Out of the Ordinary

This is the story of the secret shame we all carry about our houses. And the one thing that can free you from it. This is a story about Christie's house Maplehurst being adrift in a sea of mud and construction and the pungent smell of mushroom farms nearby. And what Lisa-Jo's daughter said to change how Christie sees/smells her house. There is nothing like the power of seeing your home and...

This is the story of a Jasmine-scented South African summer night. This is a story about disappointment in God, and this is a conversation about the dreams that do NOT come true. Christie and Lisa-Jo recorded this episode the week of Christie's twenty-second wedding anniversary. They marveled over the long years of their friendship, and all the dreams-come-true they have witnessed in each othe...

This is the story of your worst fear come true. This is a conversation about trusting God with our kids, and others we love, this new year. Christie and Lisa-Jo recorded this episode after celebrating one son's eleventh birthday in the Black Barn at Maplehurst. If children make wishes when they blow out birthday candles, the parents who love them make wishes, too. Mostly we want our kids to be...

This is the story about promises buried like Spring. We recorded this episode on the 3rd floor of Maplehurst surrounded by the wrapping paper dregs of Christmas. And neither of us was ready to rush into the New Year just yet.  For all of us who feel like we're back at a start line when we only just crossed the finish of the old year here is an alternative to setting New Year's resolutions....

This is the story of a Christmas baby. This season is all about gifts. We give gifts to one another, and we remember the very good gift of God's son, given to a weary world on the first Christmas Day. But is God still in the business of giving good gifts? Lisa-Jo tells the story of her own Christmas baby. It's a story of how shame and sorrow gave way to peace and joy. It's a story of g...

This is the story of how to keep doing your ordinary work without feeling discouraged during the Christmas season. The wonder of the holidays can be diluted when we have to balance it with the work we do that makes gifts and celebrations possible. This week Lisa-Jo and Christie unpack the reality that everything doesn't stop just because it's December. Instead there are still deadlines and...

This is the story of a how to be a Keeper of Seasons. We share our favorite do's and don'ts around the Advent and Christmas season. For example, DO give yourself a "get out of Advent free" card if you're a mom of littles or just a weary wanderer like so many of us. And DON'T stress celebrating the season in any way other than works for you and your people. We each share som...

These are the stories of a sick child and the birth of a book. "How do you do it all?" we're often asked. The short answer? We don't. The longer answer? Well, those are the stories we're telling today. Because life often feels like a series of interruptions stitched together. But interruptions can be invitations. Invitations to rest, invitations to care, invitations to pay atte...

This is the story about an invisibility cloak. Because it's only natural to feel unseen when the ordinary routines of ordinary life close in around us. No one is handing out gold stars for washing the dishes, or changing the oil in the car, or dealing with that pile of junk mail. No one gives a round of applause when we tackle one more ordinary task on one more ordinary day. Or maybe someone d...

  This is the story about a house, a baby, and a hope disappointed.   Lisa-Jo and Christie get real honest this week as they wonder out loud if hope really is a risk worth taking. Because what if you're disappointed. What does that say about the God you believed and hoped in? What does that say about you? They both share their riskiest hope stories today. How they were both deeply disappointed...

This is the story about taking apart a vegetable garden to make place for a parking lot. Does that sound crazy? It looked crazy. It felt crazy. But this is the story about being brave enough to break down what you thought you wanted in order to make room for what you believe you need. This is about being willing to pull up old dreams in order to make space for new ones. Because growth takes room a...

This is the story about one thousand Easter eggs. Really it's the story about listening for invitations rather than setting goals. It's the difference between taking control of your future and surrendering control. This is an honest conversation about why the language of goal setting is a struggle for us, and why we both tend to use the word "invitation" instead. Whether or not you...

This is the story about a business card. For years, Lisa-Jo and Christie defined their significance according to the business cards in their pockets. They knew just what they wanted those cards to say, and exactly what they never wanted to see printed there. But their job titles along with their professional and personal roles have changed significantly over the years, and navigating those transit...

This is the story about being full. Really it's the story about understanding the difference between being empty, being full and then being stuffed to feeling sick. And we're not even talking about food. This is an honest conversation about what we hunger and thirst after. How do we fix our cravings? This week we dig into the idea that enough might be a life goal worth pursuing. But to do...

  This is the story about strawberry jam and Wednesday night parenting. Because this is the story about how our podcast got it's name. Buried deep in the thick of the most ordinary things we could think of was the surprising discovery that everything we valued most might easily be described as ordinary, if not even boring on some days. It was an unexpected person who pointed out to us the obvi...

This is a story about the search for a barn. Today we dig into what it looks like and feels like to watch your dream break into little bits and pieces you can't make sense of. Christie takes us from Chicago to Florida to a small town in Pennsylvania that often reeks of mushroom farms and manure where she buried all her broken bits of hope and then watched them grow. She shares the story of the...

This is the story of eating a 3 course dinner soaking wet in the middle of a rainstorm in Zimbabwe. And the story of yellow leaves falling in the middle of summer in Pennsylvania. And how we have often both been so desperate in our dissatisfaction it took us years to find the antidote. But in this episode we share what that looks like, how to apply it in your own life, and the very best place to t...

This is the story of a packet of grass seeds and a pitcher of water. What started out as the smallest, most unexpected parts of our ordinary lives have became the very best bits we couldn't imagine life without. Welcome to Out of the Ordinary ! We're delighted you're joining our conversation. As always it was recorded on the third floor of Christie's old farmhouse, Maplehurst, and...