We?ve all compared ourselves to others. ?Why aren?t I more like her?? ?Why can?t I be good at that?? On this episode of God Hears Her, Sally Lloyd-Jones challenges that way of thinking. She shares with Eryn and Elisa the way that God changed her own view of herself and used the talents He specifically made in her for His glory. 

 

Bio of guest: 

Sally Lloyd-Jones is a New York Times bestselling children?s author, blogger, and child-at-heart. Her book Jesus Storybook Bible is beloved by both children and adults and has sold over three million copies and been translated into 46 languages.

 

Notes and Quotes:

?I knew Jesus loved me, but I thought God really wasn?t pleased with me.? ?The Bible is not about what we are supposed to do so God loves us, it is about how God loves us and what He did because He loves us.? ?When we compare ourselves, we are kind of missing the point that God has a specific thing that only we can do!? ?The beautiful thing about Christianity is that it is the most inclusive of all faiths.? ?It is so poignant when you realize the God of the Old Testament is doing everything He can to rescue us.? ?Abraham didn?t have to sacrifice his only son, but God did. God?s heart is beautiful for us.? ?He somehow works suffering to make it all the more beautiful for having been so sad.? ?I look back now, and that [failure] was my promotion.? ?I would love to get to the point that when things go wrong my first thought isn?t panic, but it?s ?Oh, I wonder what God is up to???

 

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Comparison: The Thief of Joy https://discoveryseries.org/courses/comparison/ Order Jesus Storybook Bible: https://amzn.to/37hbIjr Sally?s Instagram: @sallylloydjones Elisa?s Instagram: @elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: @eryneddy

Talking about finances can be so awkward! But the truth is that many adults, and often even children, face the stress and anxiety that comes along with financial instability. And although there are many speakers and influencers who strive to guide and teach us how to avoid debt, what happens when we have to learn the hard way? 

Join hosts Elisa and Eryn as they discuss their own personal struggles with finances at different times in their lives. They also chat about the steps they?ve taken to overcome the shame financial struggles cause and how they learned to hear God amidst their own financial messes.

Notes and Quotes: 

?I remember the anxiety of seeing an unknown number on my phone knowing it was a debt collector calling to ask me to make payments on something I had zero money for.? ?So in a way someone paying for your egg sandwich and coffee . . . in that moment you sensed God seeing you, hearing you, being with you, noticing your situation.? ?Looking back now I can see [how] I saw my relationship with the Lord in how much money He provided, and I put the value on myself in how much money I made.? ?Is God going to get me out of this if I got myself into this?? ?I feel that shame, and it wasn?t my fault. I was just a kid. I felt embarrassed when friends came over.? ?We carry around this incredible shame about our financial trauma, whether it has been our choice or it happened to us.? ?Money can be a power thing in marriage. Whoever is the main breadwinner can control everything.? ?The reality is that marriage is a partnership and we have to learn to ask for what we need.? ?It was me leaning into the discomfort that led to me leaning into God, who was the only comfort that brought me out of it and also sharpened my character in the process.? ?What is the story I am telling myself as I am getting out of this? And what is the story I am telling myself of God being in it??

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show:

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Cultivating a Heart of Contentment: https://discoveryseries.org/courses/cultivating-a-heart-of-contentment/ Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform. https://www.godhearsher.org/podcast Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Eryn and Elisa are back with more episodes and incredible guests covering topics like: benefits of mental health and self-awareness, the issue of comparison, the gift of living creatively, and the joy of finding beauty in everyday life. Click subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode of the God Hears Her Podcast! Season 3 begins on March 1!

As we revisit this episode of God Hears Her, Vivian Mabuni admits that as an American of Asian descent, she?s struggled to fit in, and this reality leads to a conversation on diversity, inclusion, and healing. From understanding terms like ?microaggression? to walking us through how to be a good friend to someone who?s hurting, this is a conversation about how God intended us to love others, even those who are different from us.

About Our Guest: 

Vivian Mabuni is a teacher and uses the platforms of writing, speaking, and podcasting to encourage women to find the abundant life Christ offers within the good and bad of life. Her battle with cancer led her to see God as present and faithful, even when life is not working out the way she expected. She wants people to know that following Jesus is not a pain-free and smooth journey, but it is still rich and good! Her newest book is titled Open Hands Willing Heart: Discover the Joy of Saying Yes to God.

Notes and Quotes: 

Microaggression: An othering; it separates us. According to Merriam-Webster?s Collegiate Dictionary, a microaggression is ?a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.? ?I have been on a journey, really, and some of it has been learning to actually embrace and celebrate my ethnic heritage because most of my life I spent trying to fit in.? Here?s a kind way to ask a person of a different ethnic background about themselves:  ?Will you share with me your ethnic heritage?? Also, learn your own ethnic heritage so you can contribute to the conversation. ?American does not mean ?white,? and we tend to start to think that is the normal; and that is not necessarily normal. It?s its own experience.? There is a strong rooting that takes place when we understand who we are and where we are from. God intends for us to live in unity, but unity is not uniformity.  ?I am not going to let what would be injustice, impact my character.? ?Instead of segregating our offerings into little cliques, which is so difficult, can we be more intentional of being inclusive?? How to help a friend who is healing: ?To be a good friend, don?t offer advice. The present of presence just goes so much further.? We all heal differently, and learning to be a gracious receiver is hard. We need to be respectful that each of us handles suffering differently.

 

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org Discover the Word series with Vivian: ?Open Hands Willing Heart? God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women Vivians?s Podcast: Someday is Here Vivian?s Book: Open Hands Willing Heart Vivian?s Book: Warrior in Pink Bryan Stevenson?s Book: Just Mercy Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Show Summary: 

Do you find that God speaks to you in a powerful, audible voice? Or do you have a hard time discerning if God is speaking to you at all? In this episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn discuss a number of ways we can hear God.

Notes and Quotes: 

?The title of this podcast is God Hears Her, and to be honest it has always thrown me. God hears her . . . wait, how do we hear God?? God speaks to us during our Scripture reading. Some of us may hear God audibly, whether it be loud and known or as a soft whisper. We can hear from God through other people: our mentors, friends, family. Be sure to discern appropriately whether the person speaking into you is doing it from the heart of God. Review their words against Scripture and allow God to confirm.  God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, the living Word of God. This can sometimes bring out unexplainable emotion in you, even tears. Eryn?s unplugged morning routine: 1. What am I feeling? 2. Recap yesterday. 3. Talk to God. What is on your heart and mind? 4. Confess. 5. Invite Him in: ?God, what do you want to tell me?? 6. Open up Scripture. Journaling can allow us to hear and connect with God. Listen for God while you enjoy art, nature, music, books, conversation, or even a Bible study. Pick a word. Each year focus on a word that God has given to you and really lean into His wisdom and focus on that word.  ?How do I hear God? Sometimes it?s in the silence of just sitting and knowing that He hears me.?

Links:

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes! Support the Podcast! Free e-booklet: ?God Is Not Silent? by Bill Crowder Our Daily Bread Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

 

Show Summary: 

God could have designed humans to eat rocks, but instead He created food and gave men and women thousands of taste buds to enjoy it. On this episode of ?God Hears Her,? Margaret Feinberg joins the show to talk food, which is really a discussion into the deepest longings of a woman?s heart, and God?s invitation to taste and see that He is good. 

About Our Guest:

Margaret Feinberg is a podcaster on The Joycast, a speaker, and an author of several books that have sold over a million copies. She was recently named one of Christianity Today?s top 50 women shaping culture and the church. She lives in Utah with her husband, Leif, and their super-pup Hershey. Her recent book is Taste and See: Discovering God Among Butchers, Bakers and Fresh Food Markets.

Notes and Quotes:  

"Food is God?s love made edible."  "God creates the garden with a plethora of food and then gives us thousands of taste buds to enjoy it."  "What we really ache for is to know and be known, to love and be loved, and to enter a place where we can be vulnerable and any sense of shame scurries away."  "Communities are little mirrors that reflect ourselves back to us."  "There are times when I need, through prayer and Scripture, to hear God?s love for me.  And there are other times, for that to really take root, I need to hear it through other humans who are reflecting His glory and His presence."  "Social media is a dangerous game because it begins to feel like 'life.' But when words come from a person, in person, they are more meaningful and life-changing."  "If you want to have community, you have to build it, often out of nothing."  "If we want to be seen, we may have to open our eyes and see first. If we want to be heard, we have to become people who are really great listeners."  "The deepest hungers of your heart are uniquely designed to be met first and foremost by God. Jesus really is the One who can speak the syllables you most need to hear."  "Reach out to meet others? needs; and as you love them and bring joy to them, you?ll find some of your needs met too."  "Choose good people: life-giving, Jesus-loving, makes-you-laugh-until-tears-run-down- your-cheeks-and-other-places kind of people."

Links:

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating! Get your copy of Margaret Feinberg?s book Taste and See on Amazon Free e-booklet: Open Hearts, Open Homes Our Daily Bread website Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses: 

Hebrews 13:21 NIV ?We are called, equipped, and chosen.? 

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV ?Plan and a future?

Ephesians 2:10 NIV ?Appointed good works for me to do?

Romans 8:38 NIV ?I am loved by God.?

2 Corinthians 10 NIV ?Take every thought captive.?

It?s estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions each day. But what happens when one of those decisions is life changing? Decisions like where to go to college or whether to move across the country for a job. What are some of the decisions you?re facing right now? In this episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa chat about ways in which they have learned to hear God?s voice and follow where He leads. 

 

Notes and Quotes: 

?There are times when we come to a crossroads moment to make a decision and we get wrapped up in the thought that our desires and God?s desires could never align.? ?It really boils down to ?Is my heart aligned with God?s? And am I seeking Him? Am I listening to Him???? ?God does grow us through the really difficult times in life.? ?When we are at that crossroads; we can choose for God and with God. It?s a ?we? experience at that crossroads.? ?When we?re in a ?we? with God, His spirit directs us. His being woos us onto the right choice with Him.? ?We do our best and we yield the results to Him for what might happen.? ?It is so important to have a really small group of close friends that you can let in to the choices you are making and that can speak in, like mentors.? ?Crossroads are really a place of living. They?re a continual place  of being, of dwelling.?

 

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Making Decisions God?s Way: https://discoveryseries.org/courses/making-decisions-gods-way/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

 

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Proverbs 16:9 NIV ?In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2016%3A9&version=NIV John 15:16 NIV ?You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit?fruit that will last?and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A16&version=NIV Jeremiah 6:16 NIV: ?This is what the LORD says: ?Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ?We will not walk in it.??? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+6%3A16&version=NIV

What does the Christmas season mean to you? Do you still get filled with childlike nostalgia? Do you find it easy to think about the birth of our Savior? Or maybe Christmas often feels like a time of difficulty and struggle for you? The layers and emotions associated with the holidays can sometimes be overwhelming for us. Elisa and Eryn pinpoint some of their own lessons from past Christmas celebrations while also highlighting ways in which we can focus on turning this often stressful season into a season all of us can once again enjoy.

 

Notes and Quotes: 

?Give thanks in all circumstances. It?s not for all circumstances, but in all circumstances.?  ?So in that moment, look at that one item and [say], ?Okay I don?t want this in my life, but I am going to give thanks in it, trusting your character, God, in it.?? ?When we say that, I think we are a little afraid it sounds like whining to God, but maybe it sounds like honesty to God.? Thanksgiving Turkey Fingers: Trace your hand on a piece of paper and write down what you are thankful for on each finger.  ?Gratitude changes us.? ?It doesn't diminish the bad, it?s still there; but it puts it into a perspective that helps us in that circumstance to find gratitude.? ?Comparison is in the holidays. We compare a lot. I compare a lot . . . what that family looks like, what their holiday card looks like.? ?No one is really living a Hallmark life, we are all living real life.? Ideas to get our grateful going: gratitude journal, sticky note reminders, focus on an ornament, correct self-talk, gratitude partner, think about other people.

 

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Windows on Christmas https://discoveryseries.org/courses/windows-on-christmas/ Anne Voskamp?s book: One Thousand Gifts https://amzn.to/3lZWtjZ  Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

 

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV - ?Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God?s will for you in Christ Jesus.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A18&version=NIV

We all experience life-defining moments. Some of those moments can be good and life-changing while other moments are not so good. What happens when we allow those not-so-good moments to negatively define our identities? Speaker and best-selling author Laura Smith joins Elisa and Eryn to share ways in which we can learn to overcome the lies that we?ve believed and focus on God?s life-changing and freeing truth. 

Bio of guest: 

Laura Smith is an avid storyteller through her books, blog posts, and public speaking. Her recent book How Sweet the Sound focuses on the beauty and truth that come from Scripture-inspired hymns. Along with being a wife and mom, Laura?s hope is to use her writing and public speaking to help others discover the identity that God has instilled in each of us.

Notes and Quotes: 

?I think it?s so interesting how, you know, you can grow up thinking one way about your family life, and then you step into this awareness of what it really is.? ?He loves us for exactly who we are, because He created us in His image?because He created us!?           ?In college, I had my Bible. I would read it every day, then I would put it under my pillow and go do whatever the heck I wanted. I believed in God, and I loved him, but I didn?t live like it.? ?It was some sort of lie that I started to believe when I was younger, that if I do these things, then ?this? will make ?this? true.? ?I am trying to honor the fact that forgiveness and trust are not the same thing.? ?I can forgive [my dad] and be kind to him, but I don?t have to trust him and let him into my safe spaces.? ?We tend to think that when we come to know Jesus that everything is just ?BING? and resolved and wrapped up in this box with a pretty bow on it. And real life is often: God promises and does meet the desires of our hearts. Sometimes it?s now, sometimes it?s  later, sometimes it?s not really in this lifetime.? Three resounding themes: God is almighty. He loves us unconditionally. He will never leave us. ?So many of us want to throw out the pain in our lives; the hardness of our lives; the embarrassing, depleting, revealing in our lives; and think, ?Okay, now God can come in, and now He can do something with me.?? ?God planted good in the soil of your pain.? ?We have to really focus on who we are listening to for our identity.? Three ways to stay in the truth that God created me as a masterpiece: Read the Bible every day; pray every day ?Who do you see me as??; hang out with core people you can trust and confide in.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Know the Enemy: https://discoveryseries.org/courses/know-the-enemy/ Order Laura Smith?s book How Sweet the Sound: https://amzn.to/36wMRqp  Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Ephesians 2:10 NIV ?For we are God?s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202%3A10&version=NIV

?Adulting? can often make us feel bogged down by jobs, parenting, and other community responsibilities, and it can be difficult finding time to ?play.? Elisa and Eryn look at the importance of loosening up and having fun, and why that needs to be a priority for all of us. It?s not a waste of time! In fact, we need to be intentional about it.    

Notes and Quotes: 

?Why is it that when we get older we quit playing?? ?I can think of all the other priorities in my life, but play is not one of them. It feels selfish.? ?Maybe another reason we don?t play is because we need to give up a little control.? ?The hardest time of my life to play was when I was mothering young children. Because they are always playing, and you want them to, but you don?t have any time to play.? ?Try to enjoy play with [your kids], and then try to ask for a break. Ask for a sitter for the kids and go out for girl time or date night. And do something silly!? ?I think sometimes we think it?s reckless, and really it?s being faithful to play.? Popcorn ideas of how we can begin to play: Do something you have never done! Take a pottery class. Learn to knit. Try oil painting. Be present. Play with your kids. Try to say, ?Yes.? Get out in nature. Car karaoke.  ?Play is for the very young. And when we are young, we aren?t scared to play. To play as an adult is to become yielded and vulnerable and open and exposed, and that is dangerous. We have learned we can be hurt in that condition.? ?Doesn?t God delight in that vulnerability when we expose ourselves to His love??

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Download free lock screen: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Elisa?s Instagram: @elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: @eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Matthew 19:14 NIV ?Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019%3A14&version=NIV Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV ?A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%203%3A4&version=NIV

We live in a culture that tends to avoid negative emotions. It?s not uncommon to hear someone say to another person who?s angry, frustrated, or sad, ?Just buck up! Look on the bright side!? But negative emotions are important. Elisa and Eryn talk about one of the most important emotions?anger?and they explore ways to follow the signs to discover what?s really going on in our hearts and minds. 

Notes and Quotes: 

?Anger is like a signal, it may not be the top emotion.?  ?There is this aftermath of anger that just kind of lays before us. Sometimes there?s broken pieces of relationships, and sometimes there?s broken pieces of our own hearts.? ?When we?re angry, could it be an expectation that?s not met?? ?Anger can also come from blocked goals.? ?Once I realized there are other layers under anger, I kind of felt a little more compassion for myself instead of all this self-condemnation and lostness.? Questions to ask yourself to get to the place of self-compassion: What?s this about? Why am I surprised? What has hurt me? Why am I hurting? ?One thing I have learned in my relationship with the Lord is that He is so confident and so secure that my insecurity and my lack of confidence in the heat of the moment doesn?t impact Him or the way that He loves and sees me.? ?He [God] probably is hurt that we self-condemn. I think He is probably disappointed that we self-separate from Him and accuse Him of being unloving when He is anything but [unloving].? When the anger switch flips, it?s easy to sin. ?Anger can actually serve us and serve God?s purposes when we do our work with it.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: When Anger Burns. https://discoveryseries.org/courses/when-anger-burns/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Ephesians 4:26 NIV ??In your anger do not sin?: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204%3A26&version=NIV Romans 8:28 NIV ?And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208%3A28&version=NIV

We?ve all made bad decisions. Some of those bad decisions come back to haunt us, and some decisions we thought were good at the time end up having nasty consequences. Oftentimes, those moments lead to regret, and many of us struggle to move past our big mistakes. Humorist Liz Curtis Higgs joins Elisa and Eryn to share how we can find freedom from the past and hope for the future. 

Bio of guest: 

Liz Curtis Higgs describes herself as a former ?bad girl? who met Jesus and is no longer defined by her mistakes. She?s a best-selling author and well-known speaker, and she wrote the foreword for the best-selling devotional from Our Daily Bread Ministries titled God Sees Her. Liz currently lives with her husband, Bill, in their Kentucky home.

Notes and Quotes: 

?I have no comfort zone. I will tell anybody anything if it will point them to the grace of God.? ?They saw past all the ick and said, ?At the heart, she is a woman that needs to know Jesus,? and so they just loved me right into the kingdom.? ?God and His faithfulness waited.? ?We all found ways to numb the pain of not being part of the right crowd and created our own crowd.? ?For me, I am a girl who likes community, and I wanted that above all.? ?When it says in Scripture, ?He gives you the desires of your heart,? it doesn?t mean He gives you every little thing your heart desires; it means He places in your heart the desires He would have for you.? ?Some of it He dealt with honestly very quickly. . . . That is what I needed. Everybody is different. Some of us are weaned off the old life, and that doesn?t mean that you didn?t hear the Lord correctly or you?re disobedient.?  ?The path for each of us is so unique; the Savior, though, is one and the same.? ?We all share a kind of badness, and we all struggle with shame around badness. And my badness may not look like your badness, and yours may not look like mine. But we share it; and if we could just love each other in our badness and accept and not judge . . . wow, what a world that could be.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: The Forgiveness of God: https://discoveryseries.org/courses/the-forgiveness-of-god/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Psalm 37:4 NIV  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+37%3A4&version=NIV Mark 10:18 NIV  ?No one is good?except God alone.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010%3A18&version=NIV

We all experience loss. The loss of dreams. The loss of relationships. The loss of people we love. But we serve a God who can use loss for our good, and that?s what today?s episode is all about. Join Elisa and Eryn as they discuss not only what they?ve lost, but also what they?ve found. 

Notes and Quotes: 

?I went through a divorce; and before the divorce I was grieving what I thought I had [as a future]. Divorce is a death; it is like a death.? Treat your marriage, or other relationship, like its own breathing entity. Is it healthy? ?Loss is like a bucking bronco. It throws us up in the air, and sometimes we come down and land on the back of the horse and sometimes we . . . land in the dirt.? ?You can experience so many kinds of different losses, but you can still have the same emotion towards it.? ?Loss changes you. You are not the same when you lose something. Like for me, I am not the same with marriage. It changed me.? ?Loss does shape us, and I think sometimes we are scared of what the shaping is going to be.? ?What if loss actually grows us as we do the grief work.? How have you seen loss benefit your life? ?God will use pain to transform us.? ?Loss is inevitable, and there are certain lessons and gifts it provides as God redeems it.? ?Loss becomes a gift because from that we are able to minister to others.? ?Sometimes we are missing out on how He is redeeming because we are trying to take over and make Him redeem it how we would want it.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Why?: Seeing God in Our Pain https://discoveryseries.org/courses/why/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

2 Corinthians 1 NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%201&version=NIV  Ecclesiastes 3:1?8 NIV There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . . . https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A1-8&version=NIV 

Does God have someone for me? It?s a question everyone wonders at some point or another, especially in a culture that suggests romantic relationships are the norm. Join Elisa and Eryn as they dive deep into their struggles with loneliness and healing after relationship loss, as well as discuss a unique and important twist on this popular question.

Notes and Quotes: 

?I don?t see myself the way God sees me. I was seeing myself through the lens of the person I was dating.?  We are made for relationships and connection. ?I think what I am learning in this whole journey of being single after being married is that I just desire to become the person I am meant to be.? ?I was seeking relationships to fill voids that only God could fill.? ?When you are single, there is so much work to be done because our identities have been formed in relationship to others.? ?Relationships define so much around us.? ?I think God has a lot of people for us. I think marriage is one thing, and it is an important thing. But I also think the reality is we are humans, and our relationships that can be fully satisfying can function a little bit like an island of intimacy.?  ?Until we let God love us, we can?t love ourselves. And until we love ourselves, we can not love another.? We ask the question if God has anyone for us. Well, He has Himself for us. And yes, He invites us into relationships. In seasons of singleness, we have time to show up and be present for the loved ones we have around us. Be careful not to overlook that.  ?Flip the question and instead of asking if God has anyone for us, ask ?Can I be someone for God???

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Free eBooklet to Download: Divorce and Remarriage: What Does the Bible Teach? https://discoveryseries.org/courses/divorce-and-remarriage/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy Listen to the song ?Pieces? by Amanda Cook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0FW--zidYA 

We all have moments in our past that lead to brokenness. For some, this is a recent past, and for others, childhood trauma continues to shape present reality. What brokenness?or broken people?have you experienced in your life? Today, Toni Collier joins God Hears Her to remind all of us that our past doesn?t have to define us. Instead, even our brokenness can be redeemed by God and used for His glory and our good. 

Bio of guest: 

Toni Collier is a communicator, host, and consultant at North Point Ministries. She?s also a voice of Our Daily Bread, and the creator of the blog ?Broken Crayons Still Color??a place for women to be reminded that our past doesn?t define us. Toni is ?Texas proud? of her Houston, Texas, roots, but currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and family.

Notes and Quotes: 

?There is a balance between being imperfect and striving for perfection, and I think the middle is hard to sit in.? ?I went through a mindset shift that there was a God that wasn?t up there with His finger pointing down at me, but instead was like ?put me in coach.?? Counseling is not a weakness, it is needed.  ?Our lives are like bookshelves.? ?It is not the brokenness we are lifting up and celebrating, but it is God?s presence and redemption in the brokenness.? ?The world has lied to us, and told us we had to be perfect to be used.? ?The truth is, God wants to use us in the middle of our mess.? This is the time to walk boldly in our brokenness. ?What people don?t know is what comes with exposing those traumas . . . anxiety.? When we discover our brokenness, it takes time to heal.  ?You are more than enough.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Check out Toni?s Blog: Broken Crayons Still Color http://brkncrayons.com/ Free eBooklet to Download: Clinging to Hope in the Storm https://discoveryseries.org/courses/clinging-to-hope-in-the-storm/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV ?But he said to me, ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.? Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ?s power may rest on me.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2012%3A9&version=NIV

When you read the term ?toxic people,? who comes to mind? A coworker? A family member? Someone at church? Maybe it?s a group of people who feed off of one another in the worst of ways. What makes someone toxic? What?s the difference between a toxic person and someone who?s broken and needs extra love? How do you know when it?s time to walk away from a toxic person? In this episode, our guest Gary Thomas will be leading us through a discussion of how to recognize and when to walk away from toxic people.

Bio of guest: 

Gary Thomas is the best-selling author of over 20 books including the topic of today?s show: When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People. Gary serves on the teaching team at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 25 years. They have three adult children and a granddaughter. 

Notes and Quotes: 

?Walking away isn?t always a statement of failure; it?s a statement of strategy.? If we let toxic people control our thoughts and focus, then we lose sight of the purpose God has for us. ?Here?s my voice, here?s my mission? . . .  and don?t let a toxic person distract you from that mission. Women in their fifties will look back at the toxic people from their twenties and laugh at how insignificant those people have become in their lives. ?Gaslighting is when somebody makes you feel like you?re crazy when you are speaking the truth.? ?When you question your own sanity, they are destroying your foundation.? ?All toxic people are difficult, but not all difficult people are toxic.? ?Toxic people love to act in a toxic manner. Healthy people will occasionally act in a toxic way.? ?Walking away is actually an act of worship.? ?Toxic people often use toxic language. . . . They don?t want you to act like a Christian to please God, they are using your desire to please God as a weapon to control you.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Order Gary?s book When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3kt8eyp  Free eBooklet to Download: When Violence Comes Home: Help for Victims of Spousal Abuse https://discoveryseries.org/courses/when-violence-comes-home/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

John 15:8 NIV ?This is to my Father?s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A8&version=NIV  Mark 11:12?25 Jesus Curses a Fig Tree https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+11%3A12-25&version=NIV  Matthew 6:33 NIV ?But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A33&version=NIV  Matthew 7:6 NIV ?Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A6&version=NIV Matthew 22:37 NIV Jesus replied: ?Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A37&version=NIV  Jude 1:1 NIV ?Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201&version=NIV 

COVID-19 has exposed a unique set of challenges for everyone, especially women. Join hosts Elisa and Eryn as they discuss their own personal struggles of being worn down during this global pandemic and share some practical tips on how to reground yourself with God.

Notes and Quotes: 

?This uncertainty is magnifying and pointing out the truth that we truly are not in control of our lives, but He is.? ?This time right now has revealed to me how important and precious a quiet time is.? ?In the suffering, we can develop endurance and character.? Practical things you can do to ground yourself: journaling; quiet time; a breath prayer; squeeze your hands before Jesus to illustrate your desire for control, and then physically open your hands and lift up your concerns to Him. ?When we hold our lives so tightly and love them so hard the way they are, we can end up almost destroying them.? ?In this season of uncertainty, I think the [lesson] is to hold things more loosely.? Uncertainty creates anxiety or worry. ?Be a ?we? team with God.? ?Be kind to yourself and to each other. Everybody is stressed.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet to Download: Overcoming Worry: Turning Fear into Faith. https://discoveryseries.org/courses/overcoming-worry/ Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform. https://www.godhearsher.org/podcast Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Psalm 121:1?2 NIV ?I lift up my eyes to the mountains?where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+121%3A1-2&version=NIV James 4:13?17 NIV  ?Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ?If it is the Lord?s will, we will live and do this or that.?? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A13-17&version=NIV

 

Matthew 6:25 NIV ?Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life.? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:25-34&version=NIV

 

 

 

How do you navigate difficult relationships? How do you handle deep disagreements with people you love? What does it look like to deal with conflict when the person you?re at odds with is a family member or a close friend? Today on God Hears Her, Patricia Raybon joins Eryn and Elisa to share her story of navigating a complicated relationship and offers practical wisdom for those of us who may find ourselves in a similar situation.

Bio of guest: 

Patricia Raybon is an award-winning author and journalist and a writer for both Our Daily Bread Ministries and DaySpring?s (in)courage Blog. She guides people into conversations on faith, race, and grace, and lives out her practical wisdom through relationships with people from different ethnic and faith backgrounds. Her most recent book is titled Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace.

Notes and Quotes: 

?[The topic of] race relations still confuses, worries, angers, and surprises people . . . But as I look at history, there has never been a time where people were not divided by race or ethnicity.? ?Our stories are not our own . . . What I discovered is that these personal stories are not mine. They give the people that read them permission to reflect on their own lives.? ?Every mother has a dream of what her family is going to look like, and when that dream is rejected, there is a grieving period.? ?The Lord encouraged me to love her [my daughter], and trust Him.? ?We are still able to be a family even though the details of our conflict have not been resolved.? ?We agreed to respect our differences, and I agreed to respect the choice she had made. Not to accept the choice, but to respect [her].? ?People love the stories when people find their way back to the faith, but that is not always the end of the story . . . Know that sometimes God is still writing.? ?When you model that respect, it invites it back.? In the digital world today, we can almost always find people being hateful. ?Tolerance allows my family to keep going.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Order Patricia?s Book: My First White Friend: https://amzn.to/3heKCvd Order Patricia?s Book: Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace https://amzn.to/3ifqj2e Free eBooklet to Download: Clinging to Hope in the Storm https://discoveryseries.org/courses/clinging-to-hope-in-the-storm/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Romans 8:26. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A26&version=NIV Revelation 2:4. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+2%3A4&version=NIV

We?ve all been there. We?ve made what we think are perfect plans just to have them seemingly dismantled. Or something unexpected happens, and it feels like life is turned upside down. Often in those times we have big questions and open answers. Today, let?s talk about finding peace in the midst of uncertainty.

Notes and Quotes: 

Sometimes we get very transactional with God ??If I do it right, then I will be rewarded with this.? But does God work that way? No.?  When we get into tidal wave situations, no matter what they are, God helps us and comforts us.  When you feel overwhelmed or let down, try this: stop, look back at the things God has done for you, recount them all, write them down. Sit with God and reflect on how faithful He has been to you.  Find a tangible reminder to go and pray and express your trust in God to provide. He is faithful. ?When we have no control over anything, He has control.? Spiritual amnesia: we forget that God is faithful. ?Remove and move any distractions that would distract me from Him.? ?Instead of worrying, I was anticipating . . . okay God, where are you going to land me??

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Free eBooklet Download: It's Not Fair. https://discoveryseries.org/courses/its-not-fair/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.  "For I know the plans I have for you,? declares the Lord, ?plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29%3A11&version=NIV Phillipians 4:6-7 NIV. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Phillipians+4%3A6-7+&version=NIV

Have you ever felt like diving into Scripture was either too intimidating or boring because ?been there, done that?? Well, our guest Meghan Larissa Good has been there too, and she joins Elisa and Eryn to offer tangible ways to explore the big story Scripture tells. 

Bio of guest: 

Meghan Larissa Good teaches at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Arizona, and has degrees from Gordon College, Duke Divinity School, and Portland Seminary. She is also an author; and her most recent book, The Bible Unwrapped, helps make sense of the big story Scripture tells and how that story impacts us today. 

Notes and Quotes: 

Jesus as a companion means always having a friend with you. He is real and accessible. Meghan?s Scripture practice: Sitting with Scripture and writing down questions, observations, and even prayer. Think about the purpose each story represents. If you find yourself in a prayer rut, introduce Scripture to help you pray with a new outlook. ?The Bible is not mechanical. What we are hearing is a narrative of God?s engagement with people.? The Bible is not meant to be intimidating. It?s meant to be dug into; and it?s an invitation to be romanced by what Jesus wants to teach you. ?I think people have a lot of fear of getting it (the Bible) wrong, and this feels like a high- stakes thing to get wrong. Like, ?What if I get God wrong? What if I get God?s desire wrong??? The plotline of the entire Bible is summed up in this: ?God is remaking the world and bringing all broken things back together.? The Bible is a window, not a mirror. ?It?s a means, not an end.? We look through Scripture, not at it. If we treat it like a mirror, we are doomed. If we look at it like a painting, we are missing the point. ?Sometimes we feel like we have to be a certain way, look a certain way, or act a certain way to be used by God. But His continual pursuit for our heart shows us that we don?t have to be anything other than exactly what we are.? ?The Christian life is not about being right, it is about being love.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/ Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh Order Meghan?s book The Bible Unwrapped on Amazon. https://amzn.to/31plYDu Read the Discovery Series booklet The Greatest Story Ever Told. https://discoveryseries.org/courses/the-greatest-story-ever-told/ Elisa?s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn?s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Syrophoenecian woman: Matthew 15:21?28  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A21-28&version=NIV

Eryn and Elisa are back with more shows and more guests covering topics like: when to walk away from toxic people, dealing with anger, how to find peace, and how to explore and enjoy the Bible. Click subscribe today, so you don't miss any season 2 episodes of the God Hears Her Podcast which begins on September 14th!

Whether it?s a big move, the end of an important relationship, or a child going off to school, we have all experienced transition. On this episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa host author Amy Boucher Pye and discuss how God led her through a major life transition of her own. And through Amy?s experience, there may be some helpful ideas for the rest of us for the next time we enter a season of transition.

Bio of guest: 

Amy Boucher Pye is a writer and speaker and an American living in London. She writes devotional thoughts for several publications including Our Daily Bread and is the author of the award-winning Finding Myself in Britain and The Living Cross.

Notes and Quotes: 

?We as Americans are so isolated about the reality of our global church.? ?I knew that my calling was not my work. But, oh boy, when you?re not working you?re like ?who am I, and where is God??? ?As women . . . we mistake roles for identity, and it gets really confusing. You have to remember who you are, and how God sees you. Realize that my identity is not the role, the role was a place I was invited to serve. ? ?During the tender times when stresses and insecurities are high, make sure your relationship with God is very solid.?  ?Pray and ask God for friends, but then also do your part in that. Sometimes it?s making a plan or joining a crafting group.? ?One of the best pieces of advice I have been given is to ?invest by owing.? Instead of being the answer woman, invite somebody else to help you. Then somebody else is going to feel valued and necessary; and you will have a beautiful, mutual exchange. ? ?Sometimes we have to relinquish something so God can give it back in another way.? Note: Though I walk through _____, God is with me. ?All of us are in transition, where things we depend on are stripped away. So look for the green.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org YMI article ?What Is God Calling Me to Do??  God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women  Amy Boucher Pye?s Book: Finding Myself in Britain Amy Boucher Pye?s Book: The Living Cross

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

Psalm 23:4 NIV Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:2 NIV  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

Have you ever had one of those days? Or even one of those weeks? We?ve all been there. Join us this week on God Hears Her as Eryn and Elisa discuss emotions and a way to process hard feelings with God. 

Notes and Quotes: 

Feelings are neither right or wrong, feelings inform us. ?Ann Voskamp ?I can come to Him, or I can?t. I get to choose that, right? But grace is always there. It is always present. It is not forced upon us, but it is always there.? ?Jesus doesn?t do life alone. He is in relationship with the Father and Spirit.? ?Sometimes I struggle with feeling like I have to be put together in order to come to Him.? ?Write down those ugly, shameful feelings and look at them. Not as an Instagram caption, but as a sacred moment, alone. Then admit and accept where you are, and surrender that to God. Evaluate your life choices: Are they bringing you closer to or farther away from God? And then set reminders to live in God?s truth.? ?I think that?s the biggest thing with feelings and faith: Sometimes we think they can?t be in tandem. They can?t live together.? ?Breathe Prayer: Lord, guide me to the wise path that protects my heart for the purposes you have for me. Use me to honor what you want me to know: that I am loved, that I need work, that I am called to a greater purpose you have for me, and that I don?t need to be scared of my ?messy.? But help me to recognize the messy and give it over to you. I love you, Jesus. Amen.? When our feelings are messy, it?s so important to tell someone, because we can lean in on their faith when our faith isn?t there.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women 

Verses Mentioned In Show: 

Matthew 11:28?29 NIV Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Psalm 116:6 NIV The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.

Everyone has someone in their life that they hope comes to know our loving God. Who is that for you? In today?s episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn compile a list of faith-sharing tips that can guide us through conversations with those on our ?Most Wanted List??those we most want to know Jesus. Join along and hear how God can use us as a voice for Him.

Notes and Quotes: 

Make a ?Most Wanted List?: A list of people you most want to come to know the God you love. ?There is somebody in everybody?s mind that they wish would come to know the God they love.? People who don?t know Jesus think of people who do know Jesus as hypocritical, judgmental, or too political. ?A really big reason I don?t talk about Jesus that much is because I?m afraid I am going to get it wrong.? ?You really can?t argue with a story. So if we can be as confident in our story (that involves our faith and God) as someone is with their story, then we don?t need to apologize for who God is. We can simply share who He has been to us.? Faith Sharing Tips: Know what your story is, know how to tell your story, know how to ask other people about their story, know how to explain beyond the jargon of our faith, share through your actions, pray. Understand that Jesus ?has? the person you love. The timing and end result may not be the same as you want, but He has them. Trust and believe that God will provide the words when you are trying to share about Him. ?In the end we do our own work by trusting that God has this.?

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org Free eBooklet Why We Believe: Evidences for the Christian Faith God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women  David Kinnaman?s book: unChristian

 

During this week?s episode of God Hears Her, Vivian Mabuni admits that as an American of Asian descent, she?s struggled to fit in, and this reality leads to a conversation on diversity, inclusion, and healing. From understanding terms like ?microaggression? to walking us through how to be a good friend to someone who?s hurting, this is a conversation about how God intended us to love others, even those who are different from us.

Guest Bio: 

Vivian Mabuni is a teacher and uses the platforms of writing, speaking, and podcasting to encourage women to find the abundant life Christ offers within the good and bad of life. Her battle with cancer led her to see God as present and faithful, even when life is not working out the way she expected. She wants people to know that following Jesus is not a pain-free and smooth journey, but it is still rich and good! Her newest book is titled Open Hands Willing Heart: Discover the Joy of Saying Yes to God.

Notes and Quotes: 

Microaggression: An othering; it separates us. According to Merriam-Webster?s Collegiate Dictionary, a microaggression is ?a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.? ?I have been on a journey, really, and some of it has been learning to actually embrace and celebrate my ethnic heritage because most of my life I spent trying to fit in.? Here?s a kind way to ask a person of a different ethnic background about themselves:  ?Will you share with me your ethnic heritage?? Also, learn your own ethnic heritage so you can contribute to the conversation. ?American does not mean ?white,? and we tend to start to think that is the normal; and that is not necessarily normal. It?s its own experience.? There is a strong rooting that takes place when we understand who we are and where we are from. God intends for us to live in unity, but unity is not uniformity.  ?I am not going to let what would be injustice, impact my character.? ?Instead of segregating our offerings into little cliques, which is so difficult, can we be more intentional of being inclusive?? How to help a friend who is healing: ?To be a good friend, don?t offer advice. The present of presence just goes so much further.? We all heal differently, and learning to be a gracious receiver is hard. We need to be respectful that each of us handles suffering differently.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org Discover the Word series with Vivian: ?Open Hands Willing Heart? God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women Vivians?s Podcast: Someday is Here Vivian?s Book: Open Hands Willing Heart Vivian?s Book: Warrior in Pink Bryan Stevenson?s Book: Just Mercy

 

Show Summary:

Feeling unseen, unheard, and invisible is something many of us struggle with. In this week?s episode of God Hears Her, Robert Gelinas describes overcoming feelings of being invisible and introduces us to Hagar and the God who sees and hears her and us. 

Guest Bio: 

Robert Gelinas deeply desires to see the body of Christ united and empowered to serve the poor and the poor in spirit; the miserable and the marginalized; the disabled and those deemed unimportant. Robert is the pastor of Colorado Community Church and the author of several books including his most recent, Discipled by Jesus. He and his wife, Barbara, live with their six children in the Denver area.

Notes and Quotes: 

?I felt loved, but I did not feel seen or heard in my family. I felt invisible.? ?The pastor says, ?I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,? and when I went under water it was like time stopped because I didn?t know who my dad was, and this man said Father.? Sometimes we don?t realize there is a big gap in our heart that desires to be known or noticed, until we are.  ?The people we interact with on this planet can mirror how He views us.? ?I don?t think the first woman wondered if she was seen and heard. I don?t think Eve ever woke up before the fall and said, ?Does God see me, and does my husband see me???  ?Are you really there if nobody sees you?? ?We would rather be invisible than be exposed.? Our fear of being vulnerable, or being exposed, gets in the way of us being seen or being known. ?Is it a right? It is more than a right, it?s what you were created for.? ?Referring to a woman questioning if it is her right to be seen and heard. When you feel invisible, you think it?s possibly your fault. But when you have that moment where God reveals to you that He sees you, then at least you know: I am not invisible. I am real. I exist.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org Free e-booklet Real Love by Bill Crowder God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon

Verses Mentioned In Show: 

Genesis 16:13 NIV ?You are the God who sees me.?  John 4:15-18 NIV Jesus with the woman at the well.

The Book of Lamentations NIV

Show Summary:

How would you describe the perfect friend? Have you ever thought to ask yourself, ?Am I friendable?? In this week?s episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn share tips and experiences that can help us find, and become, better friends. 

Notes and Quotes: 

Regarding friendship: ?I think instead of looking for that 24-7, I think we need to learn to be it. I call that being friendable?that I am open to a friend by being a friend to others.? Friend tip: You have to know your own story. Asking other people their story. Use the elevator analogy when asking someone their story. Get in the elevator, but allow them to choose what floor they are going to. Instead of pushing and probing, let it be open-ended and allow the person you asked to decide what floor, or level, they would like to get off at. Let the vulnerability lay in the lap of the person you are trying to befriend. Kill the competition. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you can be happy and confident in what God is doing in your life instead of comparing your life to what He?s doing in the lives of others.  Be open to finding friends in unexpected places.  ?We are wired for connection and friendship; and I think that God listens, and He wants to provide us friends that can meet us there.? Don?t be afraid to ask God, ?Hey, will you bring me a friend?? or ?Hey, will you make me more friendable?? ?I think there is something different that God has provided for us by providing Jesus. It is a kind of a friendship?it?s a spiritual friendship?but it?s a companion.? Leaning into God (in the areas we look for fulfillment from a friend) can protect our friendships and in turn make us closer friends with God.

Links: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes! Support the Podcast! Our Daily Bread Order God Hears Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon

Verses: 

John 15:14-15 NIV ?I have called you friends.? John 14:16-18 NIV ?I will come to you.?

Show Summary: 

Do you find that God speaks to you in a powerful, audible voice? Or do you have a hard time discerning if God is speaking to you at all? In this episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn discuss a number of ways we can hear God.

Notes and Quotes: 

?The title of this podcast is God Hears Her, and to be honest it has always thrown me. God hears her . . . wait, how do we hear God?? God speaks to us during our Scripture reading. Some of us may hear God audibly, whether it be loud and known or as a soft whisper. We can hear from God through other people: our mentors, friends, family. Be sure to discern appropriately whether the person speaking into you is doing it from the heart of God. Review their words against Scripture and allow God to confirm.  God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, the living Word of God. This can sometimes bring out unexplainable emotion in you, even tears. Eryn?s unplugged morning routine: 1. What am I feeling? 2. Recap yesterday. 3. Talk to God. What is on your heart and mind? 4. Confess. 5. Invite Him in: ?God, what do you want to tell me?? 6. Open up Scripture. Journaling can allow us to hear and connect with God. Listen for God while you enjoy art, nature, music, books, conversation, or even a Bible study. Pick a word. Each year focus on a word that God has given to you and really lean into His wisdom and focus on that word.  ?How do I hear God? Sometimes it?s in the silence of just sitting and knowing that He hears me.?

Links:

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes! Support the Podcast! Free e-booklet: ?God Is Not Silent? by Bill Crowder Our Daily Bread

 

 

 

Do you sometimes find yourself overlooked or on the outside of society? Do you have a hard time believing that God sees you, He hears you, and He loves you? In this episode of God Hears Her, Philip Yancey takes us on a journey across the globe to show how God can use some of the most unlikely women to reflect His image.

Links: 

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Support the Podcast!   Order your copy of Fearfully and Wonderfully by Philip Yancey on Amazon  Listen to Philip Yancey on Discover the Word in the series, ?Fearfully and Wonderfully?   Order your copy of Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey on Amazon Order your copy of Vision for God by Philip Yancey on Amazon Order your copy of Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey on Amazon

Show Summary: 

God could have designed humans to eat rocks, but instead He created food and gave men and women thousands of taste buds to enjoy it. On this episode of ?God Hears Her,? Margaret Feinberg joins the show to talk food, which is really a discussion into the deepest longings of a woman?s heart, and God?s invitation to taste and see that He is good. 

About Our Guest:

Margaret Feinberg is a podcaster on The Joycast, a speaker, and an author of several books that have sold over a million copies. She was recently named one of Christianity Today?s top 50 women shaping culture and the church. She lives in Utah with her husband, Leif, and their super-pup Hershey. Her recent book is Taste and See: Discovering God Among Butchers, Bakers and Fresh Food Markets.

Notes and Quotes:  

"Food is God?s love made edible."  "God creates the garden with a plethora of food and then gives us thousands of taste buds to enjoy it."  "What we really ache for is to know and be known, to love and be loved, and to enter a place where we can be vulnerable and any sense of shame scurries away."  "Communities are little mirrors that reflect ourselves back to us."  "There are times when I need, through prayer and Scripture, to hear God?s love for me.  And there are other times, for that to really take root, I need to hear it through other humans who are reflecting His glory and His presence."  "Social media is a dangerous game because it begins to feel like 'life.' But when words come from a person, in person, they are more meaningful and life-changing."  "If you want to have community, you have to build it, often out of nothing."  "If we want to be seen, we may have to open our eyes and see first. If we want to be heard, we have to become people who are really great listeners."  "The deepest hungers of your heart are uniquely designed to be met first and foremost by God. Jesus really is the One who can speak the syllables you most need to hear."  "Reach out to meet others? needs; and as you love them and bring joy to them, you?ll find some of your needs met too."  "Choose good people: life-giving, Jesus-loving, makes-you-laugh-until-tears-run-down- your-cheeks-and-other-places kind of people."

Links:

Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating! Get your copy of Margaret Feinberg?s book Taste and See on Amazon Free e-booklet: Open Hearts, Open Homes Our Daily Bread website

Verses: 

Hebrews 13:21 NIV ?We are called, equipped, and chosen.? 

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV ?Plan and a future?

Ephesians 2:10 NIV ?Appointed good works for me to do?

Romans 8:38 NIV ?I am loved by God.?

2 Corinthians 10 NIV ?Take every thought captive.?

 

Where is God when we?re in pain? What does it look like to trust God?s plan and pace in the midst of suffering? On this episode of God Hears Her, Xochitl Dixon and her service dog Callie join Eryn and Elisa to share how God can use even the tough stuff of life to draw us to Himself. 

Click here for Show Notes on godhearsher.org.

Brokenness is a part of life, but it doesn?t have to define our lives. Like gooey unfinished brownies, God isn?t finished with us yet. Our undoneness can point us to our need for God and point others to their need for him as well. In today?s episode of God Hears Her, Elisa Morgan shares her story of how God created beauty out of her broken childhood and broken family-life. 

Click here for Show Notes on godhearsher.org.

What?s blocking you from believing the truth that God sees you, hears you, and loves you? In this first episode of ?God Hears Her,? Eryn shares her story of creating an organization called ?So Worth Loving.? Both Elisa and Eryn share some practical ways to recognize and remove the lies that keep us from experiencing the love of God.

Click here for Show Notes on godhearsher.org.