The Asha June, Oh! Report

I’m a big fan of context. Without it, the passage we’re talking about today is mildly encouraging at best and could be received as downright hurtful at worst. Let’s get to the root so we can bloom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Last week, we talked about the physical act of going to your arms while running and what it means to go to your arms spiritually. It’s a really cool connection and conversation, sparked by something my husband shared with me. I left the house for dropoff/the gym/all the errands, and when I got home, he was like, thanks for the shoutout. Also, I did some more digging and found out that… And then he...

Whew. Raw is the only word I’ve got for the state I was in when I recorded this. And wouldn’t you know the act of recording and lamenting and remembering what is true turned my day right around? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Continuing the conversation on freedom (maybe forever) with a fun one today. Part of this pod is a cut from This Hope: A Journey of Getting to Know God , and today is the day these words get their time in the sun. If you haven’t read my whole heart in black and white, the “journal entry” reference may have been confusing. The bones of the book are my real, unedited, and in-the-moment journal entri...

This is freedom like I’ve never known or even dared to consider. And there is no magic, no formula, no secret, no supplement. It’s yours for the taking too. Today’s the day, friend. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Lament may sound like a weird or churchy word, but I’m going to boldly claim that it’s the most powerful and practical gift ever. Lean in, lament, and be filled with the truth that leads to freedom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Whew. This one has had a hold on me for weeks, y’all. And it was ready to be let loose. A special guest joins me for a few minutes, and I promise you every bit of this 18:37 is for you. ps. The song we talked about is Jimmy Needham's For Freedom . So good. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/s...

If we turn to God, our inevitable suffering will bring out our inherent glory. It’s a bold claim, but I can say with complete certainty that it is true, because I have lived it. And our first response is probably why? Can’t we just go around the suffering and get to the glory? And the hard truth is, no. And it’s not because God is unmoving. It’s because sin is. Sin and suffering — ultimately, deat...

Feeling all the feels as school starts soon. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Wherever you are — mentally, emotionally, or physically — as summer winds down, I know this will meet you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

Talking living numb versus living fully alive and what our bodies can teach us about how to get from the former to the latter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

I’m back this week and talking about abundance versus excess and how they seem very similar but fill our lives in very different ways. And settling for second best never satisfies. I’m grateful for your ears and your heart and your time, and I know this will meet you right where you are. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

Grace and peace to you, friends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashajuneoh.substack.com/subscribe

God is not cruel. God does not hold you back with an evil grin and hands that won’t ever let go. No. God holds you back and weeps with your weary soul but continues to hold you with all tenderness because he knows the joy that is to come. You will not be held back forever. We will not be held back forever. Being held back means you are being held. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...

As the subtitle implies, this ended up being an emotional episode. My heart is so heavy, and sharing it with you is all I can think to do. So today is part grief and part celebration, as is often the state of our human hearts, right? All the things, all at once. Today, I’m talking about the state of our Western World, specifically how so many are turning away from the true Jesus because many who c...

Thanks to the worst case of laryngitis I have ever experienced, this is a #throwbackthursday. And honestly, I’m so excited about it. Because the words I’m sharing with you are some of my most favorite words I have ever had the pleasure and joy of writing and speaking. I’m sharing Chapter Two of This Hope: A Journey of Getting to Know God . Wild to think we’re coming up on the three year anniversar...

Catching up on this 87th day of January. It’s been a very full month over here, and there have been lots of fun things keeping me from this space (a surprise birthday trip for our five year old - yay!, and SNOW IN FLORIDA - listen on for lots more thoughts on this). I keep staring at that sentence above and not quite knowing how to feel about all those punctuation choices, but we’re moving on! Tod...

It’s been asked a million times, a million ways: What’s the meaning of life? What’s the point? What’s the purpose? What is life on this earth all about? Fruit and joy. We are to be fruitful and full of joy. Not happiness, although happiness is wonderful and fun and absolutely a gift from God. But happiness is circumstantial. Joy comes from knowing you are loved; so joy can be full and complete, no...

Purposely awful audio quality (you’ll understand within the first couple minutes) to kick off the new year! I’m excited, y’all. I don’t know what it is about this year, but I feel that buzz. After a year of hell and a year of healing, I’m feeling good in a way I haven’t in a while. As promised, *show notes* re: The Special Green Couch™ and my love letter to counseling . I’m so grateful for you and...

We celebrate the cradle because of the cross. We celebrate the birth because of the death, because of the resurrection and death’s defeat. We celebrate the baby born to become the man who would shed his blood to forever reconnect creation to Creator. Joy to the world, indeed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashaj...

Keeping this super short because I know you’re doing and remembering a million things right now. But in the midst of the hustle and bustle, I hope you’ll grab a hot beverage or take a quick walk and let this invitation and reminder soothe your soul for six and a half minutes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashaj...

Jesus’ birth and first visitors proclaim perhaps the most mysterious miracle of all: God chooses us to be the carriers of his presence. Us. With our messy hearts and broken bodies. Us. Carriers of the presence of God, which means carriers of true hope, joy, and peace. God invites us to carry his presence… with great joy… to all people. Mary is the only human to ever carry his physical presence, bu...

Adoption is an easy decision for some and a very difficult decision for others. It was very difficult for me. God used 58 months of infertility to soften my heart to adoption - more like meat-tenderize my heart to adoption. And even then, I had so much fear. So much fear about mothering a child I did not birth and having a relationship with the woman who did. The truth is, adoption is not natural,...

Soul rest that sustains and strengthens no matter our circumstances is real and possible. Soul rest in the midst of the unknown. Soul rest in knowing what we are and are not responsible for. Soul rest when life is not physically, mentally, or emotionally restful. This is an invitation to freedom, joy, and peace. This is an invitation to flourishing. This is an invitation to take hold of what you a...

Coming to you this week with one of the sweetest revelations I’ve come across in quite some time. It’s setting the tone for my 37th year of life, and I’m so grateful. I spent the final weeks of my 36th year feeling hardened, and now I know why. I promise you this 13 minutes is worth your time. And might possibly set a new tone for you too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wi...