The Aspen Collective Podcast: Recent Episodes
Amy Bender
The Aspen Collective a place for women to come together to grow deeper in their walk with Christ. The aspen tree paints a beautiful, symbolic picture of the body of Christ. These unique trees are considered a single organism because they are all connected to the same root system. This root system will send up single trees that are essentially clones, and yet each tree is unique. We were designed for relationship with Christ. When we live according to that design our foundation is secure. As believers, we are all called to be like Jesus. But each one of us also has unique qualities and giftings that are needed in the body of Christ.
Do you struggle with feeling out of control? Do you find yourself easily frustrated by things that you can't control?
Today's episode takes a look at challenging you to pause long enough to ask yourself if those situations are out of your control, and how to handle them.
I find it increasingly difficult to listen to Christian music. Primarily because most songs tend to be self-centered. Just because something is labeled as "Christian" doesn't mean it's good for you. What does the Bible say about this? Why does it matter?
In the past year I have put together quite a few puzzles. Everytime I open a brand new puzzle I'm struck with how much faith I have that everything is contained inside that box. I have ZERO doubts that I have all the pieces I need to make the picture on the outside. Why is my faith in God not more like that?
I tend to ignore the road signs that say, "Caution: Slippery When Wet" because I've seen them so many times. There are warnings in the Bible that often get overlooked, maybe because they are too hard or too heavy to think about. Today, I talk about one of those warnings.
Excuse the audio in today's episode. I was experimenting.
Did you know that the God who created the universe also knows the number of hairs on your head? It's true. What does that say about the kind of God He longs to be? Does it paint a picture of a far-off God who doesn't care about you? I don't think so. Take a listen as I share about purchasing the wrong kind of makeup reminds me of the intimacy of our Heavenly Father.
Birds are skittish creatures, and I think we tend to be like them when God prompts us to do something out of our comfort zone. What if we reacted differently next time God tugs on your heart? You might just be surprised at what God can do through your obedience.
Are you married? If yes, this episode is for you! I have been married for 25+ years, but having and maintaining unity is hard. Very hard. But guess what? It's not impossible. God designed a husband and wife to be one. I pray today's episode will offer some helpful encouragement in how to promote unity in your relationship with your spouse.
Have you ever felt completely out of place? Like you didn't belong? You are not alone. There are numerous examples of people who found themselves in similar circumstances in the Bible. Join me as we take a look at some of those examples and glean from their experiences.
Episode Correction: The portion of scripture I use is Genesis 37-45, not 40-45.
Are you struggling with feelings of inadequacy? Do you feel like you don't have what it takes to accomplish what God has called you to? Don't fret! He has given us a promise that you can hold on to when you're in doubt.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
I've been distracted lately. I've also been feeling a bit down and discontent. Over the years I have learned what causes this and today I am sharing about how I remedy this.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
What verse are you holding on to for hope right now? Did you know that His Word offers hope for every situation that you face? If you haven't found a verse or a passage that speaks truth to your current struggle, then it's time to dig in!
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
Last night I realized that my fears and insecurities were holding me back from being fully obedient. Back in July of 2021, God asked me to do something but I only partially obeyed. In fact, this podcast is a direct result of that day back in July. In today's episode I share how God gently corrected me and gave me the courage to step out in faith.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
This episode originally aired in March of 2022.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
Jesus was a perfect example of how we should live our lives. Often I forget some of the basic things He did, that I also need to do.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
We have forgotten that following Christ comes at a great cost. All through the Bible we see examples of people laying their lives down for the sake of obedience. Are you willing to pay the price?
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
Today's episode is short and sweet. Find a reason to be thankful. It will shift your perspective.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
This episode originally aired in December of 2021.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
All of us have feelings, but in a world where we're encouraged to embrace our feelings it can be difficult to navigate them in a Godly way. A majority of the time I don't believe our feelings give an accurate representation of what is really going on around us or even inside us. Today's episode gives some encouragement and a challenge on how to handle this tricky topic.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
This episode ranks as one of my favorite topics. It grieves me that so many believers get so caught up in searching for their "purpose." I don't see anywhere in the Bible where that mindset is taught. What if instead we shifted our thinking? What if you realized that your sole purpose was to know God? When your heart is set on that purpose, everything else comes out of that - ministry, career, family, etc. - because then you are living in constant communion with the Lord and He can truly direct each of your steps.
This episode originally aired in December of 2021.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
Are you wrestling with a decision? If you're like me you can sometimes talk the decision to death, before actually praying about it. Let me encourage you to ask God about it before you do anything else. Otherwise, you may muddy the waters and that causes great confusion.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
This episode originally aired in December of 2021.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
One simple question - what are you living for? Before you give a quick answer, stop and consider....What motivates your daily decisions in life? Is it your children, your spouse, your career, or something? If you're a believer, then the answer should only consist of one thing. God.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
I didn't realize until recently that I was holding some hurts very close to me, much like a mother would hold her baby. These hurts became much too precious to me and I didn't realize how I was giving them a safe space to reside in my heart, until recently. In today's episode I share how God, in His kindness, helped me to release those. And I didn't release them in a way that I expected...Listen in to find out more!
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
Today's episode originally released in November of 2021.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
In today's episode I share about a disagreement I had with someone. I found myself wanting to vent (or complain) about it to someone else. However, the Holy Spirit took this opportunity to reveal to me something about myself that I never would have imagined. Listen in to find out more!
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
THROWBACK EPISODE: This episode originally aired in November of 2021.
I pray these episodes leave you feeling challenged and encouraged to dive deeper into your relationship with the Lord. You will never regret time spent with Him.
I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chrisamybender@gmail.com.
A realization dawned on me while my husband and I were watching one of The Hobbit movies recently. The desire to rescue our children seems to be a natural response. However, there can be great danger in jumping in too quickly.
I am a perfectionist. If I think I won't be able to complete a task with perfection, I tend to shy away from that task. But what if God is asking me to do something that seems too hard for me? Wouldn't I be failing God if I didn't even attempt to do what He asked?
This episode was originally published in October 2021 (The Throne of Your Heart). It remains one of the most iconic moments in my walk with the Lord.
Are you at a crossroads in life? Are you waiting on God to tell you which way to go? Has the lack of an answer consumed you?
I have found myself in this same place many times in my life. Don't lose heart. There is hope!
So often we look to other sources for our answers. Not all those sources are bad, per say, but let's be sure that we don't forget the best source available to us, as believers. God's word promises us that the Holy Spirit will guide us and teach us ALL things. In times of uncertainty, let's run to Him FIRST and see what wisdom He imparts to us, before we go searching for answers elsewhere.
This is one of the earlier episodes I recorded. I'm republishing it because it's so important for us to remember that the Holy Spirit is the BEST teacher.
Have you ever received a gift that you ended up storing in a closet and never used? I definitely have. This weekend God taught me something about that.
Taking a deep look at what motivates you is a challenging thing, but it's absolutely necessary if you're living for the Lord.
Since July of 2021 my smell has been pretty much non-existent. Today I share about how my lack of smell was a lesson in faith.
A funny thing happened to me the other day and God used it to remind me of some important Biblical truths!
Our society pushes a love for self that encourages a disregard for others. The Bible teaches us to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. How do we live like Jesus even when those around us don't?
Does your faith need strengthened and challenged? Today I share about a unique way I do just that.
There are seasons that I find myself feeling down and discouraged. That trickles into everything else I do, including my relationship with God. It affects how I pray, how I listen, and I how I respond to Him.
In today's podcast, I share how one verse keeps me grounded in truth in seasons like this. My prayer is that you can also be challenged and encouraged by it as well.
This week has been hard for me. I found myself physically alone on a day when I desperately wanted to rely on my husband for my peace and strength. However, I find myself thankful that he couldn't be with me on that day. Listen to today's podcast to hear the rest of the story.
Today I'm sharing a story about something that happened last week. We hosted a team of missionaries from Youth With A Mission (YWAM). One day they prayed for God to show them what they were supposed to do that day. It's an amazing story of how God spoke random pieces to different people that when all put together created an amazing testimony of His goodness and kindness!
Today’s episode has not been edited. It’s 100% real with no dress ups. There’s a reason for that.
When was the last time you talked to God without dressing it up? When was the last time you unloaded the deepest parts of your heart before Him?
Have you ever run across someone who was obviously hurting or going through a tough time? Perhaps you spend a few minutes chatting with them and leave them with the words, "I'll pray for you."
If you're like me, this promise to pray for them is well meant. But what would happen if we stepped out in boldness and responded like Peter in Acts 3 and gave them what we have - right then, right there?!
Today's episode is simple. I questioned whether I needed to do more than what the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do, but at the end of the day I need to be obedient, no matter what I think. The reality is His word is ENOUGH. His truth is ENOUGH. He is ENOUGH.
Many of us are familiar with the story of Martha and Mary from Luke 10. Martha wasn't necessarily doing a bad thing in playing the hostess to Jesus, but that "good thing" became a distraction and hindered her from listening to the Lord. Listen to today's podcast and be challenged and encouraged to get back to doing only what the Lord has asked you to do.
Have you ever been taught that you should live your life according to a priority list that sounded something like this - God first, family second, work third, etc? I was taught that for years. The problem was I never seemed to be successful at it and I constantly felt like a failure. Then, in my early 20s I heard a teaching that changed my life. I trashed the traditional priority list and traded it for something new!
Sometimes it's hard to not be consumed with our past sins. The enemy wants nothing more than for us to walk around with a cloud of condemnation over our heads. But that's not God's plan for us. Our past doesn't need to define us. Today I share some verses and encouragement so that you can walk in forgiveness.
I'm honestly so discouraged when I hear believers struggling to answer the question, "What is my purpose in life?" I believe we were all created with one purpose - relationship with God. I believe that when we live according to that purpose we get the fulfillment in life that we desperately long for. Everything we do in life - our careers, our education, our relationships, our decisions - should all come out of our relationship with God.
I have found that too many believers rely solely on other sources to teach them about God. In today's episode I share two verses that remind us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us to teach us and guide us in all truth. This means we can open the Bible and learn about God ourselves. Open the Bible for yourself and see what treasures the Holy Spirit will unpack for you!
Some time ago I was struggling with some anxiety and discouragement. I sensed the Holy Spirit continually asking me, "is this true?" in regards to the thoughts that were bringing about my struggles. As I read through Philippians 4 I grasped onto God's promises of peace and I realized I could have victory. You can too!