A Penny for Your Thoughts: Lifting Shame & Building Community

Send a text On this episode, I am reflecting on the past year and my word for 35 which was obedience. This past year has taught me a lot, especially about the value of intentionally connecting with God every single day. Have you ever experienced those moments where you don’t realize you are going about it your own way or you are unintentionally leading God in your prayers? It wasn’t until I took a...

Send a text On this episode, we are diving into John 6:27-35: Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”  Let me ask you this, “Are you someone (like me) who seeks praise from others?” Then this episode is for you. I’ve heard this scripture so many times over the years, but today, God really spoke to me and told me tha...

Send a text On today’s episode, we are leaning wholeheartedly into Psalm 46:10: “Be still & know that I am God.”  As a family, we are navigating this new transition into preschool & man, how tough it has been on this Mama’s heart. During these seasons of transition, I am always reminded of Psalm 46:10, so much so that I have it tattooed on my forearm because I forget it so much. LOL If you...

Send a text On this episode, I want to unpack these places of restlessness and discontentment. I’ve had many recent conversations regarding this place of restlessness, this place of lack of joy in their day to day, their job, their season of parenthood, their marriage or their faith.  And if you've listened to my episodes leading up to kind of this one, I went through a period of that about t...

Send a text Simplicity. This season, I am basking in simplicity. Simple Living. Less Stuff, More Joy; Peace; Moments with my boys; Experiences; Jesus; etc. (You fill in your blank).  On this episode, I have felt God pull me in this direction for a long time, but I have neglected to really listen to Him and his calling for less clutter, more simplicity. Recently, we went on a little spring break tr...

Send a text On this episode, we are diving into "the waiting." The time between decisions. The time between point A to point B. The time to pause. The path that we take to get to the destination. Friends, have you ever been so incredibly excited for something to only get there and be let down? Or to have a differing opinion than the review suggested? Let me ask you this, did you learn so...

Send a text Obedience: Apparently, this is my word for 2025. I hadn't planned it, but "obedience" keeps coming up in my daily prayer with God.  On today's episode, we dive into what it means to be obedient to God's will and how "going our own way" is actually disobeying God and his plan for us. As an avid rule follower, I was very much taken aback when I realized...

Send a text Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV) reads: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ...

Send a text On this episode, I want to unpack this phrase with you” Surrender it all.” Because in full transparency, I am struggling with it. I surrendered to sobriety 6 years ago. We celebrated 6 years this past Sunday and it was so glorious to have a snow day, which by the way, we saw about a foot of snow here in IN and will be seeing more today. But with all of this surrendering to God, I have...

Send a text The word that best embodies my 2024: FREEDOM Each year on my birthday I reflect back on the year and the word that best describes each encounter within the past year. This year it has been Freedom.  Jeremiah 17: 13: Heal me Lord and I will be healed. Save me Lord and I will be saved. For you are my praise.  I have to praise God for this freedom. When I think about letting God into the...

Send a text Have you noticed the negative energy around the holidays? This hurriedness? This busyness? Self-imposed entitlement? I know I have, and I found it on my heart to talk about slowing down. Are we really taking in the reason for the season? Rather than this societal expectation that we have to do it all and this instant gratification of gift giving and hurriedness. We are given an extra h...

Send a text Answering God's Calling...event when we're scared. The fear we feel when God pulls us into uncharted waters can be very real. I should know, I have felt it and continue to feel it as God is moving through me. Back in September, I began the venture of hosting this podcast and within the past 2 weeks, I have also designed and published my own website. I am not 100% technologica...

Send a text "Less of me, More of God" I love this season. The holiday season always brings me such intense joy. But with this joy, I started to think about selfless joy. This feeling of less of me and more of God when giving my time, effort, and energy. In a selfish world, where we are surrounded by the enemy who tells us that if we give, we are inclined to receive, what if we humbled ou...

Send a text When our worlds turn upside down and chaos calls, fear typically hangs out in the driver's seat. Our defenses rise, we put on our armor, and we fight, we run, or we freeze. With the recent upheaval from the election and many people unexpectedly displaced from jobs, while also experiencing organizational restructure and development, our defenses are heightened now more than ever. T...

Send a text Our little family recently took a weeklong trip to the mountains. Some people are beach people, but we are mountain people. The vastness of the peaks and valleys.  The simplicity of hiking trails and realizing just how small you really are in this big world. That fills our cup and renews our sense of wander and awe for God’s vast creation. It’s truly amazing when you stop to think abou...

Send a text "Be Still & Know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 We are in the midst of changing seasons and the busyness of the holidays, which can be such a joyful, but also, very chaotic experience. During this last quarter of the year, we can certainly find it hard to rest. As a mom, I am immersed in all things Fall. Pumpkin patches. Apple orchards. Birthday parties. Fall break. Rest typ...

Send a text **Trigger Warning: This episode contains details of a personal suicide attempt. ** Recently, I shared a social media post highlighting September 10, 2024 as National Suicide Prevention Day. Along with the post, I included a picture of myself in June 2018 as a finisher of a half-marathon.  My bib number in that race was “2016.” Not completely by chance & surely no accident as that w...

Send a text “I am so thrilled to be a part of your life. Thank you for tuning in. I am Ashley Pennington and this is “A Penny for your thoughts.” I know, a nice little play on words. But also, a place for community. For validation. For healing. I come to you with my own faults. My own shame storm. My own story of redemption. I find peace in simplicity, usually with comfy clothes & vanilla latt...

Send a text “So, if you’re listening, the title of this episode really resonated with you: Finding Joy After Suffering. I wonder if you are where I was in 2016. Alone. Powerless. Ashamed. Afraid. Well, if you are, I am here to tell you, you are not alone. That’s what alcohol can do to you. It can make you feel like the highest of highs, when in reality you are at your lowest of lows. This is my re...