me because as Christians we also face good and evil on a daily basis and we have a huge fascination with true crime. However, we don’t want anything to do with evil in our lives. I can't blame you there because if I'm honest, neither do I.

We tend to shun evil to the point that we completely avoid it, we pray it away, we’re afraid to engage it, and we’re horrified by the headlines in the news. Not only does Lori engage evil on a daily basis from the perspective of helping families find answers about their loved ones, but she also serves female inmates through a bible study.

I think about the courage that it takes to see both sides of the equation. As she shared her experiences I realized how much intention it takes to stay balanced. To have compassion for both the family of the victim and the criminal and yet engage in the fight for justice. But as Christians isn’t that what we’re required to do? Be in the world but not of it? To love justice and seek mercy?

Lori recalls the true crime story that Jesus uses as a teaching tool and in doing so she shows us how we are to combat evil and that is to become engaged in the fight to offset evil. Lori says that it’s not about becoming a PI yourself. Each of us can make our own personal impact. There is work to do, and we, as individuals, can make an impact on both sides of the equation.

As Christians we reveal the heart of God in our normal day to day activities, through our skills and passions etc. We have the opportunity to shine the Light of who Christ is into the darkest parts of life, to let a hurting world know that God has the power and the authority to turn evil for our good and His glory. Whether that's a family that gets closure and personal justice for their loved one or the repentant heart of a criminal who becomes sold out for Christ and uses their past to heal others living in a life of crime.

If you’re a Christian you know that God loves everyone. Without exception. So our first step in using God's light to dispel the darkness of this life is to engage the heart of God. Let's find out what about us does He want to use, where does He want to work through us. Where dose He want us to apply our gifts and talents, time, energy and resources. And then let’s use Lori’s example of how she is purposeful about taking care of herself so that she’s able to balance the push and pull of this life with the passion of God’s heart.

Live Loved & Thrive!!

Connect with Lori:

https://www.theunlovelytruth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theunlovelytruthpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theUnlovelyTruth

https://www.instagram.com/theunlovelytruthpodcast/

Lori's Bio: I'm licensed private investigator Lori Morrison. You may know me as the host of the podcast the Unlovely Truth, an author, and a speaker. I'm here to help you become a different kind of P.I. - a Person of Impact. I've done it, I've worked with others who have done it, and I can help YOU do it, too!

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/67d8cf0e4baf49799a5b45f14898feb2/edit_v2

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With the average age of a widow being 59 years old we can't overlook this important conversation on financial preparedness. Today my guest, Gayle Blachura talks all things financial with the focus on widows. How can we be prepared for the unexpected status of widow?

Gayle is a partner, CFP professional, and financial advisor with Financial Security. Securities are offered through Financial Security Management, a member of FINRA and SIPC. Gayle can be reached at gayle@gofsg.com or 757-431-1414. Or visit their website at www.gofsg.com.

This brief conversation between Gayle and I is focused on how to be as prepared as possible should the unexpected happen. This is not a deep dive because as you’ll hear, finances are very individualized and every widow’s goals and needs are different.

The reason I wanted to have this conversation is because based on the statistics, women outlive men. I saw today that the average age of a widow is 59. But that statistic is not a recent one and I think we can all agree that covid has left behind many widows, a lot of young widows. The chances of not being a widow, well, they’re just not in our favor.

And I know you’re probably thinking, she’s being morbid and this is not something I want to think about. However, it’s worth having this difficult conversation, talking about the topic no one wants to talk about. I want to soften this topic so that women will take action, making sure they're as prepared as they possibly can be for something I pray they never experience.

My only request is that you don’t look the other way. I never imagined I’d need to be thinking about it. Even when God prompted us to make a will and estate plan, my husband and I were planning for many many years down the road. We talked in the context of 80+ years and to honest that is the way it should be done. However, unbeknownst to either of us within 6 months those plans would be put into action. My husband was only 52.

Here are a few of the questions I asked Gayle: What is a wise thing a woman should do right now with regard to financial preparedness? What is the number one mistake women make with regard to their financial future? What are some factors that come into play when trying to take on the bulk of financial health, solo? What about the woman who does not understand financial matters, what is a simple starting point?

Let’s listen in to all that Gayle has to share so that this important topic of widows and financial preparedness becomes easier to talk about and take action.

“Gayle is a partner, CFP professional, and financial advisor with Financial Security. Securities are offered through Financial Security Management, a member of FINRA and SIPC. Gayle can be reached at gayle@gofsg.com or 757-431-1414. Or visit their website at www.gofsg.com.

Bio: Gayle O'Brien Blachura, CFP®, Vice President

With over 25 years in financial services, Gayle combines her experience with her training as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and her devotion to helping clients achieve their financial goals and dreams.

After several successful years in banking, Gayle sought a more personal, hands-on approach to assisting clients. In 2000, she joined Financial Security Group and earned her designations as Registered Financial Consultant, Professional Financial Planner, and ultimately, her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. She honed her skills working alongside her father, Robert O’Brien, a former U.S. Navy commander, and one of the founding partners of Financial Security. She was admitted as an equity partner in the firm in 2014, the first women to be so selected.

Gayle is a past president of the Financial Planning Association’s Hampton Roads Chapter, as well as lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table. One of her passions is serving on the board of directors of Atlantic Shores Christian schools. She also lends her time to conducting financial seminars and teaching financial classes to high school students.

Gayle and her husband, Mark, live in Virginia Beach and have two children.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/51af909719c3458387d57debbc88cf48/edit_v2

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My guest, Jessica Dubuque and I talk about infertility and PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and the new, cost effective option INVOcell. When talking with Jessica I learned that September is PCOS awareness month so if you'd like more information check out PCOSawarenessmonth.org.

Along with receiving encouragement as she shares about her journey through infertility she also talks about an exciting infertility option, called INVOcell. It is more cost affective as compared to the traditional IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) route.

You get to hear Jessica's success story both with her chosen infertility journey as well as a surprise conception but you’ll also get to listen in as Jessica shares that there is a backstory to the success story and it was full of pain and questions and struggle to understand what she had done wrong.

When I think about the various stories that I have had the honor to hear through this podcast I realize there is a level of brokenness in us. And what I mean by that is that there is loss, shame, embarrassment, humiliation, fear. In short, we know suffering. There are no exceptions. Everyone has experienced these things. What might be no big deal for you could be devastating for someone else. To live is to know pain and suffering.

But what I find most fulfilling is to know that God gives beauty in exchange for our broken things. He wants to engage us in the midst of our pain. To lead us into healing and provide restoration that extracts the pain from the event or events so that it no longer controls us. Where we feel at peace with our painful places. That's what healing feels like.

As Jessica tells us who God was for her in the midst of her heartache and questions she reveals this beautiful exchange between her and God. She goes from a leader of her own making, to a follower of God.

She began to pursue His heart for answers to this painful place of infertility. And what does God do? He heals.

He’s such a good Father. He did this for me too and I know He’ll do it for you. That’s His nature, to heal His sons and daughters. Yes, He’s the God of judgement and there is a day when that will come but today, in the intimacy of relationship with Him, He wants to restore, heal, and make new.

When we engage the heart of God He’s so much bigger than the immediate painful place that we bring to Him. There is so much more wrapped up in our painful places of life. We show up with fears, assumptions, scars and nightmares.

If we allow Him to love on us and to speak into our suffering, His love dismantles and overwhelms the pain of this life. When we walk in that type of recovery and freedom, we get a taste, just a little taste of what it means for Him to bring heaven down to earth.

Listen as Jessica shares this beautiful transition as God meets her in the midst of her journey of uncertainty through infertility. May it bless you to hear of the intimacy that God cares for each of us.

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Resources: https://www.invocell.com/ https://PCOSawarenessmonth.org

Connect with Jessica: thepowerofinfertility@gmail.com

BIO: At the age of 35, she found herself in a battle of infertility. Fear, anxiety, and shame consumed her as she looked for answers. The life she had envisioned was now full of uncertainty.

In the midst of her pain, she turned to the one who had never left her side, God. She began to embrace her journey as she clung to God’s word. God revealed to her the power of infertility. Her struggles exposed by infertility made her brave enough to confront them. She had more strength than she ever thought to fight battles that she never imagined she would.

Now, she has a passion to connect with others who also share in the pain of infertility.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/11abda32e11f434085a04e0d463060bc/edit_v2

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Here are 3 ways to process your pain with God. I share with the goal of bringing a measure, however small it might be, of peace in your mind and comfort for your heart not to mention the opportunity for healing in your body. There are real situations in our lives that can affect our health so processing the things that are painful to us is necessary.

We live in a war zone, a spiritual war zone where we have an active enemy who is constantly looking for subtle ways to steal from us. Steal things like our peace, confidence, gifts and talents, our identity or purpose and that's just to name a few.

In this episode I'll share 3 ways that I processed my grief and pain with God. In early 2018 my world came crashing down around me when my husband of 32 years suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Through my grieving process God spoke into my darkness and gave me revelation as I talked with Him about my pain.

Anytime we are separated from that which we are deeply connected to, have expectations attached to or have a strong identity with such as a title/role/job there is a grieving process that should take place. If not, our bodies will keep the score. The anxiety and pain will be stored in the body until we process it.

There are many ways to process pain but here are the 3 that were most beneficial to me.

1. Talk TO God not AT Him
2. Talk WITH God not ABOUT Him
3. Take the time to listen to Him

In this short episode I'll break down all 3 and share just a little bit more so you can understand what I mean by each one.

Something else worth mentioning but I didn't think to include was how I found rest during the painful processing. For me, I found a place to rest my heart and quiet the chaos in my mind by reclining into the beauty of Christian music. Most Christian music is scripture so although I was not reading the bible at this time I was reminded of scripture and soaked in the love stories.

Sometimes I used Christian meditative music from trusted sources so as to avoid the music that adds subliminal messaging. I wasn't looking to be motivated to work out or eat less nor was I looking for anxiety relief messaging in my music. I just wanted to rest without any additional verbiage (subliminal or not) added to my brain. Find ways to rest that will remove distractions and additional conversations that would cause your brain to retain.

Here are some links to the two previous audios that landed us here talking about ways to process your pain with God:

1. The Good God we Profess in the Reality of Pain and Suffering: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/07/06/good-god-2/
2. Here's How Psalm 23 Showed Me God's Faithfulness: https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/08/17/heres-how-psalm-23-showed-me-gods-faithfulness/

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Connect With Sherrie: Podcast: https://alifeofthrive.com/finding-god-in-our-pain-podcast/ Blog: https://alifeofthrive.com/blog/ Website: https://alifeofthrive.com/

Transcript:

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Is it possible for God’s word to reveal His faithfulness? Do you struggle to find power in scripture? Ever wonder how scripture helps you in times of great pain and deep questions? What if I told you God's faithfulness never fails and the scriptures prove it?

This podcast episode is connected to the episode I did a few weeks ago entitled The Good God we Profess and the reality of Pain and suffering. In that previous episode I made mention of how scripture came alive to me. How it proved God true. One of the scriptures I referenced as helping me through the darkest valley I’ve known to date, that being, unexpectedly loosing my husband of 32 years, was Psalm 23.

As a follow up, this episode will be about real examples and revelation of how I found different layers of meaning in God’s word and how in this very dark valley, I discovered an intimacy with Christ I didn’t even know I was missing.

I’ll read Psalm 23 in its entirety and then I’ll break it down and tell you how this bible verse spoke to me. I'll share how God fulfilled His word in my life. How black ink on crinkly pages (in the Holy Bible) came alive to me and why scripture became a lifeline for me.

Keep in mind I’m sharing my personal experience with the God of the Holy Bible whom I identify as Father God, Jesus Christ, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

We can always count on God’s word to be consistent with His character and His nature. Anything that is true is of God. It will not contradict who He is but we can’t put Him in a box with regard to how He will show up for someone or how He will reveal Himself or how He will speak to us.

We are unique individuals and because God knows us intimately, He knows how to speak and connect His truths with the spiritual language we speak. And again, not in a way that is outside what the Bible has been preaching, tested and tried for over 2000 years. But deeper revelation of who He is, an intimacy that you have not known before.

Here’s Psalm 23 in theKing James Version (KVJ) but I encourage you to look up this verse in different versions so that you can see the depth of the word.

Our American language is so layered that we can go deeper in understanding if we look at the way the word is being used.

Think about how we use the word love or friendship. Love can be anywhere from intimate/persona/marital to a strong desire for a specific food. Friendship has layers from inner circle to social media connections where there is no other interaction. And it’s the same for God’s word.

As you study God’s word, you peel layers away and receive deeper revelation just like you would find deeper understanding as you grow in any other type of relationship. The more you invest the stronger it grows, the deeper the connection. With each layer revelation comes and God's faithfulness can be traced throughout your situation.

Psalm 23

1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Listen in for the examples and revelation of how God’s word came alive and active in my life. Seeing His faithfulness lead me into a deeper, more beautiful intimacy with Father, Son and Holy Spirit and it can take you there too!

Lived Loved and Thrive!

Connect With Sherrie: Podcast: https://alifeofthrive.com/finding-god-in-our-pain-podcast/ Blog: https://alifeofthrive.com/blog/ Website: https://alifeofthrive.com/

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/bf841f7649384047b5d7bdaebca7a3ef/edit_v2

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Are there times when you could really use a hug? Some days even a strangers kind word brings encouragement for a heart that is in trauma mode. My guest Danielle Bernock is known on the internet as the lady who loves you and after my brief time with her I can honestly say I know why. She understands the wounds of trauma, knows how to find healing and more importantly she is willing to love you through the process.

I left our conversation feeling loved-on with a new understanding on several different aspects of trauma. I’m hoping that as you listen in today you feel loved-on, encouraged, and a find new level of freedom to apply to your life.

Danielle explains what trauma is and what it is not, the difference between self-love for selfishness and the self-love that honors God. We talked about the dangers of unresolved trauma, why we automatically default to negative thinking and the root of why we blame ourselves for the trauma that we’re left with. We discussed Trauma Bonds, and she gave several very practical examples of why it’s important to take care of ourselves and find healing with regard to trauma.

She has a process of healing based on the word self. She uses the word SELF as an acronym to give distinction to the steps and give a shape to the process that she uses to bring healing to those in search of relief and she does it in the most loving way.

When I say loving, I mean humble, kind hearted. You feel a kindred spirit. She knows where you’ve been. She has an idea of what you’re going through and she shows no judgement against anything you may disclose/share.

To me, Danielle represents the heart of God well. To heal the brokenhearted. To bind up their wounds. To restore. Not to its old ways but in newness of life, freedom and peace.

If you can benefit from a new level of freedom, you’re in the right place today!

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Get Connected to Danielle: Website Free Resources

Products Mentioned (no affiliate connection): 


Dr. Jonice Webb What Happened to You - By Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry

Scriptures Referenced:


Matthew 25:14-30

1 John 4:19

John 6:37

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/3b508a0cfe12465baebf4bf95353b16f/edit_v2

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I profess a good God but I'll be honest, sometimes life can feel anything but good. Why would my good God allow such pain and suffering?

This week’s podcast episode is a solo flight. It’s just me. And you of course! The reason I wanted some one-on-one time with you is because I’ve got some exciting news. I stepped into the role of Speaker! I'm a blogger, a podcaster, now a speaker and I have author in my sites. No matter the role I step into, I love to encourage the hearts of women, letting them know that they’re never alone.

With this announcement (of speaker) I want to share one of the messages that I’ve had the privilege to give at various churches and women’s groups.

It’s based on my personal experience as I moved through the early stages of my grief after unexpectedly loosing my husband, Larry. Going from stunned silence, to anger to surrender. But before you tune out, feeling like grief is only for the loss of a loved one, I want you to stay tuned because I share what I've discovered…grief is present anytime we’re separated from the things we hold nearing dear to our hearts. Therefore, a grieving process is familiar to all of us.

If there is any beauty to be found when we find ourself in those bottomless free falls of desperation and uncertainty it is discovering God’s presence. Discovering that His word was true.

We can go from knowing things about God through His word to a new level of intimacy because He was proven true in the darkest struggles of our lives. Only God can reach deep pain. Because to be honest, if you can’t change my circumstance (, you can’t reach/change my pain. But God could and God did.

Knowing scripture is powerful but it’s not everything. I knew Deuteronomy 31:8 (It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed). I knew Psalm 91:4 (He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection) I knew Psalm 23 ….The The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need….I can do a later episode breaking down how God showed Himself faithful to me using Psalm 23…

But my point is that scripture is only powerful when we engage the author, God.

I knew a lot of scripture but up to that point in my life my faith had never been tested to the degree that it was when I lost Larry. Those words on crinkly pages would have pointless unless I took them to the Fountain Head of Truth, God and begin to process my pain with Him. We’re not safe processing our pain anywhere else.

No matter how traumatic this life can be, God’s heart and mission is to come to us, let us rest in Him, guide us through the pain and give us the beauty of His presence…that’s the only thing I ask for now…His presence…. In every situation. When you have the beauty of His presence you get all of Him.

Knowing what He’d done for me and how He patiently guided me through my grief and questions is why I have no worry for tomorrow. No matter what unexpected twists and turns this life takes, God is writing a bigger love story with me than anything here.

We’re not going to avoid the pain of this life. It’s not IF something painful happens.It’s WHEN something painful happens. So no matter what this life hands you, no matter how painful it might be, I want you to keep this close to your heart. You’re not alone and that the good God we profess speaks the most beautiful things in the dark.

Let’s jump into the message and thank you for stopping by to listen. I sure hope your heart is encouraged today!

Real quick before we start, If you can think of someone who would be encouraged by my message, please share this with them. If you think of a church or women's group who could benefit from knowing that they're not alone, especially in their darkest moments, use the Contact link (alifeofthrive.com/contact) to let me know who I can reach out to. I'd love to encourage every heart around the world!

You can Live Loved and Thrive...no matter your circumstance!

Connect with Sherrie: Website: ALifeOfThrive.com Podcast: Finding God in Our Pain - Listen on whatever platform you use or go to my website to listen: https://alifeofthrive.com/finding-god-in-our-pain-podcast/

Transcription: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/881d522a67854af19c9b0de019ecbaec/edit_v2

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Find your brave! Guest, Amy Debrucque is the Founder of the Life On Purpose Movement and the host of the Life On Purpose Podcast. She has also co-authored a book with her young adult daughter Blair, entitled Embolden. And that is what our conversation is based on today. What does embolden mean and how can this book, this tool help us to overcome the things that hold us back in life.

On the cover of the book is the definition of Embolden, to give someone the courage or confidence to do something or behave in a certain way. If you struggle with anxiety, fear, worry, or stress then Embolden is a great resource to engage with. It is a self-help book that will help you find your brave! Amy and Blair have blended together what I would define as a reflective journal with Biblical encouragement.

It’s a soft back book with beautifully saturated colors and images. It takes you through 4 weeks of daily, simplistic steps that focus on 4 areas. Week 1 is fear. Week 2 is kindness. Week 3 is temptation and week 4 is growth. It’s a very thoughtful presentation with regard to the way it’s laid out. It's uncluttered, which I think is so nice if you're dealing with anxiety because it immediately gives you a calm feeling.

The content is easily digestible for both comprehension and engaging the activation steps. Which by the way, I get no financial benefit if you order this book. It's just that I am in love with the process and the presentation. It’s the best tool I’ve seen on living out 2 Corin 10:5 which says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

So this process of the 4 weeks of focusing on specific areas of our lives will equip us to take what we believe, hold it up to Christ’s word. When we do that we allow God to speak His truths into our beliefs. Because God's truths never fail to overwhelm a lie, we win. What does that mean for us?

We gain victory over the lies we have believed based on the truths of God's word. That’s how we bring our thoughts and beliefs captive to the truth of what God says. We believe God's word and we transform our thought life, our running internal dialog making it obedient (changing our belief patterns) to the truth.

Feel like you need a breakthrough? Want to find your brave?! Check out the process that Embolden lays out. Small incremental steps…which reminds me of Zachariah 4:10 …. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." So, small incremental steps and in no time you will have dismantled the fear that was keeping you from living out all that God has created you for!

As Amy says, “Fear isn't going to go away, but courage can get the final say”

Come on get your breakthrough!

Live Loved and Thrive!

Get Connected with Amy: Website: https://www.amydebrucque.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydebrucque/ Interviews: /Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0iYlgp6mpbl3qx87qmAPca

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/0c39950be49549d5af86806eb30d5d26/edit_v2

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Since you made it past the title, There’s More to Finances Than Money, I’d like to personally congratulate you because we both know that money is a sensitive subject. It’s vital to life, it is one of the major exchange systems we use and yet it makes people uncomfortable at best and defeated at worst. But my guest, author and pastor Scott LaPierre wants to do more than take a look at it he wants to equip us on how to live at peace with our finances through his book and workbook titled, Your Finances God’s Way.

As a pastor, Scott counsels people through all phases of life and the various challenges that we enter into throughout our life. Based on his experiences, research, and Gods word, Scott has written several books that guide us through some of our most challenging roles. For example marriage, trials (as in pain and suffering), how to work and rest. He has a couple of more books and you can find them on his website (link below).

For me, the conversation with Scott was beneficial because it made me realize that throughout my lifetime as I entered into the various phases and challenges that I’d never faced before, it would have been very beneficial to have some insight into how to navigate this new territory. For example, when you're first married because there is a major shift but especially with regard to marital conflicts or finance issues. Even anxiety because if I'm honest, I didn’t understand how to balance work and rest.

My point being, how do we know what to do when we encounter these things for the first time? We don’t know what to do unless we educate ourselves. Hence the books Scott has authored. He looks through the lens of God’s word (the Holy Bible) as the foundational piece to life and then leads us into God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and understanding. We look at how to use God’s word as a compass to make the best decisions possible in every phase of life and in this specific conversation, the context being our finances.

Here are the two things that solidified the thought that there's more to our finances than money. After hearing them, I couldn’t help but wonder if they’re the two most powerful reasons why we avoid looking at our money. #1) We do not have a money problem, we have a spending problem. #2) To look at our finances, (the way we spend our money), is to look at the value system of our heart.

Today’s conversation with Scott is not a deep dive but his book Your Finances God’s Way, covers so much more than he and I were able to talk about in our brief conversation. Here are a few of the topics we covered: What are some of the ways we overspend? His simple answer made complete sense and for me it's the best place to start when trying to gain control of your money. What are some of the heart conditions that plague our spending goals? This one is hard because we need to have the courage to take a look at our own heart. Is it ever too early or too late to create a financial plan? I pointed out that it can’t be all work and no play, so how do we fold that into our financial goals? *What is need and can we ask God for things? And if so, under what conditions?

We talked about much more, with the focus being practical ways to live without debt and save for retirement but our overall goal is to equip you to live in peace with your money. So how do we live in peace with money?

Scott made a great distinction about money being neither moral nor immoral, it’s a resource that God has given us. Therefore, we educate ourselves in a way that we take ownership of this resource and we put our money to work for us. I don’t know about you, but true freedom is when I’m not being controlled and especially by a resource that I should be controlling.

I’m so glad you stopped by today friend, may this conversation add to your desire to understand and live in God’s value system of freedom.

Get connected with Scott: FREE GIFT WHEN YOU VISIT SCOTT’S WEBSITE: www.scottlapierre.org Email: scott@scottlapierre.org Podcast: Living God’s Way with Scott LaPierre https://www.scottlapierre.org/podcast-and-blog/

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/c8bec522e72049ac89f0df14bbe11194/edit_v2

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For the first time, guest Lorrie Grant is ready to share her personal story of making every effort possible with the goal of saving her daughter from alcohol. Lorrie shares the journey of despair, trying her best to move heaven and earth as she watched her youngest daughter, Kelsey sink deeper into alcoholism. Trying anything and everything until Lorrie herself could no longer bear up under the weight of living for the both of them.

We often hear an alcoholics story from their perspective but we rarely get to hear it through the eyes and heart of the loved ones who care for them. The toll it takes on the heart, the feelings of helplessness and fear that overwhelms. Doing absolutely anything humanly possible to save them and yet never getting to the end of the anxiety; never being free of the thought that they won’t make it to their next birthday, never free of thinking it will be your fault if they

What a powerful story of a mother who gave it her all and then at the point of breaking she lays it all down. Choosing to take God at His word, to trust Him with her daughter’s life. Believing that He loved Kelsey and that He was capable of what Lorrie was not.

My heart was most moved when Lorrie shared how she came to the realization that in her efforts to save her daughter she was enabling her. The deepest desire of a mother's heart is to save her daughter and yet she was not equipping Kelsey but rather setting her up for failure.

Lorrie had to make some very tough decisions that left her feeling as though she was abandoning her daughter, rejecting her, leaving her to die. As a mother, these decisions waged war on every fiber of her being.

I hope your heart finds encouragement to know that even if the life you envision for your children does not look like what you thought it would or should, it’s still good. There's a beautiful testimony of God’s faithfulness in the midst of a very real fight for the life of your children.

Live Loved and Thrive!

Connect with Lorrie D. Grant: Lorrie’s books, blogs and author information can be found at www.lorriedgrant.com Current book titles: Why is there an Elephant in my Basement? (a book about excuses and accountability) Little White Flies (a book about honesty) I am Beautiful Too (a book about self-image and peer pressure) (Due to publish July 2022) Dragon Breath (a book about the effect our words have on others) Email Contract: storytellerswithamessage@gmail.com Podcast: Storytellers with a Story: https://www.storytellerswithamessage.com/episode-1-trailer/

Bio: Lorrie currently has three published children's books. Book number four, “Dragon Breath” is in the works and should be released in June. Lorrie uses adorable children's stories to convey important core values to readers of all ages. She has also been a blogger since 2016, and her writing is considered to be inspirational, using creative personal experiences as analogies to address important life lessons.

Lorrie has also started a podcast titled Storytellers with a Message. The podcast is for the average, everyday person that has a story to tell. It’s all about stories of real-life experiences and the lessons we learn, relatable and heartfelt. It may be a story behind our inspiration, something funny that happened to us, or an ah-ha moment. It’s about the daily stuff that happens to all of us, all the time. Available on Apple, Google and Stitcher.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/5f6f772a1b3a4fd482fc9435f7b76e72/edit_v2