The Grace Narrative

One of the ways I learned to function in the world was working for the approval of others. I looked for security and identity that way. Basically, I was creating FOR love, not FROM love. Through His grace God has shown me that is a a belief and a thought pattern that is opposed to His design...it is old, it doesn't fit with being a new creation of Christ. I need to renew my mind and be transformed...

We have many demands on our mental energy. We want to be able to focus, be creative, solve problems, and make good decisions. God created our brains in such a way that they can actually keep developing even as our bodies age.  Today we will discuss some rhythms and practices that build our mental muscles.

In my adult life, I've learned the value of looking back to reflect. Not in a way that keeps me mired in the past, but in a way that notices what worked and what didn't work so that I can continue to learn and grow. Today's episode is going to be an example of my contemplation of this summer as it comes to a close.

Today is the conclusion of this series on blessings. I felt like it would be incomplete if we didn't address how to offer and receive the blessing concerning endings. I am convinced that we unintentionally do serious damage to ourselves when we try to eliminate or shortcut our way through the grieving process that comes with endings. However deep the loss or hurt, God's presence and purpose are wi...

Whatever your job, the blessing I'll be sharing today is applicable because it's first and foremost about calling. As I share these words today, I hope you'll look at it through the lens that you can live out your calling WHATEVER your job or whatever your assignment. The core of it all is not about performance… It's WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON that informs your actions.  

Crossing a challenging threshold definitely requires courage. Receiving a blessing of courage means that we open ourselves up to discovery and compassion and leave behind the fear that keeps us trapped. Whatever your threshold is today, I hope that you can hold the same view as John O' Donohue who said "No threshold need be a threat, but rather an invitation and a promise." 

I am excited to share with you from "To Bless the Space Between Us" by John O'Donohue. We are going to be learning how to offer blessings- those gracious invocations where the human heart pleads with the divine heart.  It's a gift that opens doors and can bring healing and transformation. It changes the atmosphere by evoking a sense of warmth and protection because no life is alone or unreachable....

I've decided to do a "best of" installment of The Grace Narrative. The most downloaded episode of the podcast to date has been "Don't Despise the Small Steps". Obviously that struck a chord with a lot of listeners, so today is a re-air of that episode. It was originally recorded in December of 2019, but the great thing is that when an episode is based on principles, it can be just as applicable wh...

We all know that rest is important.  But if we don't have a mindset that supports what we know is true, we will continue to fight and struggle to give rest it's proper due as part of our reality. When we view rest as something we have to earn, it leads to some dangerous habits. So today, I want to talk about having a mindset where rest is actually the catalyst for fulfilling our purpose instead of...

In this final installment of the paradigm shift series, we will focus on changing our mindset from time management to energy management. The following quote is a great summary of this episode: "Every one of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors has an energy consequence, for better or for worse.  The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much ene...

Usually  on the show I talk about life experiences where I can look back and see the lesson learned, the victory that was won, or the new practice that has come about through God's gracious intervention. But today I want to share from the messy middle of something where the breakthrough hasn't happened yet and explore the role of grace in meeting me in this place of disappointment and discourageme...

All over we see posts, slogans, books, articles telling us that the best life is a balanced life. But for me, the balanced life target is kind of like the perfection target...I can't ever hit it, and so there's been a lot of self-condemnation around it. I want to share what I think is a much more freeing, realistic, and grace-filled approach in accounting for how and where we invest our time and e...

Although multitasking has been lauded as a highly desirable skill, living that as a way of life has had devastating side effects that have taken me further away from what I value and hope to achieve.  In this episode, we dive into the paradigm shift of "the one thing" mentality instead of multitasking and explore the clarifying question that leads to traction in moving us closer to what we have de...

A paradigm shift is a radical change of personal perspective. It's like a light switch being turned on in our souls and flooding us with brightness when understanding dawns in a new way in our lives! This episode is an introduction to a series I want to do on some paradigm shifts that have had a serious impact in my own grace narrative.

Today's episode focuses on becoming more aware of our strongest character traits called signature strengths. By embracing what God has put inside us and developing these traits we can not only expect to fulfill our purpose, but also experience joy as we move toward our potential while we intentionally exercise our signature strengths. 

In this episode, we discuss having compassion for someone that can be very challenging at times, but that person needs your compassion to heal. And that person is you. We're going to talk about why and how we can show compassion to ourselves because in doing so, we are cultivating wholeness and participating in abundant living.

Today's episode is the conclusion of a talk recorded last year when I shared about an especially challenging time for our family, so if you missed Part 1 last week, you'll want to go back and listen to Episode 36 first. If you did listen to it, you're all caught up. We'll pick up where we left off. So, without further ado, here's the rest of the story!

This episode is Part 1 of a talk I did for my church last year. You'll hear some of my family's story that I don't share a lot, but I felt led to speak on what happens when we let our expectations become idols. I hope you will enjoy being introduced to my family and relate to some of the challenges we have faced in our journey.  Today will end in the middle of the story, but next week, you'll hear...

Reflecting on progress is encouraging and empowering. Sometimes it looks like a completed goal and I can celebrate the finish. More often than not, I am thinking about the baby steps I am taking toward that goal. Guess what?  Small steps get celebrated, too!

As Christ followers we are encouraged to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. When you think about how mentally weighed down we can become and how negative our thoughts can be, it makes sense that the renewal of our minds is very important. Today we are going to talk specifics about the process itself.

One of the most important steps in making the greatest impact in a piece of creative work is successful editing. Taking out anything that distracts from the impact of the piece is essential. In this episode, we are going to talk about that truth as it relates to our lives and our calling and trusting God with His power to edit.

Do you have an ideal version of yourself? Honestly, I get discouraged about the discrepancy between my Ideal Self and Actual Self! Today, I want to talk about how to reconcile the difference between Ideal You and Actual You- and the work of grace that allows God's purpose to be brought about in that tension.

Assignments are roles, tasks, projects, jobs, work...that are given to us for a portion of time. While our identity as a redeemed Christ follower and the lifelong calling he places on us, do not end, assignments do. Many times our assignments are like puzzle pieces. We don't always know how it all fits together, but in time we see how it contributed to the whole plan.

I like the way O.S. Guinness phrases it when he says calling is the fusion of being and becoming. God in His grace is always at work in us. This requires a complete surrender, not only of our strengths, but also our weaknesses. Today we will learn about finding your calling in the place where your talents and burdens collide.

I have a theory about why we are susceptible to an identity crisis and I believe it's because we put calling and duty before identity.  In other words we make our identity to be about what we do rather than who we are.  The result puts us in a tailspin when our circumstances change or a role ends. I want to start a 3 part series on Identity, Calling, and Assignment. Today's episode establishes the...