Grace In Real Life podcast

Receiving grace starts by being in community, by belonging, and connecting. How does grace show up when producing a podcast? Take a listen for this behind-the-scenes look. Before I launched the podcast, I knew I needed a team around me—people to pray for me and the podcast, give insight and ideas, offer suggestions for guests and questions to ask those guests, help me write a title that would appe...

Being who you are, being who God created you to be, is the most free way to live. So how do we live in the wide open space God offers? Listen in. Living in God's wide open spaces means there is no condemnation in Christ. God certainly convicts and corrects, but He never assaults your identity. If the Lord has set you free, you are free indeed. It is a grace to accept the fearful and wonderful way...

It all counts. Every act the Lord asks you to do is valuable. He sees it all. It all matters. All the work given to you by God and done in love is meaningful.  I'm really good at discounting or downplaying the good ways God wired me, how He's forming me through trials, and the work I do, the roles I hold, and how I show up in the world. And y'all, I believe that discounting is an effective - but t...

Our God is a God of grace and truth. But what does this mean for us in our busy and full lives? Listen to what it means for our God to be a God of AND.  If you've been around the Grace In Real Life podcast long enough, you've heard me share that our God is a God of AND:  He's grace AND truth Mercy AND holy justice  Love AND perfect judgment Man of Sorrows AND Prince of Peace Offensive AND attracti...

What is disciple-making? How do we do it? What does it look like to make disciples when your schedule is full? And how can you possibly disciple your teenagers?  When I really stop and think about it, going and making disciples sounds intimidating. How do I do it? What does it even look like? Is it One More Thing to add to my already full schedule? But as today's guest points out, disciple-making...

When we were in college, Ryan gave me the nickname "The Interrogator" because I love asking questions. People are truly fascinating to me, and God gave us such an incredible world to discover, it seems impossible for me to not ask eleventybillion questions in a day. But as today's guest points out, if all we do is ask questions, we're just delving into trivia instead of a person's heart. Because a...

What are the benefits of studying theology? Isn't theology for those in seminary or pastors? Do you need to study it? The truth is this: You are a theologian. If you're like me, you're like, "Am I a theologian? I'm pretty sure theologians went to seminary and read ancient texts and write papers about abstract attributes of God. I'm pretty sure I'm not one." Through this conversation, Jen Wilkin wi...

We're talking about becoming spiritually healthy by recognizing how sacred our work is – no matter what we do – and how our work matters for eternity. Some of you might hear that and think, "But I'm not in full-time ministry. I'm not a missionary or on a church's staff or recording a worship album. How is my work sacred?" Or maybe you think, "Well, maybe my work is important because it's where I g...

Have you ever wondered how to be compassionate to yourself? What would it look like to live in grace? Listen to Kendra Adachi on Grace In Real Life . This entire podcast is predicated on answering the question, "How do we live in and give out grace in our busy and full lives?" And one of the most generous, practical, action-oriented grace-girls I know is The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.  Kendra bel...

If we do not know Jesus' love on a deeply personal level and encounter His love in our busy and full, real lives, then the spiritual disciplines devolve into legalism and empty works. Without recognizing how much we are loved and cared for, everything else we do in that relationship is a striving attempt to be loved.  Because experiencing God's love for us is a gift we want to receive AND struggle...

How can you start the new year with grace? What does that look like? Whether you're starting a new year, a new job, or a new season, listen in.  May we not be women who squash or silence this gift, but may we be women who partner with Christ to become new in the ways He wants to shape and form us. To that end, I've curated past Grace In Real Life episodes and resources in one place just for you. W...

Have you ever wondered how to have peace with God? Or how you can live in peace with others? If your life lacks peace and you're looking for encouragement, listen in.  In today's Advent episode, we take a look at what it means to be at peace with God and others. How to have peace with God Once sin entered the world, we humans were at war with God. Not that God was at war with us, but that we chose...

In today's Advent episode, we take a look at how the shepherds found joy in the middle of their everyday, right now lives. How to find joy in the little things For there to always remain in your life some place for the singing of angels, you do not need an angelic visit.  Perhaps to make space for the singing of angels means to do the work God specifically created you to do, at the time He gave yo...

How do we exercise our faith? What does it look like to have embodied faith? What does living out our faith look like in real life? Listen in.  In today's Advent episode, we take a look at Mary's faith journey.  How do we exercise our faith? Faith starts in the mind with knowledge about God, facts about His character and understanding who He is and what He can do. Then faith moves into consent: We...

We have hope because God is the Author of our story, and we are not. We have hope because we are not alone. We have hope because Jesus is the protagonist of our story. We have hope because God is the Author The Author and Finisher of our faith is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word is Jesus, and the language the Author speaks is Christ.  When God spoke and wrote the...

What does it mean to take up space? Do you have a fear of taking up space? Do you want to be seen as low maintenance? Listen in.  Taking up space means to be more than furniture; to be human. In the words of Pinocchio to be "a real boy." It means to kindly and directly – without apology or embarrassment – share needs, wants, preferences, and dreams. Friends, God created you to take up space.  We a...

Why is it hard to be vulnerable? What are the characteristics of a safe person? If you fear being vulnerable but want to try, listen to Jamie Ivey.  Being vulnerable with safe people in the midst of your mess is a sacred space. Saying "I'm struggling too" is a saint's cry. Wherever you struggle today, Whether it's struggling with sin and temptation, a hard season in your marriage, or doubting God'...

Even today, I imagine you experienced grief. Perhaps you're back at work, even though you loved staying at home Or you miss your daughter, who's off at college Or a friend has stood you up and blocked you out, and you feel unsettled by the loss. Or you are so sad about your pet who has passed away, Or maybe you're grieving your spouse or parent who is slowly slipping away because of a diagnosis. T...

Have you ever felt embarrassed by your tears? What is going on when we do not like to cry in front of others? Listen in.  If Jesus wept, if Jesus calls us to suffer with those who suffer and weep with those who weep, why do we fear crying so much? The reality is that as much as we hate crying, most of us cry relatively often. As image-bearers, we resonate deeply with Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. W...

How happy is your marriage? How can you have a happier marriage? Listen to Arlene Pellicane as she shares how to be a happier wife. You're listening to this episode because you want a happier marriage. Your marriage may be super happy and full of joy, and you want to increase it. Or, your marriage may feel like it's on its last breath, and you are so ready for Jesus to breathe laughter and smiling...

You don't want to leave your marriage to chance. You want to design an intentional marriage, but how? Listen to Kevin Thompson in today's episode My marriage isn't perfect. Ryan and I aren't perfect. We struggle and get frustrated with each other. AND ALSO, we work on the relationship that we have. We are bound and determined to remember that before we were mom and dad, we were Ryan and Jill, two...

Have you ever wondered how the Enneagram can improve your marriage? Listen to Beth McCord as she breaks down how to use this tool. You don't need me to tell you that seeing the same situation through a different lens can cause friction. So what do we do with this? How do we grow in our marriages without getting super annoyed at someone who sees life differently? I can think of no one better to spe...

I feel like I'm the poster child for the sentiment, "I'm fine. It's fine. Everything's fine," when clearly it is not. Friend, I cannot tell you how much energy I spend avoiding pain, trying to make the bad, hard thing disappear, or pretending it's all okay. But what if the most gracious, most life-giving gift we can give ourselves today is to acknowledge that we are struggling, that everything is...

Y'all, our world feels crazy and seems to get crazier by the year. Our children experience questions and come up against worldviews we never had to face at their age. As much as I want to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand, I refuse to do that to my girls. I want to be mentally tough in the Lord. I want to combat lies with truth. I don't want to be apathetic or resigned, but strong and cou...

The first words in the Bible speak of the cosmos hearing God's spoken words and obeying: "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." At the heart of Israel's prayer life is God's call to listen in Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." The writers of the Psalms ask God to listen to them and then write how He hears them and acts. As God's sheep, we hear...