Java with Jen: Hearing God's Voice in Everyday Life | Holy Spirit, Spiritual Warfare, Prophetic Word

Do you ever wonder what it takes to lead well when you're NOT the top guy in charge?  Maybe you're a volunteer at church, a small group leader, an associate or executive pastor, a youth or childrens pastor.  These are super relevant principles for work as well!  Leading from "second chair" is not often taught on for the unique role that it is, and in this episode, Taylor Persello joins me to share...

Why do we often view our walk with God as something we are being graded on? Pass or fail. Spiritual or not spiritual enough. Well I have good news. That’s NOT how God approaches our relationship with him at all. He 110% is in it for the history, for the mess, for the imperfection. In today’s episode I share how you can lean into the great and small ways God shows up in your life to create your own...

In today’s episode, Alan Lott shares the riveting stories oh how God protected his life from death multiple times, ultimately to rescue him from Satanic involvement leading him into salvation. We pull back he curtain and get a full circle look at the beautiful story of a woman who had inadvertently been praying for him for fifty years… you don’t want to miss this one! And the life hack is a simple...

One of my former youth kids who is now a grown parent sent me a message this week asking how she can help her kids understand spiritual warfare and the importance for having certain rules and guards in our lives to protect us from unwanted spiritual activity. She felt pretty stuck, so I thought it would make a great episode. So in this episode I invited my husband, Stephen Samuel, author and theol...

No matter how long you’ve been following the Lord, at some point you’ve felt distant, disconnected or disillusioned with the Lord. In this episode my guest, Mario Guzman of the Rock Church San Diego campus, shares what the Lord has taught him about what to do in those moments. It’s very simple and very empowering… would you expect anything else? And don’t miss the life hack at the end! Connect wit...

. Everyone wants peace. This is why we choose to be around or not be around certain people. This is why we choose certain types of entertainment, or why we enjoy atmospheres that are soothing and calming. Life naturally brings stressors, and we are subconsciously always pursuing the balance and safety that peace brings. In today’s episode, I’m going to provide you with simple tools to defeat stres...

If you've had a dream in your heart you were unsure about pursuing or suspect might be from the Lord, you're going to want to listen to this episode.  During the covid pandemic, many people cut back, played it simpler, stayed inside, and some lost jobs.  However I found that there was also a trend of people shifting gears pursuing dreams that had slept until then.  Roseanna and Gustavo are no exce...

"Mom, how come God likes boys more than girls?"  Lauren was stunned when her daughter asked her this question.  Her daughter's explanation of her question led Lauren on a journey that has shifted the trajectory of her life... to make sure her daughter and other children around the world understand that God does NOT love boys more than girls, he loves them all.  Listen in to hear the...

Gossip.  Celebrated in our culture, condemned in the church, yet experienced in both.  If you've ever been on the receiving end of gossip, it stinks.  Majorly.  It's an easy trap to fall into, but the mess gossip creates can destroy relationships.  We wanted to take a look at gossip from a perspective of understanding WHY God asks us to avoid it, how the offense that triggers gossip can actually b...

Have you ever looked at your life and said “Well I didn’t expect my life to look like this!” Our lives rarely pan out exactly like we pictured as a child, but that’s not always a bad thing. Many times what feels like a curveball or our life getting a redirect is actually the creativity of God filling in the details of the calling on our life. Today I share my story of how God took my life long cal...

Did you know your perspective determines whether or not you will see the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life? This is actually great news because you can literally change your life by changing your perspective. Join me as we dive into both a personal story and a scriptural example of this and get ready to be empowered for your life to change! And don’t miss the life hacks segment so we can...

In today's episode, my guest, Tiffany Tombre of the podcast "Testimonies with Tiffany" and author of the devotional "A Closer walk with Jesus", shares a fun story of how a prophetic word I had for her family just this year has impacted her entire family and now been completely fulfilled, and is related to a prophetic word my husband had for their family a couple years ago.  In talking we realized...

Ever wondered about Tongues? What is it? Why is it a thing? Should I be praying in tongues? CAN I be praying in tongues? All the questions are addressed in this listener-requested topic... perfect timing following Pentecost Sunday! In true conversation style discussion, Jen shared her story and journey into this area of her faith, and shares scriptural instances where we see God’s purpose in this...

There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to grow in Jesus but not understanding what certain principles mean. Discernment is a topic frequently referenced but not often explained. Today I do that, and it’s pretty simple, but nonetheless important. Stay tuned for life hacks at the end which are five of my favorite sites/apps for saving money!

There’s always those topics that we hear about in church but haven’t always had explained to us. In today’s episode I get into the how, what, why if fasting, so hopefully you’ll find yourself excited to step into this under-utilized doorway to increasing the anointing on your life and feeling your walk with Jesus! (Spoiler: it’s a tool to destroy the works of the enemy in your life... listen for t...

In this final month before our season break, I wanted to dig into the foundations of our faith because of how essential they are, under-explained, and yet super refreshing it is to have a straight forward look at what our faith builds on.  Simple, straightforward, unfussy.  So in this episode my guest Courtney Lowman from Journey of Ruth Podcast, shares her heart and approach on Disciple...

Every God loving mama wants to raise God loving kids, am I right? It can feel like a shot in the dark sometimes, but scripture gives us great analogies to keep it simple. This episode is loaded with practical tools and the life hack is a simple trick for keeping yourself well even when wearing a face mask for long periods of time.

Save time, save money, keep your peace of mind AND make magical memories on your next trip (maybe to Disney?) with these insider tips from Travel Agent Deann Samuel!  One of the most precious things to do as a family is go on a vacation, but planning it isn't nearly as fun as the travel.  As we head toward the summer, this will be top of mind for many, but as fun as vacations are, they can come wi...

Most parents I know tell me to "savor the little years because the teenage years are the WORST!"  I always grimmace a bit at these dooms-dayers.  Why?  Why should I need to hate the teen years? I want to enjoy my kids even as teens.  So, I began paying attention, even before I had kids, trying to figure out why the teen years were so difficult for parents.  In this episode...

We all want our kids to grow up to be godly and full of character... but how do we do that?? The word of God is the X factor when it comes to this, so in this episode we dive into how to get the Word of God into your kids hearts in an Uber practical way. Get ready, these tips are simple and super applicable... your family life could change even TODAY. Don't forget to connect on Instagram @Javawith...

Not many of us were childhood cult-survivors like my guest Mischelle, however most of us can identify with being in or knowing people in an unhealthy relationship.  Toxic relationships vary in severity, but knowing what to look for and how to respond to keep yourself safe and thriving is important.  In today's episode, Mischelle shares her story about surviving a cult as a child, and we dig into h...

Changing churches is a major life decision, and it can stir up alllll kinds of emotions and questions. In last weeks episode we covered when to make the change and how to do it well, and this week we cover some of the best and worst reasons for changing churches. Listen through to the end for the life hack which is eight brilliant uses for Dawn Dish soap that helps alleviate some of the biggest nu...

Have you been feeling the itch of restlessness and frustration that transition usually brings? Have you been considering if God might be leading you from your church to another? This can be a very touchy sensitive subject, because none of us want to be a church hopper and we don’t want to hurt our Pastor, but the truth is seasons do change sometimes. In today’s episode I cover some indicators that...

Most Christians feel the tension and responsibility of sharing their faith, but often don't for fear of doing it poorly, or coming off as an un-relevant weirdo.  Today's guest, Katie Axelson from the "Have Hope will Travel" podcast, shares how she does that and has done that effectively, as well as some of the lessons she's learned on how NOT to share your faith at work, or in a secular environmen...