Afleveringen
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My guest today is the former Clinical Director of Christian Psychotherapy Services where he had been in practice since 1989 but then left that practice to become the Founder of the Meadows Healing Prayer Center. He is a mental health professional and a licensed clinical social worker. My guest is Frank Meadows and he has been counseling and ministering with Theophostic Healing Prayer and seeing countless people being healed and delivered.
This episode with Frank Meadows takes a very close look at the benefits of healing and deliverance. Youāll hear me press into this healing and deliverance a few times as I try to dig down for a deeper understanding.
Frank takes us back to his roots on why he would even become interested in the healing ministry and how it impacted his life. He does an incredible job of explaining healing and deliverance as he shares his practices, methods and overall goal when heās working with a client.
What excites me the most about the deliverance ministry is that even though weāre Christians the fact remains that we still deal with trauma and with Theophostic Healing Prayer we have the ability to be set free. Which equates to peace for our minds and our hearts.
Ever wonder why a Christian pastor can also be a slave to porn? Why would a Christian wife be unfaithful? Didnāt she make a vow to her husband in the presence of God? Wouldnāt you be shocked to find out that a highly respected Christian is prone to fits or rage and physically abuses his/her spouse and children?
Thereās been more than one Christian family dealing with wayward children struggling with drugs, alcohol, identity issues, same sex attraction. Why are believers still using curse words in their every day language? Why are we lying about things, cheating people or the business we work for? Especially if we know Godās word and walk in a deep relationship with him? And yet, that is exactly what can and does happen.
Ultimately, we know that becoming a Christian does not mean that we are instantly perfect. We were born into sin and our maturing process with God is done in layers as He washes off the residue of this life, transforming us into His likeness.
Could it be that believing what we read in the Bible or hear in church is not enough or more accurately our knowledge needs experience too?
If our living God wants a living breathing relationship with us might He want to take us from believing what we read/hear to knowing by way of experiencing His benefits? I believe so because when we experience God it reinforces what weāve read/heard/believed with our mind and now our heart has proof because of Godās peace and freedom that floods our life.
Iām not knocking traditional therapy, Iāve used it, itās great but the difference that I have experienced between traditional therapy and Christian deliverance therapy has been hands down a level of sustained peace in my life that I have never known before. At the core of my heart, mind, body I am at peace. Iām not saying that situations/circumstances/people do not challenge that peace but I have a place of rest that I can continually return to or build on whenever I find myself using/trying to create self-protection/coping skills.
Because remember, as Christians we donāt need to go looking, begging, praying, wishing, hoping for Godās peace, healing, deliverance. Itās already there. Weāre called to engage what is already available to us and live with the benefits in the here and now.
Letās get into this episode because I want you to hear all the good stuff that my guest Frank Meadows has to share, letās dive in and hear how our lie based thinking is how we stay trapped and how using Theophostic Healing Prayer to dismantle these barriers opens up a floodgate of freedom and peace; living water poured into our hearts, bodies, minds.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrivie.com
Connect with Frank on his website: https://www.meadowshealingprayercenter.com/about-us/
Bio:Frank is the founder of the Meadows Healing Prayer Center in Chesapeake, Va. For years,he has counseled and ministered healing prayer to many in the Hampton Roads, VA area. He has been utilizing Theophostic Healing Prayer with great results since 1999. Since that time many have come from across the United States to receive Franksā ministry for extended times of intensive healing prayer. Since that time he has ministered over 17,000 hours using Theophostic Healing Prayer. Frank has taught and facilitated many Theophostic Basic Training Seminars and healing prayer training locally, nationally, and internationally.
Frank is a mental health professional and a licensed clinical social worker. He is also the clinical director of Christian Psychotherapy Services in Chesapeake, Virginia. He has been in practice there since 1989 ministering to clients and families with emotional, relational, spiritual and abuse trauma recover issues.
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My guest is Mary Beth Powers and we connected over the topic that weāre discussing today, unhealthy soul ties. Mary Beth is a long-time Bible teacher, a certified speaker, she currently serves as a connection Pastor at her church and weāll be able to call her author as soon as her book is completed and published. Additionally, she leads a healing ministry called Freedom.
We talked about the impact that soul ties have on relationships, personal growth, and the importance of recognizing and breaking these ties through self-evaluation, Godly instruction, leaning into the heart of God and professional counseling with regard to trauma associated with some soul ties.
Mary Beth defined a soul tie and while it is not a biblical term she connected the dots for us with regard to how the Bible refers to uniting/joining/cleaving to someone as the same result of a soul tie.
I had a lot of curiosity about soul ties because itās not something often spoken about in church and yet when they go undetected they rob us personally in countless ways, some of which are delaying our ability to fulfill the calling on our life, becoming a victim because of a lack of identity, staying stuck in trauma which cripples mentally, emotionally/physically. These are some of the possible results of staying attached to unhealthy soul ties.
I asked some very pointed questions about pornography soul ties, how soul ties created in past sexual relationships impact current ones. We talked about abusive relationship soul ties. I even asked Mary Beth about unwanted soul ties that are forced upon us such as rape and she even included incest in that portion of the discussion. In short, it was a very I interesting topic for me.
You may hear Mary Beth back on my show again because the book that she is in the process of writing is on generational curses and that is something else that Iām very interested in!
Letās jump in and educate ourselves on soul ties, see if they apply to our life and if so, letās break them off and walk in countless new levels of freedom!
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Mary Beth:Website marybethpowers.comFB: https://www.facebook.com/mary.b.powersIG: girl.be.still
Bio:Mary Beth is passionate about seeing women experience Jesus in a life-changing way.
She speaks authentically as a safe place for women to share their struggles. Whether one-on-one or from a podium in a room full of women, she loves to see women thriving in the fullness of Jesus!
Mary Beth is a certified speaker and long-time Bible teacher. She currently serves as a connection Pastor at her church. She is known for her infectious personality and caring for others. She has a deep devotion to her family. She is married to her forever crush, Mike, and they parent three children together. They live in North Alabama in a small but growing town called Hazel Green. They enjoy the empty-nest season, and together, they love to travel and try out new restaurants.
She loves exploring new coffee shops, but most days, you will find her curled up next to her Aussie, Hartlee, coffee in one hand and her journal in the other, finishing a book about Godās unfailing love.
But she has a new role that she finds her favorite: being a Nana to her 3 new grandsons!
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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My guest, author Noah Asher has written a book titled Chaos, Overcoming the Overwhelming. Noah uses his personal experience with chaos and leads us through what I believe (after talking to Noah and hearing this examples) is our own journey into, through and out of what Jesus modeled on the cross.
Donāt get me wrong our pain and suffering do not fulfill the same purpose and plan as the crucifixion. It will never equate to the work He accomplished. My point in making the connection of the Easter weekend from Friday to Sunday is that Jesus took all of our suffering, anguish, shame, guilt, regret, trauma and nailed it to the cross. This is proof that He has the power to turn our chaos into purpose too!
Through the model that Jesus gave us on the cross of overcoming the evil of this life, when we experience heartbreaking seasons we have an example of what processing the pain of this life looks like: Friday can be the pain of the impact, the moment our life changed forever. Saturday is the waiting season in-between Friday and Sunday. And then Sunday is the season of healing and restoration.
Noah breaks down a season of chaos into 3 phases:
*The Prepare Season - I really liked that Noah equips us to prepare for our own Friday moment. I was really curious to know, how can someone actually prepare for their life to be interrupted with chaos because we all know itās not an āif it happensā scenario itās a āwhen it happensā reality and yet I donāt consciously prepare for bad things to happen. So his insight is very helpful to first recognize that you probably are preparing yourself you just didnāt recognize it and then to see other ways you can equip yourself.
*The second season is In The Midst - Noah terms it as your Saturday season. Youāre between the life changing event and the healing, restoration, redemption phase. Noah talked about how we can make this time as beneficial as possible, what value does this phase even have? What can you learn about God in (what I call the) the struggle season because it can be full of questions as we struggle to understand all that has been impacted. Questions like, "Why did you let this happen God?ā "Why did this happen to me?ā "What am I supposed to do with my life now?ā "Who am I now?"
*And the final season, the Aftermath which I now term as Sunday. This is a time of healing, restoration and redemption - but what does that even mean in an individual life? It means a lot of beautiful things. Discovering your purpose, receiving revelation of Godās heart for you as his son or daughter and Noah talks about several more.
Noah did a fantastic job of making this topic of chaos very relatable and as youāll hear he adds humor to what can be a very weighty topic. Not only does he back up his revelation and the real examples with Biblical truth, he also adds a little wit with references to characters such as The Lion Kin and Eeyore.
I asked Noah if there was a difference between chaos and trauma, and we talked about grief and grace, perseverance on the journey and we used Josephās story (among other biblical examples) to look at how God repurposed everything that was done to Joseph to bring good out of despair, and not just good for Joseph but for many and of course that echos the work of the cross as well. When you think about the good that the cross produced for as many who will accept Jesusā payment for our sin debt.
Letās listen in to find out how to navigate the 3 phases of chaos so that we might be prepared when our Friday arrives. If weāre prepared we know Who to turn to so that we can go from pain to purpose! We can have hope in a better tomorrow because we have the promise and the proof that Sunday is coming.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Noah:Website: www.thenoahasher.comIG: @TheNoahAsher on Instagram Email: [email protected]
Bio:Noah Asher is an author, Chaos-survivor, business owner, and communicator. Noah helps people find purpose within their pain and their past. His new book, CHAOS: Overcoming the Overwhelming, is a guide on how to navigate through difficult times and come out stronger on the other side. Noah believes that everyone has a purpose, and he is dedicated to helping people find it.
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This conversation is deeply layered and beautifully delivered by my guest Angie Baughman who intimately knows loss and what it means to live with complete uncertainty.
A simple car ride with her family turns their world upside down. Sheās in the car with her husband and 2 young sons, a vehicle crosses the line and hits them head on. The crash affects her entire family; immediate, extended, church as well as their friends. Everyone who was courageous enough to step into roles and take on responsibilities of what it entails to support a family.
The tragic results of the accident put Angie and her oldest son who was 7 years old at the time, in the hospital. Between the two of them they had 8 surgeries. In the blink of an eye she began a journey of loss and total uncertainty at no fault of her own.
And then at a point where sheās gaining some independence, sheās working hard to hit the physical therapy goals with a strong desire to do away with the level of need and personal care she receives, including the desire to be the one making all of the decision for her and her family, but then sheās blind signed by a brain bleed. It was a result of the car crash but yet it doesnāt present itself until 18 months later. Sheās in a great place of improvement, moving forward and now sheās starting all over again.
Because of her extended recovery Angieās belief system, and not exclusive to her faith, is more than simply challenged or shaken, itās shattered. Since satan is famous for attaching himself to our traumas, in the midst of Angie questioning everything about her life, satan brings a past trauma to the forefront of her mind/heart.
Satanās intention, of course, is to destroy Angie with this compounding trauma but she decides to accept Godās invitation and allow Him to heal her. In the intimacy of His invitation, He lets her know, Heās not giving her back the life she had, Heās taking her back to move her forward. Satan may have brought back past trauma but God was going to reveal His heart to healing. He was preparing a table for her in the presence of her enemy.
At one point in our conversation I asked her how do we take negative/traumatic/lies/thoughts captive to Christ and she lays out several things we can do to interrupt satanās intentions and rewrite them with Godās promises.
If youāre living with uncertainty or itās one of your biggest fears, then youāll find quotable wisdom that you can hang on to, right down to her parting words as we closed our time together. Listen in to discover what those lifelines are that Angie has to share. Letās dive in to find God in the painful places of life.
Live Loved and Thrive! @ alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Angie:Website: https://livesteadyon.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/angiebaughman421/FB: https://www.facebook.com/livesteadyonYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwl0_Edd8fNHz7y1jLOqj4g
Bio:Angie Baughman is a pastor, Bible teacher, author, podcaster, founder of Steady On ministries, and creator of the Step By Step Bible study method.
At sixteen, she was groomed into a romantic relationship with a high school teacher and faced community rejection when she went public with her story. Knowing and living by the promises of God helped free her from layers of shame, and she now creates resources that help people cultivate consistent Bible study habits.
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My guest today is a grief specialist, she is certified in critical incident stress debriefing, a certified trauma-integrative practitioner, an 8-time award-winning author on grief, and the founder of The Grief & Trauma Healing Network. Anne-Marie Lockmyer has quite a well-rounded education on grief but her passion is to help grieving widows.
Sheās a widow herself, so my conversation with Anne-Marie is both from her personal experience as well as her professional ability to help widows process and heal. We had a great conversation that Iām excited to share with you!
Some of the things we talked about were: what does it mean to be blessed in a Christian context when in fact weāre not exempt from pain and suffering; the complexity of grief (that it does affect the brain and the body); giving yourself permission to grieve, to be angry, to laugh, to have joy. Grief is a roller coaster at best so the focus is to care for yourself as you journey through.
We talked about healing and that it is possible. Doesnāt mean you forget about your loved one or that youāre not honoring them anymore if youāre not sad. It doesnāt mean that your life will magically return to what it used to be. Sadly, it will never be the same. It will be different, but it can still be beautiful.
As Anne-Marie shares her experience of unexpectedly losing her husband Mark and it happens while sheās out of the country. I add that because I personally think that not being able to get to your loved one at such a critical time adds yet another layer of trauma to the trauma. Her husband passed from a brain aneurysm, this not only leaves her blindsided and numb but they have a special needs son who responded to his father like no one else.
When Anne-Marie received word over the phone, in a foreign country that her world had been ripped apart and would never be the same, she asked one thing of God. "God, if I have to go through this, may I glorify you, honor Mark and impact lives?"
As you listen to the message on her heart, or visit her website, check out her widows retreat and engage her extensive resources, I think youāll see that God has honored her request. God has taken the very same thing that evil intended to destroy Anne-Marie with and did something really beautiful.
Letās listen in so that we might find God in the midst of pain and suffering.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Anne-Marie:Email: [email protected]: Grief & Trauma Healing Network https://griefandtraumahealing.comFree online grief support site: MyGriefCare.com https://www.mygriefcare.comYour Grief Guides YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXrACWW7qjFlQ1A26onCMQAnne-Marieās 8-time award-winning book āWhen Their World Stops - The Essential Guide to Truly Helping Anyone in Griefā https://amzn.to/3Sb2T2f
Bio:Anne-Marie Lockmyer is a grief specialist, certified in critical incident stress debriefing, a certified trauma-integrative practitioner, 8-time award-winning author on grief, and founder of The Grief & Trauma Healing Network. As a widow herself, Anne-Marie knows the pain and devastation that grief and loss cause and is living proof that you can go from surviving to thriving. Anne-Marie works with people worldwide, and is passionate about advocating for and loving grievers and being an educational catalyst to society on grief and loss.
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What do we do when God interrupts our life and turns it in a completely different direction? My guest, Morgan McCarver has an answer to that question. Just when all of her disciplined years of dance training and mastering control of her body was about to pay off in the world of competitive dance, she was forced to submit to a surgery that would avoid severe health complications in the future.
Morgan would endure a spinal fusion surgery that would alter her bodyās ability to comply with the demands of dance. With a year long recovery ahead, and without dance, Morgan felt the need to create so she and her mom began to look for various outlets.
What could possibly be out of convenience for her motherās schedule, she enrolls Morgan in a summer camp and her class is a pottery workshop. Youāll hear how God uses this seemingly insignificant enrollment to then open a whole new world for Morgan.
Morgan makes mention of the book of Genesis (in the Bible) reminding us that humanity is first introduced to God through the creation process and itās that side of His nature that He shares with Morgan as a way of revealing His heart to her. The beauty He brings forth through this form of expression in Morgan can be found in numerous art galleries, her Etsy account and in the pages of the book sheās written, titled, āGod the Artist: Revealing Godās Creative Side Through Pottery.ā
As Morgan creates with her hands, God is creating in her and through her as well and itās the same for each of us.
Listen in to discover the beauty God has for us in the creative process and how it can be overlayed onto what Heās doing in our lives as the individuals He created us to be.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Morgan:www.morganmccarver.com (find the link to her book, Etsy shop & if you buy wholesale, her link to Faire.com)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgan_mccarver_porcelain/?hl=enFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/morgan.mccarver.7/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-mccarverX (formerly Twitter): https://www.sotwe.com/GodTheArtistBk
Bio: Morgan McCarver was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her work is inspired by her female mentors of past and present, as well as her connection to Victorian corsetry through her scoliosis journey. She received an art degree with a ceramics concentration and a double minor in art history and business in 2019 from Anderson University in Anderson, SC. McCarver had the honor of receiving the 2019 Outstanding Art Major Ceramics Award her senior year. As a 2020 701 Center for Contemporary Art prize finalist, she had the honor of being the youngest artist to ever make it that far. She is a multi-award winning artist who recently received an Artist Support Grant to attend a national ceramics conference. She has had the honor of displaying her work in 3 solo exhibitions, āFemininiTEAā 2020, āThe Strength of a Wildflowerā 2022 and āPostures in Porcelainā 2023. She recently completed a residency at Edgewood Cottage in Blowing Rock Summer 2023 and participated 2022 as well. McCarver has studios in Asheville, NC and Spartanburg, SC. Her art can be found in various galleries around the Carolinas and Tennessee. Her first book, āGod the Artist: Revealing Godās Creative Side Through Pottery,ā will be released with Morgan James Publishing January 9, 2024.
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My guest today is Rose Anne Forte (For-Tay). She is an Alcohol-Free coach, a Positive Intelligence Coach and an International Best-Selling author of the award winning daily devotional titled, āThe Plans He Has for Me.ā Todayās episode is discovering more about her 12 week devotional and the challenge to purposefully consider the possibility of a transformed life.
Rose Ann was a successful executive, ministry leader in the church, bible teacher, mom, wife and more but when her marriage fell apart she found herself in a place of desiring to be free from the psychological slavery of her alcohol habit.
One of the great things I feel that Rose Ann is doing in the program that sheās created (by marrying the secular addiction program she used with the true, lasting hope and change that the God of the Holy Bible offers), is to shift our mindset about labels such as alcoholic, recovery and sober.
In my personal opinion, sheās taken a very practical approach about these 3 words moving them from a secular viewpoint to the transformed reality that God provides.
That made sense to me because of the complete work of Christ on the cross and the fact that by His stripes we are healed. Not partially healed. Not kinda healed. But healed. And I agree that healing takes place in layers but that does not negate the full redemptive restoration accomplished on the cross that is available to us today and every day.
Donāt get me wrong, I think labels are important when it comes to identifying a problem. Labels help to establish a starting point to work from. Once a problem is identified it helps with taking responsibility for the changes you need to initiate. What does taking responsibility do? It moves you from the victim mentality (another label) to victor, a much better adjective.
Do relapses happen? Sure. Rose Ann and I talk about that aspect of breaking any type of addiction. Relapse is part of being healed in layers.
If you struggle with or have struggled with addiction, it will always be a part of your testimony with regard to the journey you went through. However, that doesnāt mean that youāre tied to that label or this worldās value system. If thereās one thing (among many) that a personal relationship with Christ gives you itās living above the chaos and limited understanding of this world.
What Iām getting at is, at some point there comes a time when you leave behind the words alcoholic, recovery and sober. Rose Ann talks about this in more detail. You reach a point where youāre reigning in life, free of addiction and in this case alcohol. The recovery process is complete, you're living a life that no longer resembles addiction.
With every layer of healing we step into the progressive story of renewal and redemption that Christ is writing over our life. Heās writing a much bigger love story with us as the unique person He created us to be. His heart is to help you break free from the grip of this life and step into who He created you to be when He knit you together with His own hands.
If you feel like something in your life is out of sync, maybe something has a bigger hold on you than you feel comfortable with/itās nagging you or if youāre clear that you struggle with any type of addiction, Rose Annās personal transformation will give your heart encouragement to know that freedom is possible.
If youād like to consider the possibility of a transformed life, check out Rose Annās 12 week program, āThe Plans He has for Me.ā The link is in the show notes. Also included in the show notes are links to Rose Annās free resources which I think they are also on her website. ThePlansHeHasForMe.com
Listen in for a dose of encouragement from Rose Ann Forte!
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Rose Ann:Articles and free resources: WebsitePodcast: Say Goodbye and Imagine! PodcastInstagram: @roseannforteplans
Bio:Rose Ann is an Alcohol-Free Coach, a Positive Intelligence Coach and International Best-Selling author of an award winning daily devotional called āThe Plans He Has For Meā. She helps people put alcohol to the side for 12 consecutive weeks by educating them with the scientific principles behind alcohol abuse using Godās foundational principles to renewing your mind. The Plans He Has For Me is a 12 week focused devotional for those who want to rid themselves of the psychological slavery of their alcohol habit.
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My guest and friend, Tina Ivey allowed me to ask questions about her personal trauma of domestic and sexual abuse. Tina has not only survived sexual abuse by her father but sheās excelled beyond merely surviving. She is living a life that is full, busy and rewarding. I personally feel that one of the strongest markers for a life of thrive/thriving is to live in peace, contentment and forgiveness. Those qualities describe Tina.
In this episode we talk about many aspect of abuse such as what keeps victims from speaking up? What is something that the average person can look for in order to help someone who is experiencing sexual abuse? Additionally, Tina shares her foster care experience that included a neighbor girl who was a bully. Tina also shares how she and that girl (after they had become adults) cross paths and how God challenged Tinaās ability to forgive.
I asked Tina about forgiveness in 3 areas: her father, God and herself. Like so many abuse victims, she withheld forgiveness from herself the longest. She shared about her regrets and the healing process that took place as she wrote her book titled, Better Than I Should be: Overcoming Sexual and Domestic Abuse through Forgiveness and Personal Healing. The book became available for purchase on December 20, 2023, so itās available now.
We didnāt get to discuss all that Tinaās book reveals so the purchase link will be in the show notes if youād like to read more about her journey. She had the proverbial cards of life stacked against her since she was a tiny girl but God does amazing things with simple childlike faith.
Real quick before we get started, when I was looking at the transcript there is a part of our conversation where Tina refers to Jaci. I noticed we did not share who that is. Jaci is Tinaās daughter.
Letās get to it. Listen in for a small glimpse into Tinaās journey through sexual abuse and her steadfast faith in believing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says Heāll do.
Lived Loved and Thrive!
Connect with Tina:IG - christina.w.iveyFB - https://www.facebook.com/christina.w.ivey
Resources:Tinaās book: Better Than I Should Be: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Should-Overcoming-Forgiveness/dp/B0CLMVMWBC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YZSKAX6THOO&keywords=better+than+i+should+be%2C+tina+ivy&qid=1703796036&sprefix=%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1Safe House Project: safehouseproject.orgAmy Watson - Wednesdayās with Watson. Amy has a powerful story of her own and is a strong advocate for hope, healing and restoration. Connect with Amy: WednesdaysWithWatson.comLiving Waters - Help for those who are dealing with sexual and relational brokenness- https://www.desertstream.org/who-we-are & https://www.desertstream.org/find-a-group
Bio:Christina Warren Ivey Grew up in a small rural town in Martin County, NC. As a young girl, her childlike faith led her to invite Jesus to be her Lord and Savior and she has pursued Him ever since. Growing in her personal and intimate relationship with Christ has given her the keys to find healing and forgiveness after years of abuse. Better Than I Should Be is her first book and will walk you through her journey to emotional wellness.
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If youāre dealing with overwhelming pain my guest Darci Steiner has a testimony of amazing resilience as she lives out the debilitating affects of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS. In her book, Beauty Beyond the Thorns, Darci reveals how God cares for us in the darkest valleys in life. What she shares can benefit anyone who is dealing with pain that makes it seem like there's no way out.
While we didnāt discuss in detail the medical side of self-care I wanted to mention it now. If youāre experiencing a crisis of mental health, emotional health of physical health, consider medical professionals and/or medication (per your doctor) in addition to your faith journey. Unrelenting pain can be a very lonely journey so Darci points us to the One who will never leave nor forsake us. God is always present, always listening and ready to tend to you.
CRPS is called the suicide disease because when ranked on a pain scale, CRPS is found to be the highest pain one can feel hence the suicide disease label. People who know this level of unrelenting pain want to escape, permanently. Especially because theyāre told there is no cure. But God, right?
Twenty years ago a fall down the steps ignited Darciās first experience with CRPS. The pain was so great that she did not have an appetite and became malnourished and was dying. Darci shares a little bit about her story of being bedridden for 2 years and the healing journey she experienced.
What gripped my heart is that 5 years ago on a very special day for her family, the simple need of having to go back into the venue to grab something that she forgot and a chair topples from a stack and strikes her in the ankle. Immediately the pain seared from the injury and Darci knew she was headed back into CRPS.
So at the time of this recording she is living with CRPS once again. She talked about the difference in how she engages Godās heart this time. Because of her vulnerability, we get a glimpse of a maturing faith forged in deep pain that produces an intimacy with God that cannot be developed in any other context.
One of the ways that Darciās faith matured is that while in Godās word she received revelation on the distinction between being and doing. Darciās pain severely limited her ability to engage in some of the most simple things in lifeā¦at one point of being bedridden for 2 years, as Darci lay in bed she asked her husband to create a tent over her with the bed sheet because when it touched her skin it caused excruciating pain.
As she lay in bed day in and day out she began to question the purpose of living. She couldnāt do anything, she wasnāt of any help, she couldnāt enjoy her young daughters. Life was happening around her but without her. Even today she can only watch her grandchildren with assistance and short intervals.
Itās in this quiet place of simply being with God that she discovers a whole new level of intimacy with Him. The revelation that His only request for her, for any of us is to be with Him. A weight was lifted and she began to see the beauty of Christās extravagant love for her in the humble posture of being.
One last thing and weāll jump into the conversation with Darci. I especially loved how Darci shares that in the dark valleys of life God is there. I know weāve heard that a thousand times but itās a great reminder that we donāt have to go looking for Him. We donāt have to pray for Him to find us. We donāt have to check off the good Christian checklist for Him to show Himself. Heās already there. We simply need to engage Him in the being.
If youāve been struggling with the thought that a good God would not have you suffer like this I challenge you to reframe that. God is good because despite the reality of the pain in this life, He doesnāt abandon or reject us nor does He leave us to figure it out on our own. He enters into our pain with us, comforts us, leads us into healing, and untangles our fears. In short, He gives us His very presence.
Darci was the absolute sweetest because despite her pain and my probing questions she has such a deep desire in her heart to share an encouraging message with others who are experiencing unrelenting pain whether itās in their mind/mental health, body/physical health, heart/emotional health. Listen in because Darci does a beautiful job of revealing the heart of God in the context of pain and suffering.
Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Darci:Website: https://www.darcijsteiner.com Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/darcijsteinerFacebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/darci.andersonsteinerInstagram: https://instagram.com/darcijsteiner.writer/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcijsteiner/ X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/DarciJSteiner Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/darcijsteinerPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/darcijsteiner/Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/darcijsteiner.comYouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8I8Pweui5tUt1DVvpeqEIAWomenSpeakers.comAudible
Bio:Darci J. Steiner is the author of the award-winning biblically based book Beauty Beyond the Thorns: Discovering Gifts in Suffering. She is an inspirational speaker, author, writing coach, and nutritionist. Darci began writing to process her pain after a foot injury disabled her due to the nerve-pain disorder Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Darci writes and speaks messages that uplift and inspire audiences to always hold on to hope. She loves spending time with her husband, two adult daughters, and two grandchildren. Please visit www.darcijsteiner.com to subscribe to The Upside of Suffering Newsletter.
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Have you ever felt inadequate when trying to express your care and concern to someone who is grieving? If so, my guest Sherrie Dunlevy is going to help us understand how we can genuinely help the brokenhearted. Sheāll shed some light on what to say and what not to say as well as what to do and what not to do. Plus along the way, Sherrie gives us additional insight that is going to help if youāre facing a season of loss and uncertainty yourself.
Something I always like to point out is that grief is not limited to loosing a loved one. Anything that leaves us brokenhearted which equates to anytime weāre separated from that which we hold near and dear to our hearts. Itās times like that when everything familiar shifts and the pain demands a grieving process. When part of our life is torn away, weāre in need of an honest evaluation of how this tragedy impacts our life and what resources do we need to engage, in order to move toward full healing.
Sherrie has a background in television as a news anchor, a radio talk show host, and she is currently a podcast host as well as a grief coach. And we can add author to her list of accomplishments because sheās published a book titled, Can I Help?
Sherrie wrote this book because she has a deep compassion for those who are in a season of grief. As a grief coach her focus is to help the grieving process their pain. Based on the knowledge and insight that Sherrie has gained as a grief coach we push out the topic of grief to talk about how we can avoid adding extra stress and demands on our loved ones who are struggling with deep pain and even deeper questions.
When someone is faced with the uncertainty of life, the struggle to understand their circumstance is fertile ground for isolation, confusion and to be honest, awkwardness. Itās the awkwardness that causes us to distance ourself from our loved one or to say things that are blanket statements. Blanket statements are the type of cliche comments that when said everyone knows itās just a substitute for, I donāt know what to say.
Sherrieās book, Can I Help?, will give you the confidence to feel more at ease with the topic of grief and as you implement and practice Sherrieās advice you become more comfortable to share space someone who is grappling with the reality of their old life vs the life they are now forced to know.
Thereās power in having confidence for this topic because it removes barriers and lets an aching heart know that they are seen, heard and cared about. When youāre in pain, knowing that youāre not alone is powerful enough to give people hope for a better tomorrow.
The bottom line is, neither the brokenhearted nor the people who desperately want to help will have all the answers. Every situation is unique to the person who has experienced a tragedy/trauma. And the truth is, the brokenhearted canāt articulate what they need in the moment. In addition, the one who desires to be there for their loved one, feels helpless. If they both know anything, itās that neither one can reach the pain because neither one can change the devastating reality of loss.
Sherrie makes a clear distinction, which I felt was truly foundational to having the courage to reach out to someone who needs a kind word and that is, to remember itās not about you. Sherrie and I partnered that portion of the conversation with another key truth that she pointed out: The person who wants to help canāt fix it and itās not their job to fix it. To me, that takes a huge weight off and it allows the caregiver (not in a medical sense but rather in the context of relationship) to simply show up, sit quietly if necessary and allow their loved one to find their way through the grief.
If youāve ever felt helpless, confused, or awkward when it comes to navigating grief then listen in to see how you can remove typical barriers and create a connection of support that brings peace and invites healing.
Live Loved and Thrive!
Connect with Sherrie:WebsiteGrief Coaching ServicesBook and ResourcesFacebook
Bio:Former NBC News Anchor Sherrie Dunlevy served the Wheeling, WV area for nearly 30 years both on television and radio. Today she is a best selling author, Inspirational speaker and the Founder of the Graduating Grief Academy and host of the Graduating Grief podcast. Her Number one best selling book āHow Can I Help?ā was written to help people know exactly what to say and do when the people they love and care about are hurting. Sherrie helps people step out of the pain of their grief, so they can step into living with purpose, passion and JOY.
Transcript
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Author Jodi Howe is here to talk about anxiety. More specifically, sheās here to tell us how to do more than simply manage it. She gives us various examples of how we set ourself up for patterns of anxiety. She shares practical steps for not only catching these patterns but she also offers suggestions on evaluating our schedules and practices that we can unknowingly add overwhelm to our typical day.
Jodiās book, The Air That I Breathe is a resource that she couldnāt find when she so desperately wanted relief from the panic attacks that threatened to overtake her life. She shares the various lessons sheās learned along the way so that you can gain immediate insight vs struggling to figure out the best ways to find freedom. She also shares the countless ways that God steadied her, led her and healed her through this journey.
The current (IYKYK) publishing date for Jodiās book is November 27, 2023. You will be able to find it on Amazon as well as Jodiās website (jodihowe.com). Christmas is just around the corner so maybe you want to drop a hint or two to let your peeps know that youād like a copy for Christmas. Also, if thereās someone in your life who could really use help to get their anxiety under control, consider Jodiās resource (aka her book, The Air That I Breathe) an excellent tool in seeing that come to fruition.
If youāre like me youāre gonna immediately love Jodi because sheās full of life. While her wit will have you laughing Iām most impressed with her courage to be transparent about real life challenges.
Even when life doesnāt look neat, predictable and pretty she doesnāt side step the hard parts but takes them on knowing that God will see her through. This book is such an incredible tool because Jodiās personal experience has been so beautifully blended with practical steps of application and the wisdom of Godās word and the fact that Heās already laid out how we can live without anxiety, worry, fear and overwhelm.
Letās listen in to discover how we can find God in the midst of the struggle to quiet our mind and find peace in a world that is anything but peaceful.
Live Loved and Thrive! @Alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Jodi:WebsiteFacebookInstagramX (Formerly Twitter)
Jodiās Bio as seen on her website:I grew up in Upstate New York. Raised in Syracuse and even attended Syracuse University. I am still a die-hard fan of everything Orangemen Football and Basketball. I also enjoy the NFL. Go Giants. Oh, and the Bills, too. After all, I am from NY! I now live in North Carolina. In between life, I have lived in New York City, San Francisco, and Albany, New York. Still, I love the South. Not the heat, but the south. The mountains are 3 hours awayāthe ocean, 2. It's the best of both worlds and I get all of my beloved seasons. At home, I can be found in my comfy chair with my smartphone, writing content and studying through devotionals and the Bible. And sometimes I watch a show or two. I love to be with people and am highly extroverted. I am in my "happy place" when behind a microphone. This may come as a surprise to some, but I also love to retreat on my own. I am fueled by quiet time with the Lord and peaceful surroundings. Reflecting. Praying. Dreaming. Learning and then Praying some more. Focusing on The Air that I Breathe. Which is Jesus! I have lived, grieved, and learned hard lessons through a marital break-up and family struggles (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). I also know anxiety very well, and it is my first actual testimony to God, his love, and experiencing the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). Apostle Paul tells us we will have thorns in our flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7), but God's grace is sufficient for each day. I am a testimony to that.
I am a mother of 2 girls. I adore them with all of my heart. They are beautifully unique in their ways, and I am genuinely proud of them.
Will you join me in my life-long journey of knowing and loving Jesus? Living in him is the abundant life promised, and yes, it's all good when we shift our perspective toward God's plan for our lives. And wholeheartedly, I believe we can also have some fun along the way.
You are Loved,Jodi
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My guest Leslie Davis, is a founder (along with her husband) of HeartCall Ministries and itās because of the way God has blessed their marriage that makes Leslie passionate about seeing marriages healed and strengthened through the truth of God's Word. Their marriage is proof that you can have a solid, godly, blessed, rewarding marriage.
Leslie and I talked about how marriage is simply two broken people bringing out the brokenness in each other but Leslie said something that I cannot ever remember considering it quite like she shared. Granted, Iāve been a widow now for a little over 5.5 years so maybe Iām just not remembering.
She said, āA lot of times God will use the marriage relationship to provide healing for those broken places.ā I donāt recall considering conflict in my marriage, as an opportunity to heal. Although, in hindsight it was times of frustration and feeling at my wits end in my marriage that caused me to seek my own personal healing.
When I think about it, thatās so like God. He knows marriage is gong to bring our brokenness to the surface. He knows weāre going to challenge each other and itās going to trigger all the areas where we need healing and Heās fine with that. Heās fine with it because in the process Heās asking us to give that painful place, that brokenness to Him so He can heal it. The sooner we give it to Him the sooner we get to walk in freedom.
Godās heart is to heal us in the here and now. To build our trust, to show us His faithfulness and ability to Shepherd us well.
A significant distinction that Leslie made is looking at the difference of what it means to have a strong identity based on who we are IN Christ AND who we are TO Christ. So good. I canāt wait for you to hear that part.
We took a look at abuse, submission, obedience and humbling but itās not the typical conversation that you may be used to hearing. Leslie believes that submission preached without including the importance of biblical leadership is not viable. Additionally, Leslie points to varying levels of trust between spouses and the fact that when the marriage vows (that were spoken between you and your spouse in front of witnesses) are broken then thereās some work that needs to be done.
Whether is was submission, obedience, humbleness, or abuse, no matter our topic, Leslie balances it with clarity, hope and Godās heart for us and for marriage.
I am confident that her message is going to encourage you to continue pursuing the heart of God and discovering His intention for marriage and the freedom He has for us as the individual He created you to be.
We canāt forget, that if weāve professed the Son of God as our Lord and Savior, then Heās made a vow to us. Heāll never leave us nor forsake us especially in the painful places of life.
I donāt want to delay any longer, letās listen in so that we might get a glimpse of how to find God in our pain, specifically the broken places in marriage.
Live Loved and Thrive! @Alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Leslie:WebsiteCounselingPodcastResourcesFacebookInstagram
Bio:Leslie is the co-host with her husband, Doug, of The Vision-Driven Marriage podcast. They currently work with couples who are experiencing the overwhelm of the whirlwind of life. She earned a Master of Science degree in counseling from Illinois State University in 2008 and a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University in 1991. She has been trained as a certified Suicide Intervention Specialist and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Leslie has been married to Doug for 34 years. Together they have four beautiful daughters and three sons-in-law. Four sweet little granddaughters call her Nana. She likes to write, scrapbook, and has recently taken up watercolor painting.
Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/463bf4a1bbd74ee6b8e335669e679edb/view
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My guest Sue Corl is the Founder and Executive Director at Crown of Beauty International. Her childhood and young adult years were very difficult. She was born with a facial birth defect and from birth to 15 years of age most of those formative years were spent living with complications both physical and mental, from back to back corrective surgeries.
But talking with Sue, listening to her life, hearing about her ministry, her husband and family, God has not wasted a single moment of pain and suffering and neither has Sue. In pursuit to rewrite the lies that she believed about herself, she has agreed with God on everything that He has to say about her, and the way that He loves her. Hence the birth of Crown of Beauty International. It is her passion to lead women to find freedom from the defeating lies that they think, feel, and live out in their personal lives.
Sue travels all around the world and walks through every door God opens for her and she points the hearts of women to Godās truth and His deep love for them. Sue is amazing!
I want let you know that the thing that was supposed to keep your mouth shut, the thing that has you feeling guilt and shame, give it to God and Heāll transform it into an adventure you would have never thought to ask for nor could you imagine.
We talked about so many things but a few of those that stuck out to me were, talking about how reading Godās word (the Bible), how it transforms you through the work of the Holy Spirit. Not just from a spiritual aspect. She talked about when the word is built upon and it begins to transform us little by little it also affects our posture, the way we walk, how we talk to people, the way we show up in places, roles, responsibilities. It reminded me of this, Iām not sure if youāve ever experienced it but sometimes when youāre talking to someone you can see joy in their eyes, a light in some peopleās eyes. Without fail, every time I dig a little deeper in conversation with them, sometimes asking point blank are you a Christian or a different faith based question I find out that they are indeed Christians. Seeing a light in their eyes makes complete sense to me because we are filled with the Light of the World.
Because of Sueās international travel she talked about how our negative self-image and negative internal dialog is seen all around the world, even including men. Theyāve started a separate program for men. Hearing that, I asked her what is the common dominator. And of course you can always trace it back to the one who steals, kills and destroys us from the inside out.
Ultimately, we believe varying degrees of lies about ourself. Anytime we believe a lie and it goes unchecked, it is not in our favor. We will not fare well. It can start out as a good thing but at some point it has the potential to tip into a lie. We can start out confident but then end up prideful, we can start out being kind and caring but we end up being a doormat.
So I had to ask her this question, how do we keep our life in balance? Sueās response? By consistently, exposing our way of thinking to Godās truths. Challenge the triggers in our life by allowing God room to speak into those places. In doing so Heāll expose the lies for us. The best part is that He downloads His truth so that if we choose, we can rewrite what we thought was truth with the real thing, Godās truth AND His love. I saw a quote from Billy Graham ā Most of all let the Word of God fill you and renew your mind every day. When your minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver.ā
If youāve been listening to several of my past podcast episodes on the healing ministry hereās something that Sue shared that lined right up with how God made us mind, body, soul, spirit, itās all meshed together. Sue has been studying the brain and unforgiveness. Sheās been reading medical materials etc. and she shares that through medical science she discovered that unforgiveness is now considered a disease because it has the same impact on your body as a disease. So, that of course reminds me of the Bible verse Proverbs 14:30 (NLT), A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy (in my opinion a form of unforgiveness) is like cancer (a disease) to the bones. (My emphasis added)
Let me wrap up with this and weāll get started. Our transformation from bondage, and I donāt care what area or form of bondage youāre in, but going from bondage to freedom itās going to require our participation. An active engagement not only pursuing God for truth but putting it to work in our life. Taking part in our transformation has to do with interrupting negative thoughts or beliefs by using Godās promises, His truths to rewrite the lies we believe, and Sue says, it takes intentional work to create new neuro pathways that change our brain and therefore change the course of our life.
God is inviting us to discover Him in the healing process and Heās created our body to be successful at overcoming the obstacles of this life. So letās listen in and see how and where we can find God meeting us in our pain with solutions, transformation and redemption.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Bio:Crown of Beauty International founder, Sue Corl, was born with a severe cleft palate, without a nose, upper lip, or palate. During the first 15 years of her life, Sue underwent 26 major operations. As a child, she heard lies about her physical appearance and struggled emotionally with her self-worth. In her late twenties, she began the journey of emotional healing as she opened Godās Word and discovered the truths of who she is: fearfully and wonderfully made and an image bearer of God.
Her personal story inspired her to begin Crown of Beauty International to help women around the world to experience the same freedom from lies, shame, and strongholds that God provided for her.
Sue is an international womenās conference speaker, author, mentor, and Bible teacher, and served 25 years as a missionary in Asia. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother of two adult children. She has a passion to see women set free by receiving the love of God and living out their potential in the powerful truth of who they are in Christ.
Connect with Sue:https://www.CrownofBeautyInternational.com
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Iām so glad youāre here today because it could mean we are a lot alike in that we struggle with letting go of guilt and shame. It does the heart good, or at least it does my heart good to know that Iām not the only one struggling with this.
I wanted to share this sweet reminder, that the Lord gave me. I love when the truth of what I know about God sinks in a little bit deeper into my heart. In this case it broke off some pride I had about forgiveness and not the forgiveness we typically think of first, that of forgiving others. This was about forgiving myself.
I almost want to ask you to listen to this episode at a time when things are quiet and youāre in a personal space so that you can actively respond to what a share but I know that everyone has a very busy life and therefore thatās a hard request.
Whether you listen now or whether you use my suggestion later to process with God, Iām hoping to create an opportunity for you to hear Godās voice because Iām thinking youāre like me in that you already know the truth of Godās forgiveness and yet we still beat ourself up with guilt and shame. This proves there is some value in digging a little deeper, or simply lingering a little longer with focused concentration to discover freedom when it comes to forgiving ourself.
Again, the quiet space is not mandatory because I was driving down the road when God spoke into my spirit. The sweetness of the Lord had me in tears. I donāt want anything to happen to you should you be driving. Maybe pull over if the love of the Lord comes over you like it did me.
What I have to share today will keep pointing us back to the cross, something you may feel is a bit overdone. Not overdone with the reverence we have for the cross but possibly overdone with regard to how familiar you are with the message of the cross. Stay with me please because I canāt get to where I want to take us without going to the cross. And to be honest, as Christians it is always about the cross. It is the core of our faith. Itās what makes our faith different. The fact that we have a relationship with the Living God. An alive, active, engaged relationship. We can know our God and hear His voice.
There is the potential that some parts of what Iām going to delve into might feel a little abrasive because when God revealed my pride to me in the context of forgiving myself I hadnāt thought of it as pride. Additionally, Iām well aware that when people get too close to the things that we are sensitive about it feels judgmental but when God exposes us He does it in love and Heās inviting us into deeper relationship, where trust (in Him) is matured.
I want this message to be done in love so that is why Iāll be pointing you to God to have your conversation with Him. I want Him to reveal what He wants to set you free from. My goal is not to add condemnation to this conversation. That is satanās speciality. God convicts but He never condemns, two different things. I want this conversation to be done in the same gentle, kind way that God did it for me. He didnāt call me out to embarrass me. He gently exposed my pride in order to set me free from it. Itās times like that when He takes us back to the cross, not to harm us, but to heal us.
Iām going to prompt you with an exercise and itās based on the times when the devil tries to drag us back to a place that reminds us of our shame, guilt and regret.
Iāve worked through a lot of childhood trauma. I think everybodyās pretty clear on the fact that our family of origin sets the pace for our adult life and so it impacts our decisions. Those experiences help craft the lens through which we see people and the world. We make a lot of assumptions because our experiences do not have a full understanding so now weāre dealing with lies we believe, and it all creates the value system we live by.
Because no family, no person, no relationship is perfect and sinless, this gives satan plenty of opportunity to try and take us back to painful memories or experiences. We can all find ourselves in these familiar places of thinking defeating thoughts because satan has his successful patterns that he runs on us. It will always be his goal to to steal the truth of Godās word, because in truth there is freedom. Satan wants to kill our hope, faith, love, our relationships and at the very least destroy us from the inside out.
In times when a situation activates one of our coping skills or in any way that weāve created a self protection method, let it be an instant signal for us that God wants to engage our heart about what weāre feeling. Heād love to hear your heart and be given the opportunity to speak His truth into whatever it is weāre believing to be true. In moments like that, meet Him at the cross. The place where He won the full victory over all of lifeās failures and brokenness.
The things that primarily cause us guilt and shame are structured around something that weāve done, that weāre responsible for. Our actions, our decisions, and our choices have brought us shame and regret. If weāve repented for our sins then we can have assurance that weāre forgiven (because of the cross) and yet we play the shameful memory of our actions over and over in our mind and in our heart. Itās in this context of forgiven yet unable to let go that I want to create an opportunity for you to take a fresh look at the cross and reconsider something about Godās heart for you.
And real quick allow me to take a detour because I donāt want to overlook this aspect of guilt and shame. With regard to feeling shame or guilt, Iām not referring to times when someone has violated/victimized you. If youāre living with guilt and shame because you feel that what happened to you is somehow your fault, this message does not apply to your situation.
Iāll be talking about choices that we make and are solely responsible.
If you find yourself dealing with guilt and shame over something someone did to you, there is a measure of trauma healing that needs to take place because youāre not responsible for the actions of another person. In short, you canāt own another personās choices.
While you are not responsible for what happened to you, if there is any responsibility to be had on your part it would taking responsibility to flip the script on satan. Make every effort to find the healing you need. Make life giving decisions to get what you need and donāt stop until you are free.
Just so I donāt drop you off cold in the middle of this episode, if you have a few minutes, disengage from your immediate To Do List and recline in the Lord, rest with Him. Just receive from Him. If you want to engage God, ask Him, Lord what step do you want me to take next so that I can process the guilt and shame I feel? Who do I need to talk to in order to find healing from these thoughts that are eating away at me on the inside.
Also, I will put links in the show notes for a few past episodes and in a couple of weeks there is another one coming out on October 20th. These episodes all take a look at the various healing ministries available to believers. My guest Eileen Love and I talked about Emotion Code Healing - it was broken into 2 parts (Part 1 & Part 2). Thereās an episode on the Deliverance Ministry Healing with Karen King. Additionally, the episode on October 20th is on the Healing Prayer ministry with Frank Meadows. So remember to come back on or after the 20th to find that one.
Coming back to our topic at hand, overcoming the guilt and shame that is based on our decisions and choices. Specifically the situation where weāve repented for our sins but we are not able to forgive ourselves. Hereās a suggestion, my intended exercise on how to engage the Lord:
Find a place where you can be real with God. Intentionally invite him into your space, ask him to protect the conversation that youāll be having with him. Heāll command His army to position themselves in the atmosphere so that you can say whatever is on your heart. God is going to protect your vulnerability. He never asks for a perfect conversation, He asks for a genuine one.
Once youāve intentionally invited God into your space and He has secured the atmosphere I want you to bring to the forefront of your mind the thing that taunts you with guilt and shame. Expose it by speaking it out loud to the Lord. Father, every time this thing (tell him what the thing is not because He doesnāt know but He will only work on what youāre willing to give Him. He will not force anything from you or on you). Father, every time this comes to mind I block it out. I feel disgustedā¦whatever it is you feel, think, believe etc., talk to God.
Today could possibly be the first time that youāve actually verbalized it. Maybe your shame and regret keeps you from talking about that thing that has left your heart battered and ragged, and exhausted. But you think about it. Your internal dialog beats you up over it when it surfaces.
Maybe youāve been talking with God about it but you keep returning to it, like youāre still chained to it. Feeling like you have no control over it, no voice about it, no freedom from it? You just feel helpless to change it or make a difference.
You did what you did or maybe you didnāt do what you should have done. You said what you said or maybe you said nothing and you feel that you should have said something. Now youāre left with the emotional baggage, potentially physical ailments not to mention the mental battle. The good news? All that has the potential to change if youāre willing to be transparent with the Lord in the safety of the space Heās protecting you in.
Remember in Genesis 32 when God asked Jacob, āWhat is your name?ā It was not that God didnāt know Jacobās name but Jacob had a lot of trauma attached to his name. In Biblical times, a personās name was part of their identity. Jacobās name means deceiver and Jacob lived up to that. As a matter of fact, the reason Jacob is struggling with God in this verse is because he was getting ready to cross paths with his twin brother Esau and Jacob was responsible for not only stealing Esauās birth right but Jacob also stole the final blessing from their father that rightfully belonged to Esau.
Jacob initially reaches out to Esau in an attempt to make peace with his brother. In response, he receives word that Esau is headed his way with 400 hundred of his men in tow. So now Jacob has come to God scared to death for his life and God asks Him, What is your name?
It might seem like a strange question in such a desperate situation. God wasnāt trying to shame Jacob. God was inviting Jacob into transparency, to be truthful with him. But why, you might ask? Because change only happens when we expose our fear, guilt, and shame. But not to just anyone but rather expose it to the One who defeated it. The One who can make a difference, the One who can turn it of your good. Guilt and shame left in the dark, bouncing off our heart and our mind, it only becomes bigger and bigger in our mind and emotions.
I canāt say this enough, when God calls us out of the dark places of our mind, heās not trying to expose us for the purpose of embarrassment or to beat us down reminding us who the Almighty God is. Without authentic transparency we canāt connect to people. Weāll have a surface relationship at best. And let me just say here, not everyone is trustworthy with our pain so you should guard you heart in this area. But the God of the Holy Bible wants real, life giving, life breathing relationship with us. We canāt change what we donāt acknowledge. Change only happens when we expose our fears to the origin of truth, the fountain head of truth. Nothing stands against Godās truth.
Because God will not push Himself on us, He was inviting Jacob into deeper relationship. He was saying, son, will you get real with me about what youāre feeling/experiencing? Will you have the courage to expose your fear to me so that the thing you keep struggling with, that thing you keep running from, we can put on the table and we can talk about it and we can work through it together?
And Jesus says to us, my precious daughter, will you give that thing to me? Will you trust me with your pain? Daughter, do you believe that I love you and I have good things to give you in exchange for your nightmares?
When we take our pain to God and struggle well to discover His truths in the context of our deep questions He gives us the beauty of His presence and we are transformed by the revelation that accompanies His presence. Truth shows up every time God shows up and we donāt have to wait for the spirit to move we can invite Him in and initiate an intimate exchange. God honors our authentic struggle because He knows that it takes courage to be transparent with Him, to step beyond our human understanding and experiences and accept His invitation into intimacy.
So youāve invited God into your space, and He has taken authority over the atmosphere, youāve brought that thing into the Light of His presence and youāre letting anxiety flow out of your mouth. As you verbally process this brings a measure of release to your mind and body.
The next thing I want you to do is picture God with you. See His kind and caring manner. Maybe Heās holding your hands, looking into your eyes with gentle affection. Maybe Heās sitting at the table with you. I can guarantee you this, if heās sitting at the table with you Heās sitting next to you and Heās got His arm around you.
In the safety and security of God, continue to purge your pain as long as you need to. Let Him know how you feel. What is your worst fear, your worst nightmare about that thing? Tell Him why you feel guilt and shame, or whatever emotion you feel. If you want, ask Him to show you where He was when this or that happened? Heās never left you so He was present.
Heās not afraid of anything you share. You wonāt scare Him off. He wonāt reject you. This space of transparency and pain all tangled together in what can feel like a terrifying mess, this is His speciality and Iāll tell you why. He doesnāt extravagantly attend to us knowing that He WILL heal us, Heās drawing us into the healing Heās ALREADY provided.
When we expose our fear and pain to him, healing and restoration begins not because a spontaneous healing happened in that Heās decided to now alleviate your guilt in that moment. But because you pursued Him in this context, it was engaged and therefore applied in that moment. It was already purchased on the cross you just hadnāt made it personal yet.
Whatever you admit, confess or reveal, all the emotion, regret, shame, it doesnāt have to be pretty, or nice or even godly. Real pain, deep pain is messy. After youāve poured it all out and youāve come to the end of yourself, I want you to hear your Father Godās voice. Heās calm, soft spoken, loving. Heās saying, my precious precious daughter, Iāll take that, and Iāll take that, and that too and give me that one. Give it all to me. Let it go. Iāve already settled these things. Let me show you.
Let Jesus lead you to the cross. Envision Christ scooping up all the emotion that youāve been willing to expose and I want you to watch him lay your actions, choices, sins, onto His heart and then willingly lay on the wooden beams fashioned into a cross.
Bear with me, this is the familiar part that may feel a little overdone. But this time, make it personal by seeing it through the eyes of knowing Jesus is taking your place. See the roman soldiers drive an iron peg through his left hand, and an iron peg his right hand, then another iron peg through his feet. Watch as they hoist the pole into the air and drop the foot of the cross down into the hole in the ground. It hits hard and the iron pegs tear His flesh. Theyāll pierce his side with a spear and the final drops of His atoning blood along with water, the living water of life, will spill onto the ground.
Iām not reminding you of this historical account because I want you to feel sorry for Him. This is not about pity. Jesus was not victimized in the manner of the Romans taking his life, He willingly laid down His life. Iām not telling you this to compound any guilt or shame because the truth is, we have no authority, no input, and no point of reference with regard to Godās plan on what the payment for sin will be and Jesusā agreement on how it will be settled.
Iām reminding you of the cross because itās always about the cross. Itās the intersection where Godās truth and provision meets manās sin and human will.
This question may still be be lingering in the air, How do we move from the knowledge of forgiveness to embracing this as truth in our life? How do we make this our core belief and understanding so that we operate and do life from the place of being forgiven? How do we make the leap from knowing in our head that weāre forgiven to actually forgiving ourselves?
Maybe our inability to forgive ourselves is twisted up with the cross. And itās the reason why we wonāt let ourselves off the hook. Because the truth is, it should have been me. It should have been you. Paying for what weāve done. That was our debt. Our burden, our guilt, our shame, our choices, our actions.
When it comes to realistically applying forgiveness, there is a portion of the process when we apply Godās truth every time guilt and shame comes up in our mind. We interrupt the thought with truth, not allowing our mind to start running wild. While that can seem robotic, Godās truth overwhelms every lie and is very effective.
The point of forgiveness that Iām trying to examine are the times where weāre checking all the Christian boxes of what makes a good Christian so that our good outweighs our bad. Weāre doing all the right things. Weāre praying, weāre fasting, weāre in church every Sunday all with the hope that weāll get Godās approval and then He will supernaturally change the way we feel. I donāt want to deny the practical part of applying Godās word to our life, but what I want to dig down into is the pride part.
Could it be that weāve put ourself on the cross? Letās say we have. And yet weāre STILL struggling to extend forgiveness to ourselves. On the one hand, we canāt deny the truth of our guilt and on the other hand, somewhere down to the core of our DNA we also acknowledge that we are grossly under qualified (and that is putting it lightly) to carry the weight of the cross.
Whatever the reason is, I do know that pride can blind us. It did me. If we donāt humble our hearts we will find ourselves on the hamster wheel of guilt, shame, forgiveness, guilt, shame, forgiveness. It feels like a rat race but thatās simply the worldās value system. In Godās value system, itās the intersection where Godās truth and provision meets manās sin and human will.
Iām reminded of a story thatās been around as long as I can remember, I feel sure youāve heard it. Itās about the man who worked at a bridge with railroad tracks. He was responsible for opening and shutting the bridge for both the boats and the train. Heād taken his little boy to work one day and the youngster was playing on the tracks. To the fatherās surprise a train was approaching faster than he could get to his son but if he closed the bridge lowering the train track his son would be crushed. Not sure if itās a true story or not but it goes on to say that the man made the excruciatingly heart shattering decision to save all the people and their families that were on the train and he lowered the tracks crushing his little boy. The people on that train would go on living their life, never knowing what the father sacrificed nor what the precious son had afforded them.
I often overlay that onto Godās Fatherly heart because some believers will never grasp the fullness of freedom that has been paid for them. Surely Godās heart must have broken because in the sin payment transaction God turned His face away from His beloved Son. Full payment for sin, the kind that saves us, translates to God the Father, being separated from His Son, Jesus.
Some believers will go on living their life, entangled in shame, regret, never embracing what God ordained and what the blood of the Son afforded them. Theyāll maintain a distance between their head knowledge that God had a plan to pay their debt of sin and yet never embrace it in their heart what the precious son afforded them with His blood.
This whole message, this episode started when I was in my car, driving down the road, talking with God, the image of Christ on the cross making the just and final payment for my sin came to my mind. Iāve seen this picture countless times in books, and all kinds of preaching material but this time, my heart responded to the immense sacrifice, I made it personal. I saw the intimacy of what Jesus was doing for me and it softened my heart in a different way. The kindness of Jesus overwhelmed me. Kindness can seem like such a weak word in the scale of this particular context.
Romans 2:4 says, Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that Godās kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
What had me weeping was being overwhelmed with the goodness and kindness of God even though I was in a place of pride, despising the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience. I wasnāt letting the work of the cross, His Sonās blood be enough. I was making it about me.
I would not have made a direct connection with that way of thinking, none-the-less, it was playing out in my life, in my thought life. And when I saw how precious the Lord is to me even though I looked upon the cross with contempt/pride my heart become overwhelmed. If Jesusā blood satisfied my sovereign, holy God, why was I being prideful still making it about me?
God hasnāt abandoned us at Friday on the Cross. He gave us the Sunday resurrection. Our God is alive. Jesus is alive. Living breathing, fresh perspectives, new beginnings, the God of do overs. Thatās the power of the blood.
Iāve said a lot to bring us to this one point. Itās time to change our vision of the cross, our self imposed definition of what pays our debt. If youāre still in a strangle hold by your past I want to know, when you look up at the cross do you see Jesus on it or is it empty? Do you see Jesusā work finished or unfinished?
If we havenāt allowed the blood to pay our debt weāre as good as a dead (wo)man. Weāre physically alive but weāre mentally/emotionally 6 feet under.
And weāll stay stuck in that type of mental grave until we soften our hearts, humbly admit that weāre not capable of paying our debt. Not now, not at our last breath, not at any time in between. Letās take ourself off the cross. Itās not about us. Face it, we cannot pay for what weāve have done or not done. We cannot fix what we said or did not say.
If you agree with the atoning blood of Jesus and His finished work on the cross, you have been acquitted. The final words of Christ on the cross apply to us. It. Is. Finished.
Tell your mind, YOUāRE FREE! Tell your heart, YOUāRE FREE! Tell your body, YOUāRE FREE!We donāt have to wait for heaven to live in peace, joy, and freedom.
Give God, give Jesus, your praise and gratitude. Take a moment to let Him embrace you with His presence. Soften your heart toward His love, make Him personal in your heart and mind. And then do Him the best honor of all, let the world see God in you! Get out there and...
Live Loved and Thrive!
Get Rid of Guilt and Shame:
Invite God into a conversation. Ask Him to take control of the atmosphere.Bring to the forefront of your mind the thing that still causes you guilt and shame.Talk with God about how you feel. Give him all of your pain and questions - Purge all your beliefs that surround the pain.Picture God with you, listening in a loving way. Ask Him, who do you want to be for me in this? What do you want me to know about You in this context of my guilt and shame?Trust God with your pain. Tell God you do not despise His Son Jesus and the work of the cross. Lay your guilt and shame at the foot of the cross.Break any agreement you have made with the lies you have believed about your guilt and shame.Give God your praise and thanksgiving. It can be in tears, laughter, songs of worship, outright words of praise etc. in whatever way you want to worship Him and give Him His due honor.RESOURCES:Past Podcast Episodes:Emotion Code with Eileen Love:Part 1 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/07/emotion-code-therapy-part-1-with-eileen-love/Part 2 - https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/06/22/emotion-code-therapy-with-eileen-love-part-2/Deliverance Ministry with Karen King:https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/09/13/finding-freedom-through-the-deliverance-ministry/October 20, 2023 - Iāll add the link for the podcast on Healing Prayer Ministry with Frank Meadows. In the meantime you can check out his website: https://www.meadowshealingprayercenter.com/
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I canāt think of anyone who would intentionally sign away their freedoms to a dangerous sect or a toxic community, so how does one find themselves in this type of environment? After talking with my guest Lauren Hunter, who shares her story of leaving Christian Science, I realized that often, it comes down to a very simple unassuming entry.
Christian Science was the faith of her family so Lauren was born into the teachings, practices and beliefs. Family is key. People find themselves in cults just like people join gangs or enter into relationships that end up being toxic because initially they feel like family and ultimately who doesnāt want to belong?
Iāve often said this, when we look at society as a whole, (our worries, fears, anxieties, or motivations to accept less than we are worthy of, when we allow people to violate our bodies and our minds etc.)we can peel away all the different choices that people use to cope and self protect and I personally believe that we can all be boiled down to one thing. We fear being alone.
I also think that our fear of being alone has to do with the way we were created. Itās in our DNA to seek relationship and yet nothing in this world will fully satisfy. Ultimately, our desire for relationship is to draw us to the One who created us. We were created for an intimate, real relationship with the living God. It was His original plan for us to dwell face to face with Him but when sin entered the Garden of Eden we were separated from Him. Weāre left with the need, a deep desire to find home, to find God.
This desire to find the One who fills us is a beautiful gift from the Father because once we pass from here, our soul, the part of us that lives eternally will face one of two realities, heaven or hell. God has created in us the desire to know Him so that we might choose Him and therefore live eternally with Him.
The thought of not spending eternity with God grieves His heart and so He gives us an innate desire to avoid being eternally alone (separated from love, joy, peace, a place where there is no pain, no tears etc.). It is the goodness and kindness of God to give us yet another way to seek Him and choose Him. Thatās the heart of a Father, to give His children every opportunity to choose Him, to have another chance at eternity with Him.
Being heard, seen, loved, valued, not being alone is an incredibly powerful motivator for people to stay in destructive relationships be that faith based, dating, friendship, marriage, work etc.
Lauren talks about the red flags that we need to be aware of. Granted we may not discern them at first because there is a conditioning, a soft build up to the actual abuse but some of the ones Lauren touched on were things like, the requirement to be obedient to the belief system, donāt question their authority, distrust outsiders, shoulder any burdens you experience, and undermining trust in yourself.
After you hear all that Lauren talks about in this conversation youāre going to want to get her book, Leaving Christian Science. She shares more of her personal story and includes 9 other people who share their experiences and why they too left the false faith.
Each chapter addresses the various theological inconsistencies taught by Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science. Lauren and her guests compare Christian Science themes such as matter, Jesus Christ, contagion, prayer, and sin. Examining these inconsistencies provides a deeper understanding of the Christian faith that Lauren now pursues in freedom and truth.
Letās get this conversation started.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Lauren:Website: laurenhunter.netAmazon Book Page: https://amzn.to/32LKPRkFacebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/laurenhunter.net/Instagram: https://instagram.com/mamahunter100Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenhhunterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenhhunter/Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/laurenhhunter/Amazon Author Central: https://amazon.com/author/laurenhunterNetGalley Widget Link to review copy: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/203967Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/lauren_hunterBookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lauren-hunter
Bio:Lauren Hunter is a writer who loves the big picture of Godās journey we are all on together. Raised in a fourth-generation family of Christian Scientists, Lauren left her familyās faith behind at the age of 25 to become an evangelical Christian. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and they live in Northern California with their four children.
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My guest Karen King has developed a passion for the deliverance ministry specifically the deliverance from demonic attachment, influence, oppression, all the plans and schemes that Satan has set against us.
Itās no secret, God has a plan for your life and so does Satan but before we jump into finding freedom I do want to pause for one minute and acknowledge that some people do not believe that a Christian should or could have trouble with demonic attachments and influences or oppression, and if that's you, donāt check out.
Allow me to humbly submit to you Job. A man who was tested in every single capacity of life and never sinned against God. As a matter of fact, it was because of Jobās faithfulness that God offered him up to Satan. With restrictions of course, but none the less we see Job go from traumatic emotional pain, to physical illness pain to a place where the pain turned inward on himself as he cried out to the God he believed in.
We have this perspective about Job but we can also acknowledge that weāve all been through portions of Jobās journey. Our own emotions can become weary unless we isolate ourselves from life and relationship. But isolation is Satanās playground with regard to our mental thought life. So take the time to talk to Holy Spirit and ask Him to reveal the various ways that your enemy works against you to steal your mental health, kill your peace of mind and ultimately destroy you, even though you remain physically alive. Ask Holy Spirit to give you revelation and then whatever He reveals, take it captive to Christ.
Karen is here to let us know that we can find freedom from anguish, confusion, depression and anxiety, all the ways that we suffer when Satan goes undetected and therefore runs rampant in our thought life. Times when we allow negative thoughts and experiences to overwhelm us to the point that we live in fear and cannot find any peace. Weāre in constant survival mode, never confident about which way to turn.
Mental health is simply one way Satan works against us and Karen feels that stored emotions in her body (from a 20 year abusive marriage) contributed to the 2 cancer diagnoses that sheās received. But it has only fueled her desire to stand on Godās word and experience what it means when we read in the Holy Bible that, "...by His stripes (His wounds) we are healed." (My emphasis inserted)
He paid the price for our healing (be it mental, physical or emotional) with every drop of His Sonās blood so I am confident that the blood Heās invested is a clear indication that healing is for everyone. In other words, God wants a return on His most precious investment.
Not only does Karen participate in the deliverance ministry by assisting people to be set free by the power of Christ but she herself has benefited greatly by also allowing others in the deliverance ministry to break off demonic influences that she has experienced.
Additionally, sheās taken the time to investigate in what ways she has allowed Satan to have access to her and when she finds points of access she exercises the power and authority of Christās work on the cross. She shuts down the strongman and his structured kingdom, forbidding any division and casting them all into the pit of hell where they came from.
Another way that Satan finds an access point and then weāll get to the conversation with Karen, is when the uncertainty of life hits us it creates an environment that is rich with regard to questioning Godās goodness which in turn causes us to question Godās love for us and His intentions. Questioning God in the midst of pain is normal and expected but itās an opportune time for Satan to attach himself to our pain and flood us with past pain that lines up with our current situation and therefore validating our emotions. All with the purpose of driving a wedge between our heart and Godās heart. Satan wants us to lose our footing on the truths that we already know about God.
Satan wants us to define God based on our pain and fear. Satan attacks us in our most vulnerable places. Our weakest moments are the perfect time for him to slay us and again, he doesnāt necessarily want to kill us physically but rather slay us emotionally and mentally. I can only imagine the daily celebration we afford him when we are alive yet dead inside. And really what kind of Christian testimony is that to the world especially when weāve been given authority over our enemy and freedom in the presence of our enemies, despite the existence of evil in his life. Take that Satan!
Letās get started so we can hear all that Karen has to share!
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Karen:https://finding-freedom-ministries.com
Resources:DownloadsBooksVideos
Want more information/episodes about other types of deliverance ministry options? Here are some links to past episodes:Emotion Code Therapy Part 1Emotion Code Therapy Part 2
Bio:Karen King is an ordained minister who has been involved in ministry in Hampton Roads for many years. She is trained in deliverance, inner healing, and counseling. She is also a mother of seven children and has four grandchildren. Karen spent many years raising her large family as a single mom. Because of her perseverance and years walking closely with the Holy Spirit, she experienced deep inner healing from fear and low esteem. In the midst of these trials, she was also diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She has an amazing testimony of walking out her physical and emotional healing that was activated by her amazing faith in the healing power of Christ. Karenās faith and determination through these trials allowed her to flourish in her spiritual gifts as she sought deliverance and inner healing from the oppression.
Karen also has a passion for nutrition and is a certified health coach. This has played a large role in her physical healing. Karen spent many years in catering and loves to mentor others in nutrition and wellness. The Lord has given Karen a vision of one day opening a healing ranch where people can come for health coaching, physical healing, inner healing, and deliverance. She has a passion to help people from the inside out and shares the love of Christ through her relationships.
Karen now serves the Lord by ministering to others who are fighting through the same mental, spiritual, and physical trials that she conquered through the power of Christ. She has a special calling to mentor young people and woman who are struggling in their spiritual and physical walk. Karen also specializes in personality assessments using the Disc assessment system to discover a personās personality type. These assessments help improve communication, productivity, and conflict management in oneās spiritual walk, job, and ministry. She also has taught Disc assessment to churches, ministries, and businesses.
Karen also actively serves as a deliverance minister and is on staff with Finding Freedom Ministries, helping break ungodly oppression through the power of Christ and counseling others through inner healing.
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My precious friend, Alicia Hodges sat down with me to talk about the death of her son, Zane Hodges who was 30 at the time of his passing. Weāve had many of these conversations over the last 3 years. Our time together is full of exploring God in this context of loss and crying.
I want to back up just a little bit. Allow me to layout my day before I learned we had lost Zane. I had recently started a 7am Tuesday morning prayer time with a sweet mom of 10. We had to start early because of the demands on her day.
On the morning of June 16th 2020, we met and this young momma shared an amazing miracle that she and her family experienced that past weekend. True to the nature of a miracle something horrific presents itself and despite everything saying it should have a tragic ending it turns out completely different and their (then) 4 year old son is perfectly fine with no concerns left about his physical condition or motor skills etc. I can testify to the fact that he is indeed complete, whole, typical little boy. I left our short visit in awe of how God shows Himself faithful.
On that same day, twelve hours later I saw my phone ringing with a number I did not recognize so I ignored it. What immediately followed was a text and the caller shared her name saying she was a good friend of Aliciaās.
Alicia, my sweet friend and devoted mx (motocross) mom whose family we had grown close to through many years of traveling together cheering our sons on, praying for their safety and nursing them when they were injured. We shared in tragedy and triumph, good and bad, highs and lows.
I snatched up the phone and dialed the number back. I knew in my spirit I didnāt want to hear what she had to say. But of course when someone you love is in need youāre propelled to run toward them.
As the woman spoke on behalf of Alicia my heart shattered into a million pieces. It would seem that God did not show Himself faithful for her baby boy. Yes, Zane was 30 but do our children ever stop being our babies?
These two women, my young mom of 10 and Alicia wear many hats in order to fulfill all the roles they are responsible for and they both value that of wife and mother above all the titles theyāre known by. They are passionate about God and they each serve Him with their whole heart.
Two moms serving the same God whom they profess to be good, kind, loving and protective. One with a beautiful story of restoration and protection and the other laid her son to rest.
Neither mom did anything wrong. Neither mom was more perfect than the other, more godly and more favored and loved by God.
How do we make sense of the good God who, at times seems cruel and at the very least does not treat us fair or equal. One minute Heās saving the day and the next it seems Heās disinterested, nowhere to be found.
Iām not going to pretend I have the answers to understand what is clearly beyond my ability to grasp or process. A deep wisdom beyond my limited understanding holds the answers to the deepest cry of a shattered heart.
What I can do though is share personal, first hand stories that give real life examples of how God cares for us in the darkest of dark valleys and thatās what Alicia does in this episode.
We discuss the sovereignty of God, His authority over life and death and why He is trustworthy with our pain. We touch on the stigma of drug abuse and whether or not itās a choice. Especially when itās introduced to a young person because of an injury. Maybe itās a choice early on but at some point the chemical change in the brain takes over and thatās the reality of the fight, not a simple choice to use or not use.
She briefly talks about what she refers to as āgrowth edgesā and how, not wanting to be stuck in her grief, caused her to step out in faith to new territory in her spiritual growth and personal life.
At one point I ask her a question that I like to ask my guests because I think itās one of the major ways Satan attempts to separate us from God, His truth, healing, and redemption.
I asked her, in what ways did Satan try to drive a wedge between her and God. Her answer gave me a different perspective. One I hadnāt thought about. Satan was set on destroying relationship but since He couldnāt shake Aliciaās connection with God he came after her personal relationships.
Near the end of our conversation I asked her about Psalm 23, specifically how did God prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemy and what she shared gave revelation, making it clear that what God did in that situation can be applied to everyday life.
Where is the good God we profess when things become to much to bear? Listen in and hear Aliciaās testimony on how to find God in our pain.
Connect with Alicia:Email: [email protected] IG @aliciahodges7FB Alicia Williams Hodges Biz. Website aliciahodges.neora.com
Bio:My name is Alicia Williams Hodges and I am originally from Roanoke, VA. I have been married 37 years and we live right outside Roanoke on Smith Mountain Lake. I have two beautiful children and a 2 year old granddaughter.
I am a Founding Member with Neora, a Holistic Anti-Aging Beauty and Wellness Company and celebrated my 11th year in May of 2023. Previously, I had been a stay at home mom for 20 years and my days were filled with ministry, non-profit work and raising my kids.
Life happened in ā08 and Neora found me! I am a solution provider for your aging needs and concerns. I am very passionate about helping people look, feel and live their BEST life NOW, while building a legacy of faith, hope, love and wealth for families and future generations.
Although I have an international business, I love networking, connecting and helping people build their businesses.
Want more encouragement on this topic? Listen to this episode with guest Carole Sluski, a mom who lost her daughter: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/03/15/surviving-grief-and-the-death-of-her-daughter-with-carol/
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My guest, Suzanne Stines has an absolute amazing story. A story that begins with complete and utter uncertainty. Suzanne and I talk about her diagnosis of Choroidal Melanoma, a cancer in the eye that is believed to never go away. Only 6 people in a million get this type of eye cancer.
Even though Suzanne was having trouble with her eyes she felt it had more to do with her new schedule and work environment than anything serious so she didnāt make a doctorās visit a priority. What initiated this journey of uncertainty was a simple, but out of character request from her young daughter to see an eye doctor based on the fact that she was having trouble seeing the front of the classroom, the chalkboard.
In the process of diagnosing Suzanne accurately, they look at 3 markers that will tell a patient what their chances are of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body. Suzanneās test revealed that of the 3 levels, she has the highest marker indicating she is at the highest risk for her cancer to spread. But that initial diagnosis, is just the beginning of her journey as she pressed into the God who has shown Himself faithful in so many other areas of her life.
As you listen to her story, maybe youāll hear what I heard with regard to Suzanneās faith. Yes, she struggled with God, yes it was frightening, yes she had questions for God as the heart stopping news continued to unfold. But God was already in motion, putting things in place. In His perfect timing, He moves Suzanne and her family from rural North Carolina to the hustle and bustle of Richmond, VA. This location would put her much closer to the doctors she would need before she even knows sheāll need them.
Hereās why I ponder how her faith has increased the miracles in her life. 1 Chronicles 5:20, the last part of verse 20 says, āā¦they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him.ā
Suzanneās story is going to encourage your heart in knowing that God is trustworthy and faithful through the dark valleys, especially because she shares two very important updates that Iām sure have the medical field scratching their heads or at the very least rereading previous data. But now they have some hope to share with their other patients.
You know, if someone told me I was one of 6 people, in one million who had received something, Iād be thanking God for the lottery win. It's embarrassing, but I do believe that is where my mind would go first. But listen to the end of this episode and hear Suzanneās parting words. In her heart she did win. She is discovering the most precious, intimate things about God in the fight for her life.
Letās jump in to this amazing testimony of finding the God of the Holy Bible in the midst of pain and suffering.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Suzanne:Freebie - 6 verses for peace, trust, and healing: https://suzanne-stines.ck.page/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homebasewithsuz
Bio:When Suzanne was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer in 2018, her world came crashing down. She felt completely overwhelmed and struggled through every stage of grief. She learned how to chase Jesus with her whole heart and has since pursued a deeper and more intimate walk with Him. She will encourage you, make you laugh and bring you to tears with stories of how God has moved in her life before and after the diagnosis. Suzanne resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and daughter. Ladies are invited to join her Facebook group, Home B.A.S.E. with Suz, where she provides weekly Biblical and spiritual encouragement. You can find more info about Suzanne here where you can sign up for her newsletter and contact her for speaking events.
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Think about the new level of joy you can have if you'll take the time to identify the joy stealers in your life! So if you want more joy in your life then what my guest has to offer is going to be a great resource for you! Author Doris Swift is here to throw us a life line and what I mean, is the sheās here to help us identify the joy stealers in our life.
As many of us know joy is not something we have to cultivate in our own power and it isnāt defined by our circumstances. As believers it is a fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control). And because it is a fruit of the spirit it is already present and available to us. We need only identify what weāre allowing to get in between us and the joy that is rightfully ours as Godās childrenās.
Doris has written a 6 week bible study on joy and this conversation includes the topics covered in the book: Reveal, Respond, Receive, Renew, Rest and Reach. I believe her bible study provides a full investigation of joy, how we can find the fruit of joy in our life, how we can maintain it, and how we can increase the joy in our life.
At the beginning of this episode Doris shares about an exercise she challenged her audience to participate in with regard to laying down their joy stealers as well as agreeing not to take them back.
She said sheād love to know if my podcast listeners take her challenge too and engage in the exercise she talks about. If you do interact with her proposed exercise, I as well would love to hear how you did and especially what action you took afterward to acknowledge your desire to leave your joy stealer(s) with God allowing Him to work them out in your life as you go about your day in His joy. So leave us a comment associated with this episode.
Letās listen in to discover the power found in the simplicity of the type of joy that God has provided for us.
Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Author Bio:
Doris Swift is an author, speaker, founder of Fierce Calling Ministries, and host of the award-winning Fierce Calling podcast. She is passionate about equipping women to dig deeper into God's word, take action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect, and walk boldly in their fierce calling. Her new Bible study, Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You, a six-week Bible study rooted in John 15, is available at dorisswift.com. She currently resides in Central Florida with her husband Brian, is mom to an amazing son and daughter and their spouses, and Gammy to six awesome grandkids.
Connect With Doris:Website: dorisswift.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DorisSSwiftInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorissusanswift/Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorisSSwift
Transcription: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/621e62d78ba64b39ad5170405c44bc78/view?organization_id=868176
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My guest, author Jennifer Eikenhorst knows a depth of sorrow, I pray I never know. She knows the reality of causing someone's accidental death. She's been on a healing journey ever since that fateful day in October of 2014. A journey that has spanned the full gamut of human suffering as she struggled and grappled with trying to make sense of what she used to know and who she used to be tangled with the reality of what she's forced to know in every area of her existence.
She's recently published a book about her journey titled, Left Turn: Life Unimagined. Unimagined indeed. The scope of all that this tragedy seeps into is nothing shy of every facet of her life and the lives of others. Her heart and the hearts of everyone affected have been shattered in countless ways.
Jennifer takes full responsibility for the accidental death of David, a motorcyclist that she did not see after stopping at the stop sign. She has an incredibly humble posture in the position of having taken the life of another human being. Additionally, she has great compassion for those who find themselves in the same exact position as her, having accidentally caused the death of another person.
I'm not quite sure why I find the topic of forgiveness so intriguing but when Jennifer and I were able to get our schedules together for this conversation I knew that she would provide us with an incredible glimpse into the heart of God and His forgiveness. And in her case, not only God's forgiveness but the hope for forgiveness from David's family, her children's forgiveness because they were in the car at the time of the accident, her husband's forgiveness whom she withdrew from him feeling unloveable and unworthy, forgiveness from her community, her church, her job not to mention having to forgive herself and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We ran out of time before we had a chance to talk about the legal process that Texas has in place and the way it added to the devastation.
As we talked, the layers that were affected by David's death, boggled my mind. From the moment of impact the repercussions would be felt in both her life as well as David's life. They didn't know each other prior to that moment in the intersection and despite the fact that David did not survive the tragic accident, Jennifer will never forget him or his family and nor does she want to.
I'm going to keep this intro short. I'm finding it difficult to put into words the beauty and wisdom that Jennifer has to offer because of what God has walked her through. You're going to have to hear it yourself so that you can absorb this life changing information about the heart of God.
As hard as it was for Jennifer to come to grips with what had happened, she knew that this situation had to pass through God's hands and receive approval. So she had to face the fact that God in His sovereignty had allowed it. In an effort to trust Him with His purpose behind allowing it, she asked God to show her how He had prepared her for this moment and she shares the various ways that He confirmed for her that He had prepared her and that He would see her through.
Part of God's redemption for Jennifer was to connect her with Jada Pinkett Smith as a guest on her show, Red Table Talk. The Red Table Talk website describes the show "where we tackle current social and cultural issues with an inter-generational perspective." (redtabletalk.com)
Jennifer's time on the show gave her the opportunity to share the tragedy she was experiencing and how the God of the Holy Bible made all the difference. Jennifer mentions that the Red Table Talk show has approximately 5 million viewers and I do see where they have 11 million followers on Facebook. I can't help but think about how amazing God is in the redemption process.
God has also put Jennifer in the path of people whom she randomly passes and she's able to give an encouraging word for healing as well as provide resources that can help. We talked about so many things and that's why this audio ran over my preferred 1 hour max but you will not be disappointed with the message that Jennifer has to share.
As we closed I asked her the final question, was there any ONE thing she'd want to share with our listeners today. Her response echoed her compassion and empathy that you'll hear throughout the entire conversation. She didn't plead her case, you'll never hear her side step or avoid taking responsibility for the accidental death of David. Instead, she takes the posture of a surrogate of sorts and offers an apology to anyone who needs to hear, "I'm sorry" from someone like her.
This conversation will give your heart courage to trust God especially when life makes no sense and ending it all sounds more appealing.
Let's listen in to find out what beautiful things God spoke to Jennifer in her very dark valley.
Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com
Connect with Jennifer:You can connect with Jennifer at accidentalhope.com Her Podcast: Accidental Hope Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccidentalHopeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/accidentalhope/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopeAccidental
Resource: Accidental Impacts under the Hyacinth Fellowship - a support group for those who have unintentionally caused harm to another person: https://hyacinthfellowship.org/
Bio:Jennifer Eikenhorst loves Jesus which she feels is essential in her healing and therefore she shares her beliefs freely. Her faith is the cornerstone of content for her blog and podcast. Sheās the wife of a multi-sport coach, Chris (who stole her heart in her senior year of high school), mom to 4 amazing kids, math teacher, blogger, podcast host (Accidental Hope), grad student, hope-seeker, and notorious over-sharer! Sheās also an advocate for CADIs (Causing Accidental Death or Injury). Besides Jesus and her family, she loves their golden-doodle Coda, dance fitness, making recipes her own, and Bible journaling.
Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/227d72c9f31e45efb44c8d4ba5126b08/edit
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