Renaissance Voices

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This is a lighthearted conversation between Kristene and Talor highlighting the different aspects of Season Two. Look for Season Three of Renaissance Voices to launch soon.

Time Stamps

1:32: This season of Renaissance Voices was deep. Each guest brought something unique to the table. There is still so much to unpack.

2:19: Wholeness and freedom in Christ was a big theme in season two.

3:10: Wholeness is being spiritually, mentally, and physically well. If you are lacking in one area, it overflows to the others.

9:00: Books on being healed from stress related illnesses are important books to write.

10:12: Natalie talked about overcoming anxiety which is another important book to write.

10:35: God wants to heal His body. This season, we heard from different voices that all make up the body of Christ. Things like prophetic ministry, Pastor Richard Knight, Hannah talking about cleansing the land and how that affected her.

11:24: We even touched on the body of Christ when we interviewed John Bates. You will have to go back and listen. It was a funny conversation.

12:03: We also talked about physical healing when Jesus met Junia in a dire situation in Haiti.

12:23: Prophetic ministry was certainly a theme. It’s normal ministry in the body of Christ because it is one of the five-fold ministries that Jesus gave to His Church.

14:52: We touched on the prophetic with Nathan Horton, but then we also brought up the gift of being a teacher. So that says to me that five-fold ministry is coming to the forefront as well.

15:18: We can say that with Nathan, Season Two of Renaissance Voices was built upon the foundation of faith which is interesting because that’s what a five-fold teacher should do!

16:15: Kristene and Talor are working on a book laying out what it takes to write your redemption story. We need your stories about how Jesus has met you in the deepest places and how He overcomes it all.

17:37: Language about what Jesus did on the cross has been lost in certain circles. When we don’t have stories that show us and when we don’t hear the message of the cross over and over, the Church begins to be shaped more into a religious structure instead of offering the beautiful relationship that we are all invited into no matter our background.

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In 2010, an earthquake hit Haiti that destroyed much of it's infrastructure. They are still recovering today. Junia Voltaire Demesle was attending class when her university collapsed upon her. She has written a book about her miraculous survival. Through severe injury, she managed to get home, heal both physically and emotionally, and then be one of the few chosen to attend a Bible college in the United States.

Time Stamps:

8:40: When Joyce and Junia met, Junia had cut off the end of her thumb. 6 hours later, the doctor told her he didn’t think her thumb would grow back.

9:56: Intercessors at her church prayed that God would grow her thumb back and He did!

10:26: Junia’s book is called Survival. It is her testimony of how God saved her life during the Haitian Earthquake of 2010.

12:46: Junia was at the university when the earthquake hit. The building she was in collapsed upon all those in attendance. She was trapped in the rubble.

13:29: She felt as though someone pushed her as the building was collapsing. Instead of being in the middle of the room where she was standing, she ended up next to the door.

15:02: When she gained consciousness, she began to yell out for help. A student who was looking for his sister came over to where Junia was trapped. He cleared the dirt from her face trying to see if it was his sister. When he realized it wasn’t, he left Junia. But he had cleared enough rubble from her face that she could now be heard as she cried out for help.

15:56: A janitor dragged her out of the rubble. This created more injuries and bleeding.

18:25: Junia’s friend from school took her to the hospital. When they got there, the hospital could not take in anymore people. Junia and her friend found a place to rest outside on the ground. Junia was bleeding and going into shock. She also was aware that she had broken bones and was in a desperate situation. Her friend laid on top of her and prayed like Elijah.

21:28: They had to take clothes off someone who had died to make bandages and slings for Junia so that she did not bleed out.

21:40: Junia told her friend, if I do not die tonight, take me home.

21:52: Junia and her friend believed in the power of God to save her that night.

23:51: This book is a tremendous testimony of faith in God and persistence to survive.

24:20: Junia was not only healed physically, but emotionally as well, and ended up attending Christ for the Nations Bible college in Dallas, TX.

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Talor and I interview Hannah Scholz as we talk through a prayer assignment we were tasked with last year. In this assignment, a prayer team was formed to spiritually cleanse our church offices that had years before been a Planned Parenthood. Why is this conversation important for us today? Because America is now a post Roe v Wade nation, but we have yet to see revival take place. What if God is calling His intercessors into a nation-wide prayer assignment to cleanse the land of all the effects of abortion being so ingrained in our nation?

Time Stamps

4:50: I think many Christians assumed that revival would automatically hit America once Roe was no longer the law of the land.
5:16: Yes, some legalities have happened that will allow for change to take place, but God is looking for His church to arise. God gets the glory in all things. There were some governmental aspects, political aspects, that allowed for an open door to revival, but God is still looking to us to do our part. So, the question would be, “What is our part?”
7:18: The offices of Freedom Fellowship once housed Planned Parenthood years ago. We underwent a season of intense warfare at Freedom and knew that we were dealing with a spirit of death and suicide. It became apparent to us that there were territorial spirits still tied to the land because of Planned Parenthood.
17:40: We can’t find the full healing we need (of anything) without going through the cross. We need to allow Jesus to exchange what the enemy meant for harm for the Lord’s healing touch on any given circumstance. So, we prayed through every aspect of what might have taken place at Planned Parenthood years ago and asked Jesus to make the exchange.
20:12: Each night, as we prayed, Father showed us His compassionate heart as we dealt with the layers of things that needed to be cleansed.
21:45: Once some of the initial cleansing work was done, we began to see what God wanted to bring to Freedom and the deep purpose that God has for her. We began to pray that God’s life would be infused into Freedom corporately. We prayed for the staff and partnered with the Lord concerning what He wanted for each of them. 25:30: God led us in knowing how to pray according to His assignment, how to pray in authority, and how to know that our prayers were effectual.
26:27: Hannah learned during this assignment how the Lord does warfare. It wasn’t as heavy as she thought it might be. The Lord taught her to focus on what He was doing, not what the enemy was doing, and in that, she was able to rest.
28:08: Much of warfare was worship. We worshipped through the hallways. We walked through and thanked Father for life. We thanked Him for His presence. And we thanked Him for what was to come.
29:14: It was peaceful because we were bringing peace into the situation.
31:26: We believe it is imperative that we begin to cleanse the land in the states that no longer allow abortion activity. We have the authority to do it. It’s hard in the sense that it’s big. But it’s not hard in the sense that God will lead us in how to do it.

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Our guest for this episode is our friend Natalie Horton. Natalie speaks openly about her struggle with anxiety and how she learned to find healing in Jesus. This truly is a casual conversation among friends about the beautiful work Jesus does in our lives to bring us into a place of peace and wholeness.

2:40: Anxiety is the feeling of being pulled apart. God brings His Shalom peace (wholeness, wellness) to us.

3:15: Wholeness comes about by giving God full access into our lives. We can’t hide our pain and shame. We need to surrender those things to God.

3:50: We need to learn to be honest about our processes–when we are okay and when we are not. It was a shock to learn how to admit when I wasn’t okay.

4:07: If we get hung up on a journey into wholeness, its often because we feel like we need to have all the answers or be a “super-Christian” so that we can get God to do what we need Him to do.

4:32: However, God meets us where we are–even at our lowest points.

5:18: Wholeness is a journey. It’s not a definitive place where we arrive and live out the rest of our days there. We are continuously working toward wholeness.

5:47: God is so gracious and doesn’t ask us to give Him more than we can give in the moment.

6:55: I (Natalie) learned freedom in layers. Had it been an instantaneous deliverance, I don’t know that I would have learned to live a life of surrender.

8:53: Jesus absolutely heals us. Some healings happen instantaneous, and others happen over time.

10:31: Sometimes the thing that keeps us from giving our anxiousness to God is the fear of losing control.

12:55: One of the crucial things Natalie learned was not to put human characteristics on God. She did not have to project a false image of herself onto Him to gain His approval. She learned to trust that Father’s level of acceptance and love was more than she could understand.

17:39: Many of us as Christians have been taught that we are not supposed to feel negative emotions, have anxiety, or deal with depression. And instead of surrendering those things to Jesus, we disassociate from them and act like they are not there. When we do that, there is no room for growth, and we stay stagnant.

31:23: There are times we need professional help. It is not a lack of faith to need a counselor. Faith seeks God’s answer. It is solution-seeking. Faith is not denial.

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This is an engaging conversation with Pastor Rich Knight as we touch on the three resources we (8 Owls Publishing) created for him. Although prophetic ministry can seem mystical, it is actually simplistic in its approach and brings comfort, exhortation, and encouragement.

4:22: People are not designed to analyze God, but rather experience God.

5:23: We are to live in relationship with God; and His ways are higher than our natural world’s ways. He calls us up into His.

5:35: “The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.” A testimony is an eyewitness account. Through the gifts of the Spirit, we can have an eyewitness account of what Jesus is doing in the earth–that’s the New Testament gift of prophecy.

6:39: Prophecy can be defined: to utter divine inspiration. It’s edifying, exhorting, and comforting language. It’s second nature as Christians to want to move under divine inspiration to help one another and lift one another up.

7:59: We are all called to prophesy.

10:45: Pastor Rich has three books with us: The Divine Articles of Warfare; The Revelatory River, and The Dream Hacker’s Guide.

11:57: There is a language to dream interpretation that can take much of the mystery out of the interpretation. God’s language is clear in the fact that He is not so mystical that He doesn’t want you to understand what He is saying. He speaks to you in a way, that with some skill sets, it will be clear to you.

14:35: Interpreting dreams is both personal and principled.

17:52: No one comes out of the gate a seasoned dream interpreter. Start with your own before you try to interpret for others and let God grow you in the understanding of His Word.

18:17: The Bible tells us that God will speak to us in parables and dark sayings. The word used for that means “knotted puzzle.” This means we need to unravel something, put the pieces together, and figure it out.

19:05: Dream interpretation is a great evangelism tool.

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We are thrilled to interview Nathan Horton as we discuss the various aspects of faith and what it means to partner with God. We also get into a brief dialogue about the role of the Five-fold ministry Teacher. Nathan is both highly prophetic and a strong teacher. And He knows that a great teacher takes difficult subject matter and brings simplicity and clarity so that others can easily understand.

Time Stamps:
3:19: Faith is about a relationship with the Lord. It’s not a list of do's and don’ts. God is not a list; He is a person. We don’t have a relationship with a rock of rules. We have a relationship with a living, breathing, thinking, emotional person who has a mindset and a desire for our lives.

3:41: Faith is basically learning how He moves, how He speaks, how He operates, and trusting that He is a God who does not lie–that He is for us and not against us.

4:13: Your understanding of who God is gives you vision. Faith sees the promises, it may just not be available in the natural realm. But because you know who God is–you see beyond your current circumstances.

5:53: Because God is relational, there is a process to walking in faith. It is not a formula.

6:00 God calls us into partnership with Him.

13:27: In this success driven culture, we think success even in the things of God looks a certain way. But God calls success something very different–He says it is being faithful to Him through all of life’s experiences.

17:00: Nathan partnered with a grace that He had not experienced before in writing this book. While dealing with Covid, he completed the Process of Faith in a week and a half.

23:40: This book breaks down the elements of living a faith-filled life so that you can find some practical application in how to do it.

23:57: A good teacher takes difficult things and brings simplicity and clarity into the mix so that others know how to take the next step forward.

27:58: The role of a teacher is not to tell you what to believe. It’s to give you something to believe in.

“In partnering with God, He gives me the opportunity to learn who He is–and in learning who He is–I learn who I am as well.” Nathan Horton

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This week, Kristene speaks with Talor Boyd on the process of knowing how to write your redemption story from an authentic place. They talk through a coaching session they held as they walked through the ins and outs of writing your story for six months with others attempting to do just that–write their story.

1:52: Last season you heard Talor and I talk about the Write My Story Challenge

2:25: Today’s discussion will be the very first lesson we started with in the challenge–finding your authentic voice.

2:54: This lesson helped Talor journey through solidifying her authentic self. She said, “We all go through stages of wearing a mask, people pleasing, or trying to be who everyone else says we should be; and along the way, it’s very easy to lose who we truly are.”

4:17: This is important for anyone looking to write a book because you want your readers to know who you are from the beginning so they can connect with you.

4:30: Your redemption story is your authentic encounters with Jesus, and what He has done in your life and by telling it, you are introducing people to an encounter of their own. They need to understand how real this has been and how Jesus is not afraid to go to the real places of your life and they need to know that they can trust you. They only way they can trust you is if they really connect with you.

5:26: We can’t mimic somebody else’s voice and really be a true witness for Jesus.

5:40: For Talor, she had to get off social media so she could speak authentically and not just become what she was inundated with through media sources.

7:08: As Christians we often learn what we call Christianeze. It becomes its own language; and it hinders us from connecting with this culture because it becomes its own sub-culture that doesn’t speak the same language as the people who Jesus wants us to reach.

7:54: The culture we are living in is looking for authenticity, something real, and wholeness.

9:46: Being honest with yourself and getting in a vulnerable place helps you truly define your core values which leads to your authentic voice. It allows Jesus space to break in and shape you into who He has truly created you to be. It’s okay if you are not like everyone else around you. We need different perspectives centered around Jesus. That’s what the Kingdom is built on.

14:40: Your voice is the aspect of yourself that only you possess. It is God-given. Voices can be different from one another and yet combine to make beautiful music–beautiful harmonies–but only if we are all using our voices to their fullest potential. It’s not that I walk around with an undisciplined voice. I just know who I am.

19:35: If Jesus’ voice, His compassionate truth, is not coming through the pages of your story, it’s not redemptive.

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In this lighthearted interview, Kristene speaks with John Bates, Senior Leader of Freedom Fellowship Intl about what it means to be an apostolic/prophetic hub. They touch on Freedom in Christ, missions, finding your identity in the body of Christ, and the difference between spirituality and religiosity.

Time Stamps:
3:40: Freedom Fellowship Intl is a place where people come to receive healing and direction in their life. It’s a safe place. We have striven to get rid of religion. There is a difference between religiosity and spirituality. We strive for spirituality which is connection with God. Religion on the other hand is man’s attempt to reach God, which is usually out of a desire to impress other people.
4:28: As a prophetic house, we train people to know God’s voice. That’s foundational because when you can hear God’s voice, it sets the tone for the rest of your life.
5:11: Without direction, vision doesn’t have any place to go. This is why we have become more of an apostolic/prophetic hub. If you try to be apostolic without the direction of the prophetic, it’s easy to get lost. You may win some battles, but you lose the war because you don’t know what’s happening. Neither function on their own well. They need one another.
6:31: The particular calling of Freedom is just that–identity is so important and what is our name? It’s Freedom. The identity of Freedom in Christ is what we take with us wherever we go.
6:55: You can’t find Freedom through religion. You can’t get there through your own efforts. You must receive the work that Jesus has done on your behalf and then let it unlock you.
12:06: When we come to the Lord, we truly are transferred from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We are new creations. We move out of that new creation, but there are old mindsets, emotional responses, traumas, all manner of things that want to tie us back to the old man. Those are the things that we are finding freedom from–freedom is a process.
14:18: Freedom is sent out with a particular message, and it’s this–It really doesn’t matter what pit you find yourself in, Jesus is not afraid to get dirty. He runs right to where you are, brings you out, and brings you back into Himself and His family so that you can find true freedom.
18:25: We have been birthed into a supernatural Kingdom with all the benefits of our Heavenly Father who is all-powerful and all-knowing and loves us deeply with a love that we can’t even fathom; and He simply wants us to know that we have been called into this beautiful way of life and He will walk us through anything to find it.
19:10: The other aspect of an apostolic hub is that we are not just a wonderful little place where we just hide out and keep to ourselves, but we have been sent out on a mission to bring the message of Freedom to the nations.
20:45: We have shifted our mission’s focus from building churches in third world nations, to building and empowering pastors, so that they are equipped to build.

Quote: “For too long we have thought that moving in supernatural gifts is for “Superstar Christians.” But these are the things that Jesus says all believers will do–heal the sick, cast out demons, thwart the plans of the enemy, and speak in new tongues.” John Bates, Senior Leader of Freedom Fellowship Intl

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Stephen Farina is the producer of Renaissance Voices. He asks Kristene about her thoughts concerning season one of Renaissance Voices and what she anticipates for season two.

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This episode is structured a bit differently in that Hannah Scholz interviews Kristene about her book entitled One Small Voice. Kristene shares her testimony and of how she became involved in pro-life work. They also discuss a related intercessory assignment they had together. This is a highly evangelistic episode. Please feel free to share with those who might need this message.Time Stamps:

6:08: Kristene and Hannah talk about the unique way intercessors operate in the Spirit. They don’t always seem to fit a denominational mold, but they know they belong in the palm of the Lord’s hand.

9:46: Kristene was a joyful child with many opportunities. However, she always felt different and was highly sensitive and aware as a child. She was considered a gifted child, but there are inherent struggles that come with that personality. Gifted children are often not emotionally ready to handle their accelerated path.

11:57: Kristene also dealt with sexual abuse as a child from someone outside of her immediate family.

14:20: At 23 years of age, Kristene found herself on the other side of an abusive relationship and pregnant. The counsel she received from those around her was that abortion was the best option.

14:58: The question Kristene asked as she was counseled at an abortion mill was, “Did her church approve of this decision?” She was looking for a reason not to go through with it, but the answers she was given at the clinic were designed to help her proceed with terminating the pregnancy.

16:15: After the abortion, Kristene felt like her life was done. The bondage of alcohol and drugs intensified as well as the fact that now she dealt with eating disorders.

19:58: Sitting in her bedroom, Kristene cried out to God and prayed this simple prayer, “If there is any hope for me at all, I am asking You to do something.”

21:00: All that night, Kristene felt compelled to get tell her Baptist brother-in-law what she had prayed, and she went to see him first thing that morning. When she walked out of his office, she had radically encountered Jesus through salvation and was immediately delivered of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes–along with a complete disinterest of the life she had been living.

26:00: We are fully saved through the finished work of the cross at the moment of salvation. But there is a process of growing in our understanding of what all that means as we walk with Jesus over the years.

37:56: Jesus will always take you in to face the deepest pain of your life, not to punish you, but to heal you.

49:24: The ministry of intercession is not me wanting to impose what I think needs to take place and asking God to bless my efforts. The ministry of intercession is deep surrender to God and partnering with Him to bring about freedom in whatever circle we are tasked and assigned to.

56:43: Hannah experienced in the Spirit what it would be like to be inside an abortion clinic. She was overcome with the shame and pain that women go through in those situations.

Quotes:

“Jesus will always take you in to face the deepest pain of your life, not to punish you, but to heal you.” Kristene O’Dell

“I find it beautiful that you were given authority in an area that before had brought shame into your life and that now you could stand in that same environment in the battle for other’s lives and change the atmosphere through worship.” Hannah Scholz

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In this episode, Kristene speaks with Lajuanda Holder about the need for intercessors in business. Lajuanda is a contributing author in Streams are for Fun. Her chapter deals with the fear of taking entrepreneurial risks. This conversation will certainly challenge you on what it means to be an intercessor as they ask some pertinent questions on what the role of intercessors in Kingdom-minded businesses should look like.

Time Stamps:7:22: As Lajuanda and Kristene would get together and pray about the business, the grace of God on Lajuanda’s life would begin to flow. This allowed Kristene the ability to see that, instead of being her assistant, Lajuanda was being tasked through the Spirit to intercede for her business.

13:15: We all must grow into who God’s called us to be. We need to deal with our own insecurities, our own understandings, and what other people speak over us that’s not true, and we must know that God wants to use us to advance His Kingdom. True humility is taking hold of those things allowing Him to transform us.

16:16: Intercession is all about gaining territory so that we might get above what the enemy is trying to steal, kill, or destroy. It’s partnering with God to expose the schemes of the enemy and create a pathway of breakthrough for personal reasons, for people, your church, businesses, or nations.

21:34: We need to ask the questions, think these through, pray these things through, and get God’s heart in the matter because there has been an abuse of the gifts.

26:25: We must begin to think these through considering our view of money. Do we see money as something we put too much security in making it an idol or as something that simply needs to be stewarded well for Kingdom purposes?

32:21: Intercession is the prayer that helps us let go of the lack we have experienced: the unhealed places within, the dry and arid places in our lives, and the deceptive schemes of the enemy who wants to rob us of the abundant blessing of God.

38:22: Learning to stay in God’s rest is us staying in the blessing of God–staying in His presence and trusting God, allowing Him to work. God’s blessing is tangible, and He wants to pour that blessing out upon His people. It’s back to the idea of living in the garden.

40:00: The question to ask is: Am I going to try to bring about God’s blessing on my own terms; or am I going to come at it through prayer, depending upon His timing, and allow Holy Spirit to lead the way? In all of that, you find the ministry of intercession.

Quotes:
“We can’t operate apart from the Spirit of God and advance His Kingdom. Having an intercessor pray for me and the business just makes sense.” Kristene O’Dell

“God doesn’t take from one to give to another. Both people are involved in receiving a blessing.” Lajuanda Holder

“Intercession is prayer that helps us let go of the lack we have experienced: the unhealed places within, the dry and arid places in our lives, and the deceptive schemes of the enemy who wants to rob us of the abundant blessing of God” Kristene O’Dell

“Sometimes we think of spiritual warfare as railing at the devil, when in fact it’s learning to live out of God’s rest. “The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet” (Romans 16:19). Lajuanda Holder

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In this episode, Kristene speaks with Michael Holmes. He is an associate pastor at Freedom Fellowship Intl as well as a small business owner. They have an encouraging discussion on what it means to be fruitful and multiply in today’s economy. Michael is a contributing author in Streams are for Fun–a book recently released by some of the business owners of Freedom.Time Stamps:2:14: Jesus’s parables also speak of gardening and producing fruit.

4:10: Within that parable, there is an idea that we take on a creative nature that allows us to be fruitful and multiply if we apply ourselves. The key takeaway from this parable is the aspect of stewardship of what God has given to us.

6:30: If God is creative and an entrepreneur; if the Church is creative and entrepreneurial; then in some capacity, we are too!

8:06: What does it mean to be fully alive? If a pond is teeming with life, it is full of fish, frogs, dragonflies, and Lilly pads. There is an ecosystem underneath that sustains life and allows for life to be produced–to the point that it spills over into another area.

11:27: A big part of the entrepreneurial aspect of Freedom Fellowship is exercising our passion and gifting. It’s not a matter of ‘if you fit,’ but ‘where you fit.’

19:05: Michael had an inkling in his past that he would own a business. He now owns a shoe care business along with being a pastor.

24:46: Another question people can add to their exploration of entrepreneurship is, where can I add value or, in what way have I wanted to add value?

31:10: What makes someone successful vs unsuccessful? It really does come down to this application of time.

36:57: Entrepreneurship is not just for the young, creative, visionaries who have boundless energy. It’s also for those who are older, have learned some life lessons, and know how to apply wisdom in situations. And we can help one another.

39:44: Infertility can be the most grievous experience when being fruitful with your family really is your mindset and your heart.

42:44: Michael would say to others battling infertility, “Don’t give up. Believe in the promises of God. Contend, contend, contend.” They are now expecting their second child in the fall.

Quotes:

“God Himself is an incredible entrepreneur. You see that creative nature in everything He does. Jesus was the same way. He was an entrepreneur. Often when you look at what He did, His creative nature, the way that He provided for His disciples, even the church in the way she was birthed, you see this entrepreneurial spirit, and that she was creative by default because of who made us.” Michael Holmes

“Jesus is the Vine. We are to abide in Him. As we learn to abide, the abundant life that Jesus brings is produced in us. We ourselves become the fruit of the Vine.” Kristene O’Dell

“A big part of the entrepreneurial aspect of Freedom Fellowship is exercising out of our passion and gifting. It’s not a matter of ‘if you fit,’ but ‘where you fit.’” Michael Holmes

“Ultimately, the goal is not to live in a sheltered, fearful state of existence. We are to be life-giving ourselves.” Kristene O’Dell

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In this episode, Kristene speaks with KA Alexander, author of Blood Garden. They discuss the role of allegorical fiction in presenting Biblical principles and how this genre helps us understand difficult subject matters such as the gospel message, deception, gaining wisdom, and transformation.

Time Stamps:3:40: As Kristene reads The Chronicles of Narnia as an adult after her salvation experience, she fully understood the stories and they deeply touched her.

7:00: The Holy Spirit can speak clearly to us in our imaginations through allegorical fiction and interact with us through the storyline.

8:17: Overview of KA’s book: A story of a young girl who has gone through great difficulties in life. Her sanctuary is her aunt’s old house with many different rooms. There is one door in the back of the library that she is hesitant to explore. But she eventually finds the courage to do so, and you must read the rest of the story…

10:40: Spiritual warfare is real and yet we don’t always recognize it until we have been scarred by it.

11:00 Andie (the main character) learns that she needs to stay connected to the lifegiving persona in the book. Which is a lesson for all of us. If we do not abide in Christ, we will fall into deception. It’s not purposeful. It’s just that deception is presented through the very things we have always wanted and is so enticing.

13:10: Very often we think that God is waiting to punish us for being disobedient. But in the Genesis story about the two trees, the Bible says that it is obtaining wisdom in a wrong manner (by eating the wrong tree) that brings about the punishment. It is the knowledge itself that is our undoing. It is our choice.

15:28: Blood Garden is a great allegorical story that shows us the redemptive heart of God.

17:07: The characters are vividly portrayed in the book. Kristene could see them as she read because Annette could see them. Annette visualizes them before she writes so they come to life.

21:27: Annette has a companion journal that goes with her book so that people can grow their warrior's hearts.

25:00: So much of the pain we deal with tries to keep us rooted in this world when God is wanting us to understand that we are now rooted in Christ, and we are seated with Him in heavenly places.

30:40: God loves us so much that no matter where we find ourselves, no matter how willful we are, no matter what circumstance comes our way. God knows we have eaten from the wrong tree and He has a solution. That solution is Jesus Himself.

Quotes:“We all come to a book a little differently. Some read a linear story. Some paint a picture in their imagination. But the way allegorical fiction works is that it speaks to every person.” Kristene O’Dell

“Andie (the main character) learns that she needs to stay connected to the lifegiving persona in the book. Which is a lesson for all of us. If we do not abide in Christ, we will fall into deception. It’s not purposeful. It’s just that deception is presented through the very things we have always wanted and is so enticing.” KA Alexander

Links:

www.8owlspublishing.com

https://www.facebook.com/kristeneswritingservices

https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceVoicesPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/kristeneodell/

info@kristeneodell.com

www.kaalexander.com

https://freedomonline.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/bibleproject

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In this episode of Renaissance Voices, Kristene interviews Lester Bailey, author of a devotional entitled Modern Psalms: Real Emotions/Real Devotions. Because this devotional was birthed from Lester receiving poems through supernatural visions, they discuss the role of prophetic ministry and intercession in relation to both writing and missions.Time Stamps:
1:47: Pastor John Bates was introducing Mandy’s book one Sunday morning and the thought began to race through my (Lester’s) mind, “You can do that. You can write a book.” Writing a book wasn’t on Lester’s radar.

5:28: The contents of the book are twenty-four lessons based off these prophetic poems. It includes Bible study that is applicable to our lives today with some assessment questions, as well as doodles to work through while meditating and reflecting. It’s beautifully done and unique in its creativity.

10:54: What Lester was receiving as he began to write his devotional was supernatural visions. Lester also received some dreams, but more wakeful visions that act like a daydream. These are not his mind wandering into what is commonly called a daydream. These are supernatural visions that come to him.

14:09: Kristene’s heart for her publishing company was that these books would have a supernatural touch on them. That when people opened them up and read them, they would experience Holy Spirit. To do that, they must be birthed from Holy Spirit.

17:32: The ministry of intercession is deep fellowship with God, allowing Him to move through you as you pray, and Him revealing things that are needed.

23:06: If you feel as though you can’t be perfect enough for God, or good enough, you need to understand that none of us are good enough for God. That’s the whole point of the Gospel message. We don’t have what it takes to be right before God within ourselves. The cross is the great equalizer of all mankind. We all come to the cross broken and lost and undone.

29:53: In reading through the Bible, Lester reads storylines. He remembers storylines because of context. He sees the cause and effect of people’s actions in the Bible.

31:40: The definition we used for anxiety is the same thing that sin does. It pulls us apart and yet God wants to bring us into wholeness and put us back together.

42:34: “The Kingdom of God works like a seed dropped into the ground of our hearts and it germinates. The words you (Lester) wrote on the pages of your devotional are like seeds that will drop into the hearts of people who need them.

Quotes from the show:

“All that Jesus walked in and exhibited for us on the earth, we can walk in today because of the way Holy Spirit empowers us and the gifts that He gives us.” Kristene O’Dell

“It’s easy to believe that God cannot surmount the obstacle of anxiety, but the way He transitions us into His peace is indescribable.” Lester Bailey

“The scribal gift is one where we partner with the Lord to create a language that He is wanting to release into the earth.” Kristene O’Dell

“As we move into God’s presence, He changes us from where we are to where we need to be. That change is continual and always awe-inspiring.” Lester Bailey

Links:

www.8owlspublishing.com
You can now find the link to give toward books for Southeast Asian children on the 8 Owls website)

https://www.facebook.com/kristeneswritingservices

https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceVoicesPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/kristeneodell/

info@kristeneodell.com

https://writemystorychallenge.com/opt-in1646150966153

https://freedomonline.com (Freedom Fellowship International)

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In this episode of Renaissance Voices, Kristene interviews her Pastor, John Bates, about the teaching booklet he published on the fruit of the Spirit. They have an insightful conversation concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how He transcends our denominational leanings. John Bates is the Senior leader of Freedom Fellowship International in Waxahachie, Texas. He also leads a global missionary ministry called John Bates Ministries.Time Stamps:

4:47: Each fruit of the Spirit build upon one another, starting with love and ending at self-control

6:06: If I get stuck in patience, I’m not going to extend kindness to you, or goodness or faithfulness, and ultimately, I will lose my control with you.

16:11: The term “empowered by the Spirit” means to be baptized into the power of the Spirit. In the anointing of the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord came upon people to do exploits. In the New Testament, He indwells us. He powers us from the inside out. It’s not a mantle on the outside that lifts. It comes from inside of us.

17:25: If the fruit doesn’t exist in our lives, what is the point of trying to help people, prophecy, or speak in tongues? Paul says one day those will go away, but what will remain is love.

22:52: Holy Spirit is not an impersonal spirit. He is our friend. He is relational. He is a person with a personality. He wants us to get to know Him and He wants to know us.

26:22: No matter your denominational bent, there is always so much more to learn about God. We put Him in these boxes because we think we must define Him a certain way. He loves to kick the sides of those boxes out so that we don’t rely on our structured thinking, but rather we rely on Him.

29:03: Another ministry of the Holy Spirit is that He brings wholeness to us. He knows how to go to the depths of our beings and release the pain and all the things that life brought to us. The gifts help us to show others who Jesus is, but the fruit is the way that we appropriate God’s healing.

30:41; The book is entitled You Are What You Eat. If I am only eating the gifts of the Spirit, then I am calling myself a gift. How do I put that into the marketplace? How do I show Jesus to my family? Do I prophesy to my family all day? Or am I going to show them love, mercy, and tenderness?

Quotes from the show:

“Ultimately, growing in the fruit of the Spirit is about reaching self-control.” John Bates

“The fruit of the Spirit is Holy Spirit’s character within us. He indwells us so that we can be an empowered person living rightly before God.” Kristene O’Dell

“The gifts of the Holy Spirit are important, but they are made for the Church, not for you. The fruit of the Spirit is made more for you, not the Church. If we make it all about the gifts, we may have some experiential knowledge about the gifts, but we lack in personal Christian development. They are equally important. They go together.” John Bates

“No matter your denominational bent, there is always so much more to learn about God. We put Him in these boxes because we think we must define Him a certain way. He loves to kick the sides of those boxes out so that we don’t rely on our structured thinking, but rather we rely on Him.” Kristene O’Dell

Links:www.8owlspublishing.com

https://www.facebook.com/kristeneswritingservices

https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceVoicesPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/kristeneodell/

info@kristeneodell.com

https://writemystorychallenge.com/opt-in1646150966153

https://freedomonline.com (Freedom Fellowship International)

http://Johnbatesministries.com

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In this episode, we speak with Mandy Owen, author of Where the Dirt Road Leads. Mandy is a wife, mother of three daughters, an immensely successful businesswoman, a leader in her church, and a lady with an incredible story of overcoming overwhelming odds through faith and trust in Jesus.

Time Stamps:

3:48: Mandy's book talks about the abuse, but the story is really about the process of healing after she left abusers behind.

9:42: Learning to forgive the unforgivable is part of us finding our freedom in Christ.

11:50: You have to choose to heal. You have to choose to get help. You have to choose to surround yourself with safe people.

15:38: Normal life needs to be relearned by abuse victims.

19:09: God brings breakthrough and blessings pour in.

25:33: Whatever the enemy has come at us with, in order to find the healing needed, we find that God lifts us up above those very things and gives us authority over it.

31:51: Today, Mandy has a dual presidential role in the corporate world within a multi-million-dollar asset company.

35:24: Mandy prayed for a strong marriage and God answered that prayer as well after she was healed.

Quotes:

“No matter how long we’ve walked with Jesus, or how much He has healed us, when we begin to open up the depths of some of these memories and begin to write it out, we are exposing ourselves in a way we have learned not to do.” Kristene O’Dell

“Unforgiveness is clinging to the hope that your past could have been different. The past is gone. You have to let it go and walk into wholeness. Let the Lord start healing you.” Mandy Owen

“It is important to me that when we release these stories that we do it in a way that honors the Lord, that releases healing, and that doesn’t bring more trauma to those of us that are sharing.” Kristene O’Dell

“There are abusive situations where people can’t leave, but once you are removed from that circumstance, that is where the hard work truly begins. It is hard to heal. It is messy to heal.” Mandy Owen

“For those in abusive situations, you have to take the first step toward valuing yourself. Jesus sees more value in you than you could ever imagine.” Kristene O’Dell

“The nexus of my survival is that you cannot get stuck. You have to move. You have to take the next step and then the next step and then the next step.” Mandy Owen

“What the enemy of our souls doesn’t realize is that he is equipping us more in spiritual things as we learn to fight and take authority over the hell he puts us through.” Mandy Owen

Healing is a spiritual work that the Holy Spirit does because of what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus suffered the penalty of our sin, so that we might go free. That freedom includes spiritual healing, our salvation, physical healing, mental healing, emotional healing, and the fullness of what Jesus wants us to experience.” Kristene O’Dell

Links:

www.8owlspublishing.com

https://www.facebook.com/kristeneswritingservices

https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceVoicesPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/kristeneodell/

info@kristeneodell.com

https://8owlspublishing.com/redemption-memoirs/ (Where the Dirt Road Leads)

www.writemystorychallenge.com

https://freedomonline.com (Freedom Fellowship International)

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In the first episode of Renaissance Voices, Kristene talks to Talor Boyd on the topic of creativity and the importance of a Kingdom-minded Renaissance. Talor is the owner of Talor’d Brands–a marketing company serving small business owners and authors. 8 Owls Publishing is honored to partner with Talor’d Brands in helping authors release their stories into the world.Time Stamps:

2:34: The vision for 8 Owls Publishing was that we would be an umbrella organization that would partner with other freelancers in the publishing world.

6:20: The artists of the Renaissance grapple with who Jesus is and how to present Him. As they do that, people find that Jesus has left the distant place they believed Him to inhabit, and He has come down into their circumstances. Now everyone has access to find out, “Who is this Jesus?” And isn’t it amazing that we are now on the heels of another pandemic and all this creativity is being released?

11:28: Being creative doesn’t mean that you have to create out of nothing, you just have to look at things differently.

14:32: Your redemption story is actually a story of recreation.

18:29: Writing a book is healing in itself. It allows you to process through the shame, the pain, and maybe bitterness and unforgiveness.

24:21: Marketing is not self-promotion. It’s creating an avenue for the people who need what you have to say.

25:30: If we can help you craft your story and then strategize to release it out into the world, then we are helping you learn to share your faith and be the evangelist that God has called you to be.

Quotes:“Creativity always busts through religious systems, or structures that are not serving God’s purpose. It will always come into conflict with what is stagnant.” Kristene O’Dell

“Entrepreneurship is a move of God to raise His people above the ways of the world.” Talor Boyd

“Salvation is God’s creative ability to come into our situation and bring about His new creation in our lives.” Kristene O’Dell

“A book can break through a religious mindset and bring the healing power of the Holy Spirit.” Talor Boyd

“As the Church, all of us are called into evangelism. We may not all be called as a prophet, an apostle, or a pastor, but we are all called to evangelize. We are all called to share our faith.” Kristene O’Dell

Links:

www.8owlspublishing.com

https://www.facebook.com/kristeneswritingservices

https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceVoicesPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/kristeneodell/

info@kristeneodell.com

https://www.talordbrands.com

https://writemystorychallenge.com

https://freedomonline.com (Freedom Fellowship International)

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Why did we name our podcast Renaissance Voices? Because at 8 Owls Publishing, we believe that writers are God's instrument of light sent to bring restoration into a darkened culture. Subscribe today to hear the heart behind our books and to find help in releasing your own redemption story into the world.

Renaissance Voices: Recent Episodes

Kristene O'Dell