Grace In Real Life podcast

Here's how to spread the gospel without feeling awkward. This is evangelism without knocking on the doors of strangers.   Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He commanded us. Nothing sounds more amazing and more terrifying. We know that Jesus alone is the solutio...

What's tired in your life? What area feels depleted? Today we're talking about making rest a part of our everyday lives. If I were to ask every listener if she struggled with rest, I'm guessing 99.9% of you would say yes. When we rest, we feel: Guilty Unproductive Like it's a waste of time Yet, God designed us to rest. In this episode, Dr. Saundra shares: The seven types of rest, How to weave rest...

Today we're talking about the spiritual discipline of spending time with Jesus. Is there any more transformational practice than spending time with Jesus? When we talk with Him and listen to Him and love Him and let Him love us back, it changes everything. We are no longer who we were after we've spent time with Christ. In this episode, AJ and Jen share: Ideas to freshen up your quiet time Creativ...

Today we're talking about the spiritual discipline of paying attention and awakening to God's love for you. Through this series on spiritual health, I want us – women of God and sisters in Christ –  to be healthy and to shed who we are not and the false narratives that don't serve us well so we can live and move and have our being in freedom and grace.  I pray that we will lean – not into the disc...

The story of Christ's time on earth is the story of peace as a palindrome, you know: one of those words that reads the same forwards and backward.  When Jesus was born, He came as Immanuel , God With Us. When Jesus died, was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven, He is still Immanuel , God With Us. Jesus's time here started with angels who spoke about peace. Jesus's time he...

Joy is at the heart of Christ. And yet, joy is the noun I struggle with most.  Joy causes a hitch in my throat that says, "But wait; what about all the hurt and sadness and violence?" Joy feels irrelevant or off-key or out of step in a world where: Human trafficking and slavery exist Women in the workplace face a wage disparity Racism flourishes Without provocation, one country attacks another cou...

Our great, big, powerful God invites us to have the great, big powerful gift of faith. Yet, this feels daunting to us. But what if our great big powerful God who created and offers the great big powerful gift of faith understands the beauty of small steps? When we look at the faithful giants of our faith, may we see the great big outcomes AND the small steps of obedience. What if faith is a big gi...

We will revisit a well-worn story of a God who loves nearness with us and whose hallmark and name bear His With-ness. A story that started in the garden and ends in eternity.  A story of a God who has taken the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, AND who put on flesh and dwelt among us.  A story of the infinite turned infant.  A story of a God whose kingdom has come, is...

As we interact with family members we only see a few times a year, and those who may hold political views or perspectives 180 degrees opposite of us, we see our humanity, our sin, our frailty, and our cracks more clearly now than at any other time of the year. We are especially conscious of wanting to be healthy and whole, and to act out of love, not fear of missing out  or obligation during these...

We're talking about gift ideas for each Enneagram type and how each type feels about gifts in general. Each Enneagram type has gifts they would love to give and gifts they love to receive. In today's episode, we're going to break down: Each type's gift-giving philosophy How each type feels as a gift-giver and gift-receiver And gift ideas for all nine types, including gifts you should NEVER buy! Ke...

Some of us feel like asking for help is The Worst, and our reasons for that fall into three buckets: our sin (like pride), wounds inflicted by others when we've asked for help in the past, and lies we believe about what it says about us if we ask for help.  We don't want to stay stuck. We want to be helpers and helpees, so what do we do?  Today, we'll work out: why we find it so hard to accept hel...

Most moms I know – at one time or another – have said some version of "I'm messing up my kids." Because we've lived the power of words and actions in our own lives with our parents, and because we know the truth of science, and the practicality of much of the messaging, we know our impact is critical and we take our roles seriously. This is good and right and true. And can be crushing to our confi...

No grace-girl worth her salt wants to be selfish. Women – especially women raised in the church – do not want to be selfish or self-centered or someone who pursues selfish ambitions.  Selfishness is a ninja that sneaks up on us and calls us out when we dare to  watch a show and sit on the couch instead of doing laundry, sit on the back porch and read a book instead of playing with our kids, or whe...

No matter our temperament or personality type, God designed us to be in friendship with each other. Whether introverts or extroverts, God invites us to come together, spur each other on to good works, care for each other, confess our sins to each other, and build each other up. But what does this look like for introverts who love people AND also need time alone to recharge? I'm so glad Yohonna Smi...

Are your friendships healthy? How do you know if a friendship is unhealthy?  God's heart for us is to have deep friendships, but how do we know if our friendships are healthy and what to do about it if they are not?  I'm so glad Licensed Professional Counselor Shundria Riddick is here because  she talks to us about seven ingredients of healthy friendships, what boundaries look like in friendships,...

We're talking about how to make friends as an adult, especially when you have older kids. God's heart for us is to have deep friendships, but how do we do that in real life, especially when we have older kids who we drop off and pick up from places?  I'm so glad Susan is here because she talks to us about The difference between community and friendship, Finding time to make friends as an adult, An...

How does your Enneagram type impacts what type of friend you are? Our goal here is for you to learn about how God wired you, but also for you to learn about those in your life so you can love them well, show them grace, and be the friend God created you to be. You were created by God with your personality type by design for a specific purpose, so you can be the friend God created you to be to othe...

We're talking about where God's grace meets us in our anger. Anger is one of those dirty, little secrets no good Christian woman wants to talk about. We don't like to admit that we can be so easily swayed into an emotion that triggers behavior that is so incredibly ugly.   And yet… we all get angry. Some of us give full vent to our anger, and some of us stuff it down, so it leaks out in weird ways...

I know that you are a woman who wants to live with intentionality and presence. You want to show up for your people, and you don't want to miss the good that God offers you right this very minute.  And yet… we can't focus on where we are now because we're thinking about that hard conversation we need to have next week, OR we are thinking about how unkind and mean to our mother we were our senior y...

How can we experience more joy in our real lives? Our world seems bent on  stressing us out, inducing anxiety, and making us worry. Kimberly and I talk through What may be blocking your joy, Two lies you may believe about joy, And two easy ways to automatically increase your joy.  Key Quotes "When I'm looking up, that's when I experience God's joy." - Speaker Kimberly Davis "Joy is a natural react...

Every area of my life is exposed to the toxic element of feeling less-than.  In my writing, I feel like others are more reflective and thoughtful. On staff at our church, I feel like everyone else in staff meeting is more spiritually mature. In volunteering, I believe the other leaders connect better with the students. So how can we handle feeling less-than in real life? Richella and I talk throug...

Ever felt bad because you said "no" to the cell phone or sleepover for your child, even when you knew it was the right choice? Ever felt like The Worst parent because you work, even if it's a financial necessity? Maybe you've been guilted into serving on the PTA Board or spending Christmas with your in-laws.  Guilt seems to stick close like a shadow. So how can we handle guilt in real life? Sara a...

Shame is both an emotion and a weapon our enemy likes to use to distance us from God, others, and ourselves. Friend, we all suffer from shame. Shame about what we've done – or haven't. What was done to us – or what we did to another. Becky and I talk through What shame is, When you feel like you're too much, And how to move God's love from your head to your heart. Friend, please know this is a sen...

Friend, you may suffer from anxiety and depression, and you may not. This is a must-listen episode no matter what because I guarantee there is someone in your life who is struggling with these two emotions and diagnoses. Joon and I talk through If anxiety and depression are a lack of trust in God What's going on when you're frustrated that you can't snap out of your anxiety and depression And two...

Maybe your grief is that a child leaves for college this month. Maybe it's that your husband's new job requires him to travel every week, so you feel like a single parent. Maybe you're grieving the end of a long-time friendship. As you listen, ask yourself, "What grief do I face today?" Then allow yourself the space and time to talk with your friend Jesus about it.  Lisa shares how: God's grace su...