Sifted Wheat

In this conversation we are going to address how my own misuse and exposure to pornography has impacted my heart, my identity and my marriage.   I’m opening up space for us to sit with the following questions: Where did you learn about sex? How did you learn what it sounds like, looks like or should feel like? Were you told that porn and masturbation were just a rite of passage? Were you encourage...

This is the final topic in the conversation of the two worlds we occupy - spiritual and physical, and the first topic in a conversation about sexuality. In this space, I have done a lot of deconstruction and repairing from my own personal trauma and misinformation, and my hope is that this conversation can help you sit with the following questions: "Is this a trauma or hurt-based response?" "Do I...

Is this a topic that interests you or confuses you? It's true that not everything is a demon, but anything that creates divisiveness and pride and moves outside of the truth, tempting us into misconceptions about God and our identity in Him, this is spiritual gameplay. The spiritual world is very real and moves in and out of the things we do and say, and the more that we are aware of that the more...

We are continuing the conversation about being in a physical world and spiritual world, and this time we are considering how it relates to who we are and how that informs what we do! We will look at the following question: Who does God say you are? I believe we are each born with a purpose that informs our identity, and that God-given identity informs the choices of our lives. We will look at scri...

Too often deliverance and casting out demons is misused and misunderstood. This is another space where the belief that we live in a spiritual and physical world matters and requires deeper perception and empathy to help the hurting around us and continue to support them. We look at the story of "the demoniac" and the woman at the well to understand more of where and how spiritual warfare can be hi...

Do you believe we live in two worlds? Regardless of whether you do or don't, this is a conversation about where that shift of worlds might have started and how knowing that can empower us to live more impactful lives. It's not that the spiritual world doesn't exist, and to be honest some can even be too focused on it, but rather, it's acknowledging that it's hidden and active regardless of our bel...

Do you love the church? Even if (especially if)  that question makes you uncomfortable or even offends you, I encourage you to listen in! If we are going to make a difference in the world around us for the GOOD, then we must see the church for who she is (the good and the bad), who she is intended to be, and who she can become. Unsure of what I am talking about or curious to how you can learn to l...

Do you love your enemies? If that question makes you uncomfortable or even offends you, I want to challenge you to hit “play” and keep listening! If we are going to make a difference in the world around us for the GOOD, then we have to start seeing our enemies the way that Jesus taught us in Luke 10. He met the question about love and flipped it on it’s head in such a way that even those gathered...

We are moving deeper into the relationships of our lives, and how to love one another in order and safely, with a conversation about friends. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” We hear this a lot, but are we really considering what it means? Or if we are, do we think that somehow our relationships could be the exception?   In this episode, we talk about wh...

This is an episode that stepped all over my toes... but don't let that scare you away because even in creating the content, I experienced encouragement and empowerment to make changes in my marriage! I take the time evaluate why Ephesians 5 feels threatening and the revelation the LORD gave me to help me distinguish His plan for love in my marriage versus what I fear that holds me back. Not only d...

Do you want to understand your children better? Do you want to love them in a way that will make them healthier individuals? Do you desire to have a better impact on your kids? Young or old, in school or in a crib, this conversation opens up some practical ways to love your children well. Another purpose of this episode is to reach into the hearts of soul wounds inflicted on us as children, and ho...

Are you struggling with setting boundaries with your parents? Do you need support to assess the relationship and give yourself permission to say "no" or create space? Or on the other side, do you struggle with not involving your parents in your lives, having them take responsibility for your kids or your emotions when that is no longer their role? If any of those answers is "yes" or "maybe," this...

We’ve all heard the statement “The church is a hospital” but if we are honest, we are looking less like a hospital where people can come and find healing and leave better, and have become more like a hospice where we choose to remain comfortable until we die. If those feel like harsh words, maybe it is because they fatefully ring true. This episode is about discovering what it means to love people...

Disordered "love" opens us up to harm. If we aren't careful we can elevate our love for others, making what God created the SOURCE of our love instead of Him being the source through which we love others. This often happens through the magnification of others meeting our needs, allowing them to be "god-like." This opens us up to get hurt and for us to be victimized in ways that God's love for us s...

We are continuing to open up about the order of “love” with “Love Yourself” in part 2 of the Out of Order Series. Hopefully, you are learning what “love” is so that you can operate in it more fully and more safely. Remember, God wants to guard our hearts to guide our hearts, and He can only do that if we get the order right. So today we are allowing that love for Him to guide us in loving ourselve...

We open a new series about the order of love and how we often get it out of order with the first episode and the first order: Love the LORD, your God. Do you ever wonder what love is? Do you wonder what God's love means and how it sets us up to have healthier relationships? This episode explores why this is the first and foremost commandment and how it is also the foundation for any other love tha...

This episode is opening the door to my own sifting season that is presently being experienced. Sometimes what is happening in our lives doesn't reflect God's promises, and if we aren't careful, we might even think that it doesn't reflect His goodness. I want to take some time and talk through 4 things that I have committed to doing which has helped me both in this season and also in past seasons:...

We are continuing the conversation with Trey Oldham, and this time we are going to dive into more experiences of being obedient in the face of fear or even discomfort. We are called to be generous and loving regardless of our preferences or preconceived notions. Trey reminds us "Grace and love is messy" and as followers of Christ we are called to love well. Join us as we walk through our own strug...

Join the first of our two part conversation about how we move from the love of God into making it the purpose of loving and caring for those around us. In this first episode, my pastor and friend, Trey Oldham, shares his own story of "reckless" obedience and how it wasn't just about helping others but freeing him from the power of "stuff." We move through Trey's story of obedience into suggestions...

Let’s take a look deeper into the story of God through the parable of the prodigal son and the lost sheep. Let’s look beyond the players in the story to the teller of the story, Who is represented in the Father and the Shepherd, the conduit of both reckless love and sustaining love. This time we are going to move into the beauty of sacrificial love and how Jesus bridges the gap for ALL of us, wher...

This conversation is the second in a series that highlights God’s love for his kids and moves through the parable of “The Prodigal Son” from the younger brother to the older brother. Ultimately, it is about God’s “sustaining” love, the kind of love that we often overlook and take for granted and minimize in light of what it seems God is doing for others.     Resources to follow up with: “Prodigal...

This conversation is about God’s “reckless love.” I realize that can be a controversial statement, but I’m not talking about the character of God, rather, His love for us. In life experiences and in the Word of God, over and over there is this expression of love where God shows up in spaces the “respectable” wouldn’t find themselves, yet, God is there. The word “prodigal” means reckless, not waywa...

Today’s conversation is about the fear of rejection and the pattern of comparison. It’s a problem that affects us all, and the answer is “love.” Fear informs comparison, but love informs belonging, something that all of us need, and all of us seek – to be loved and to be known. There is only One Who can perfectly meet that need and is our Perfect Parent. Be encouraged and empowered to shift out of...

This episode is special to me because 1) I didn't plan it and I didn't write it, and 2) it became a beautiful conversation with my good friend and safe space, Shantray Smith. She invites me to elaborate on the term "detangle," what I mean by not being an island and the difference between self-sufficiency and independence, and how we can operate in grace even in encountering another's struggle. She...

The art of deception mostly lies in the fact that it is hidden. We don't always know if we are seeing clearly or if we have been enticed into a strategy to "dup" us. I've been there, and this episode is about where it all started (yep, Genesis 3 again) and how we can break off the charm (because it takes vulnerability and courage, but it can be done), and how the Good Shepherd comforts us and rede...