Finding God in Our Pain

Mental Illness/Bipolar is not a Death Sentence, with Susan Johnson

Mental Illness/Bipolar is not a Death Sentence with Susan Johnson

I couldn’t wait to share this conversation with you!  My guest is Susan Johnson and she’s the author of, Some Dreams Are Worth  Keeping: A Memoir of My Bipolar Journey.

I was impressed by her courage to have an open dialog about mental illness. With her personal diagnosis of Bipolar, I had a specific interest in this topic because as many of you may know my mother struggled with bipolar. At that time, back in the mid 80’s, my mom was diagnosed as manic depressive. That's what they use to bipolar.

Not many people, my mother included are willing to talk about mental illness, and I get it. Because when I was growing up having to be on medicine because you were considered mentally unstable was considered shameful. And I’m not proud to admit it, but in a home with a mother who has brutal mood swings, I thought my mother was crazy. I said she was crazy.

So the stigma that surrounds a diagnosis of mental illness can be very unsettling and has the potential to make for a very complicated conversation because let’s be honest, how do you tread lightly with something so sensitive.

Susan is open and honest about her journey and she gives us some insight into what mental illness is and is not. Her willingness to be candid and transparent is creating a dialog that I believe removes a lot of the current day stigma by letting us see that it is manageable and life can be full and rewarding.

I’m confident that Susan's courage will give hope to those who struggle with a mental illness. She’s a college graduate, gainfully employed, happily married and has a full life! Something else she was willing to reveal is why she and her husband decided not to have children.

Her story is very encouraging! I especially liked her TED talk on Youtube (see link below). As you listen in don’t miss her explanation of why memorizing a 15 minute TED talk is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself!

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Connect with Susan -

Order her book: https://www.sjohnsonauthor.com/mybook
Follow her on Facebook.com/sjohnsonbooks and instagram.com/sjohnsonbooks
Inspirational Speaker TM ACB
Best Bipolar Blogger Award for Healthline.com 2017
Stability Leader  www.thestabilitynetwork.org
Website: www.sjohnsonauthor.com
TEDx talk "Having A Mental Illness Is Not A Death Sentence"  hit the link here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgeURPOQ8Ig 

BIO:
Susan graduated from Drake University with a B.A. in Sociology. Since her diagnosis of Bipolar 1 in 1995, Susan's true passion in life is to help break the stigma of living with a mental illness and bring hope to those living with one. She has given a TEDx talk “Having A Mental Illness Is Not A Death Sentence.” Susan currently works with special education students as an Instructional Assistant for a school district in Nevada. Susan is a guest blogger for a mental health magazine. She received the award for Best Blogger for Healthline.com in 2017 and appeared in the 2018 "This Is Me" article in BP Hope Magazine. Susan is a Stability Leader for a nonprofit organization called “The Stability Network.” For fun she enjoys hiking, baking, traveling, yoga, spending time with her Goddaughter, and trips to the ocean. Susan is originally from Thousand Oaks, CA. She now makes her home in fabulous Las Vegas with her husband, Gary, and Siberian cat, Angel-Ann. 

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/3b8a4657e150401a8906739a323f1856/edit_v2

 

When Death No Longer has the Final Say, with Author, Sonya Mack

When Death No Longer has the Final Say with Author, Sonya Mack

What a pleasure it is to kick off the New Year around the topic of joy with author, Sonya Mack.  My only regret is that our time together was limited. It felt like we had just started when it came to a close. 

Sonya's book, "This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say," is a true story of hope for those who grieve. As I've shared before, there are many types of grief because when we are separated from that which we hold near and dear to our heart we need to grieve that loss. 

This book and the beauty that it shares was born from Sonya's deep heartache of loosing her closest confident and friend when her mother passed in 2010 due to ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). In today's episode Sonya shares the various ways that she keeps her mother's memory alive with her two young daughters who never had a chance to meet their grandmother.

I definitely benefited from what Sonya shared today because when I think about my husband only meeting two of our 6 grandchildren, I want to keep him alive in our family too. Of the 2 grandchildren that met him, my then four year old grand daughter is the only one who can barely remember him. So I'm going to introduce them to their grandfather and keep his memory alive adding in some of the practices Sonya uses with her daughters.

Finding joy in the midst of grief may sound like an oxymoron but Sonya says it doesn't have to be. In her book she talks about the various ways she found joy again after her profound loss. If experiencing joy despite the presence of grief still sounds a little out of touch with reality or too good to be true, take heart, it wasn't an overnight discovery for Sonya. It wasn't without a genuine struggle in deep pain and with even deeper questions. 

My personal experience is that when you're grieving you must be purposeful to step out from under the weight of that type of pain because it can paralyze you. So it's important to change your focus or your surroundings and discover what else is going on around you. Sonya's book tells us of the various ways that we can take that much needed break from the overwhelm of grief and find, even a small, short reprieve.

Sonya is also the CEO of The Live Joy Life and she shared that it's an organization that empowers women through community, mindset, and the LIVE JOY principles, to live in the joy God intended. 

Any book is a great book when it shares all the information you're looking for on any given topic and in this case the topic is joy but Sonya didn't stop at telling you why you need to find joy, hoping that you find ways to discover it in your own efforts. She went a step further and developed the ACE Method which lays out actions steps so that we can find the joy of life even in the midst of grief. The A C E Method is the acronym for Access, Contemplate and Execute and she gives a brief explanation on what they are and how to apply them to our life. 

Let's listen in to hear all that Sonya has to share because with God, death does not have the final say.

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

You can order This Changes Everything:When Death No Longer has the Final Say, anywhere books are sold, including Amazon. https://amzn.to/3FzkE55

Website: https://www.sonyajoymack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonyajoymack/?hl=en

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sonyajoymackauthor/

 

Bio: Sonya Joy Mack has treated grief and illness for over fifteen years as a Physician Assistant. Sonya created The LIVE JOY LIFE, an organization that empowers women through community, mindset, and the LIVE JOY principles, to live in the joy God intended by giving their pain a purpose. Her debut book “This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say,” is a story of hope, humor, and healing for those who grieve and encouragement to follow God-given dreams. Her work can be seen as a guest blog for “Find Your Harbor,” “The Well Des Moines,” and “Des Moines Mom Collective,” and in the Guidepost Compilation “In the Arms of Angels.”

Sonya lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her husband and two spunky daughters, where she enjoys red wine, dark chocolate, big hugs, and living room dance parties. Sonya continues to advocate for a treatment and cure for ALS, the disease that took her mother’s life.

You can find her at on Instagram @sonyajoymack, Facebook at www.facebook.com/SonyaJoyMackAuthor, or become a part of the LIVE JOY LIFE family at www.sonyajoymack.com.

Transcript

Widower, Daniel Doolan Shares His Story of Love and Loss

Widower, Daniel Doolan Shares His Story of Love and Loss

It's not too often that a widower (a man who has lost his wife), will talk openly about grief but my guest today, Daniel Doolan took the time to share his experience of loosing his precious wife, Kathy. He and Kathy were married for 48 years before Leukemia snatched her from his embrace.

When I think about the stigma attached to a man showing emotion I wondered where does a widower find comfort? And because God has said that it is not good for man to be alone, I questioned if there is any purpose left for a widower (or even a widow) after such a devastating loss? 

Daniel talks about taking control of his grief by embracing it. Actually, more like going after it. Which I thought was vey unique because whether male or female I feel like our first response is to protect ourself from it.  But when he shared some of the benefits he was experiencing by engaging his grief whenever it wanted to well up in his heart, they were pretty significant so I can see why he'd continue using that method as part of the healing process. He talked about how cathartic and cleansing it was for him. He shared how it felt that it kept him from bitterness and the overwhelm of anxiety. He was seeing improvements whether it be mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.  

As I was talking with Daniel he said something that made me think, wow, he's been engaging God about death for quite some time. To me, it revealed the depth of his relationship, the comfort, the confidence that he has with his God. All of us know that ain't none of us getting out of here alive but we really don't want to talk about it. 

But that doesn't appear to be true with Daniel. He told me about an old prayer he used to pray. It was my impression that this was before Kathy was diagnosed with Leukemia. Maybe it was a conversation he had with God because of their various health concerns prior to her diagnosis. But he was having a conversation with God about death and he said, "Father, when one of us goes, let us be a witness. If it's me, let Kathy be a witness. And if it's her, let me be a witness to those around me of your love and of your hope." 

Since God didn't take Daniel home first, he knows God must have a plan. True to God's ability to give purpose to our pain Daniel is more than the title of widower. He has become a certified ATD Therapy Dog Handler.  Now he and his blonde sidekick, a Golden Retriever named Amber are able to have difficult conversations that most people feel are awkward and intrusive at best. 

Amber's sweet disposition softens the atmosphere as well as someone's heart and that gives way for Daniel to have an honest conversation about the pain and struggle of cancer.  He spends his time giving hope, encouragement, and unconditional love to those who are facing the fear of uncertainty and the potential of death.  

The more Daniel talked the more obvious it became. Kathy was precious to him. He took her well being, her safety, and her care very serious. You'll be able to hear it in his voice, his love for her and how much he misses her. Be inspired by Daniel's story and by the beauty that is blossoming out of deep, deep anguish.

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Connect with Daniel @ dd9293@comcast.net

Bio:
Daniel is retired after dedicating 40 years to his trade of choice, Television Studio/Field Engineer. Additionally, he was married to his soulmate Katherine, a true daughter of the King and Savior Jesus Christ. After 48 years together God called Katherine home in April of 2021.

True to God’s ability to use our pain and suffering Katherine’s battle with Leukemia gave Daniel a desire to comfort others who are fighting battles that are difficult for many to talk about.

Daniel is now an ATD Therapy Dog Handler. He and his furry partner Amber, offer their accepting presence, along with words of encouragement and comfort to those who are going through their journey with cancer.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/b5de0ba1e35f4d2b9bcf603c782f16fb/edit_v2

 

 

Taking Responsibility for Your Healing, with Kimberly Bell

Taking Responsibility fo Your Healing - Kimberly Bell

Taking responsibility is a powerful tool when it comes to healing and my conversation today guest, author and speaker, Kimberly Bell is the perfect example of what that means. Using her book titled, The Epitome of Kimmy: Accept & Embrace It All, we talked about her healing journey from the various traumas she's experienced. Such things as domestic violence, teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, as well as various other traumas and PTSD. Kimberly tells us that her powerful transformation from broken to discovering who God had created her to be wasn't an easy journey because it was plagued with set backs and returning to old patterns but Kimberly never stopped praying to the God of the Holy Bible.

While her adoptive parents could not rewrite what had been imprinted on Kimberly as a young girl they equipped her with the best possible option to discover truth and freedom. They pointed her heart to a personal relationship with Jesus. And she would need that as a compass to find her way to healing because her early trauma made her an easy target for future abuse. Even as Kimberly struggled through the various abusive relationships from early teens and for several decades, she always knew she could talk to Jesus about her pain and confusion. But she wouldn't see lasting change until she decided to try things God's way.

As it is with many of us who finally come to the end of ourselves, there came a time when she too hit the proverbial wall and surrendered. She gave up the futile struggle against the evil that she was no match for. Just like the rest of us, she tried everything she knew how, her human reasoning and strength of mental endurance but nothing brought a peace or lasting resolution to solve her pain.

I would personally say that the first glimpse of someone's healing who has thoughts of self-harm would be when they don't surrender to the voice that is telling them to end it all, to give up, you're not worth the effort, no one will ever love you. So when she didn't agree with that voice, even though she may have felt at a place of having no way out, nothing left to fight for, no human strength to fight with but I consider it a win when she didn't choose a permanent solution to a temporary situation. I say temporary because the truth is, as Christians we have a different option. We have a way out.

She choose to release the weight of the fight, the pain, the feelings of unworthiness, the memories, the shame and laid it all at the feet of Jesus. Rather than surrender to something or someone, she surrendered herself to only One with whom she was safe to be laid bare in such an incredibly vulnerable way.

Kimberly points out the importance of the gift God gave us, the gift of choice. When she exercised that gift, choosing to allow God to love on her, to accept the invitation to sit at His table and enjoy His extravagant love despite anything about her past mistakes, she discovered tangible benefits of the cross.

Some of which are: Authority over evil, the power of responsibility (which translates to freedom) and the beauty of it all, redemption.

And just in case you're wondering, how does authority, responsibility and redemption translate to my pain and suffering. What that looks like for those of us who have past traumas and pain is that we take authority over the evil that we've experienced. What does that mean? We make the choice to take responsibility for our healing. We're not taking responsibility for what happened to us, please hear me clearly on this. We're taking responsibility for our healing. We initiate the necessary steps and follow it through to complete healing.

I'm not going to lie to you, this means we engage our painful places and memories. But if there is anything, anything at all that I can make an impression with you about it would be to stay the course and don't back down. You may not have been able to fight against the person that violated you, that killed things in your heart and your mind but by God's power and authority you can fight this good fight, just like Kimberly did until your past pain no longer had any control over you.

The beauty of redemption is freedom. Discovering that what Christ did on the cross, you can live above the confinements of this life. But God never stops there. There's more. God gives our pain purpose. An example of purpose for our pain is what Kimberly is doing. She's sharing her story to encourage the hearts of others. She's taking part in the redemption plan that God has for her.

Kimberly was a delight to talk with. I loved her laugh, her fun spirit. I think those qualities were so evident because of all that she's been through and yet she had the courage to choose Jesus. She's sharing her story of healing and redemption from a new level of authority, truth and love in Christ.

Let's listen in!

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

 

Connect with Kimberly
INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/theepitomeofkimmy/
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyannebell
GOODREADS
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21705865.Kimberly_Anne_Bell
WEBSITE
https://kimberlyannebell.com
BLOG
https://kimberlyannebell.com/blog/
AMAZON
https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Bell/e/B09C1JK1CC/ 

 

Bio: Kimberly Anne Bell is an inspirational speaker, minister, mentor, and author of "The Epitome of Kimmy: Accept & Embrace It All". She is originally from Salisbury, Maryland and holds two Degrees: The first is in Human Growth and Development, which is in the field of Psychology, and the second is in Theology. She has served on the Ministerial Staff at St. James A.M.E Zion Church and completed 4 years of Conference Studies. 

She is passionate about depending on her faith in God and being courageous enough to be transparent and speak her truth. She believes that everyone has a story and a journey that can and will inspire others. She has spoken at the Women Empowerment Expo in DC, the Women of Valor Conference in Easton MD, and more. She has also been featured in the March 2022 edition of the Authentic Insider magazine. Through her work, she uses her personal life struggles to inspire others to never give up hope while raising awareness to societal issues. She is also an advocate for Mental Health Awareness. She covers topics like physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse as well as childhood abandonment, PTSD and healing from trauma.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/b5c590095ee84bab8145c0151db1b7a1/edit_v2

 

 

Listen, Sister! Embrace Imperfection with Tess Scott

Listen, Sister! Embrace Imperfection with Tess Scott

My heart has been so encouraged by my guest, Tess Scott. I love, love, love how she embraces her imperfections. Tess is the founder of Listen Sister, a ministry with a focus on encouraging women through what she calls, the freakshow of life. Using her message of encouragement Tess has written a book titled, Listen Sister! Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life.

I am always in awe of women who have the ability to make peace with their imperfections. They're able to fold all of their failures and embarrassing moments into the storyline of their life. In her book, that's exactly what Tess does. She shares real stories that are simple, everyday life experiences, good and bad, embarrassing, empowering and she reveals the beauty in the ordinary. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe and you'll leave with your heart having experienced a deeper revelation of God's goodness.

What an interesting life Tess has lived and we touched on a little bit of each phase. Tess says she's the black sheep turned Jesus girl. She has 8 children ....all boys....8 boys.....I even tell her I wouldn't want to clean that bathroom! She's been married 4 times, two of which were to the same man. God reunites her with her husband (in her fourth marriage), and all seems like it's back on track and then she's diagnosed with breast cancer. So instead of a romantic new marriage they begin going to the cancer hospital, visits, radiation, mastectomy. It might be hard to imagine but her complicated life story is full of God's extravagant grace, and mercy.

I hoping that all who have the opportunity to read her book, listen to her wherever she speaks or follow her on social media will adapt her attitude about life's challenges and maybe borrow her courage if they need to in order to heal and move past their regrets and shame.

The courage it takes to share the embarrassing aspects of your life is one thing but to share the things that were your fault....I don't know about you but that would be a hard one for me. To expose my shame and regret to strangers feels like I'm opening myself up to personal attacks. Maybe it's my background, where perfection was drilled into my being as the only acceptable result ...and trust me I get it, perfection is completely unrealistic ...God has brought me through, given me healing but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that sometimes it's challenged and I have to address those thought patterns with God. So my point being, who wants to purposefully invite ridicule? But that's not how Tess sees it.

The only place where we're safe to expose ourselves in that manner with regard to shame and regrets, to be laid bare and vulnerable is with Christ. Once we settle our failures and shortcomings with Him no one else's opinion has any power over us. When we've transferred the pain and struggle of failure to God, laying that burden down, submitting it to His authority it no longer has the same affect on us....it doesn't hold any power over us anymore. God will never use it against us no matter how many times me return with an apology for the same thing. He'll never reject you. He'll never leave you.

The only place that we can find the power and authority to take away our sin and to embrace a forgiveness that allows us to lift our heads under the weight of our decisions and to experience restoration is at the foot of the cross.

Don't hesitate to lay your imperfections at the feet of Jesus. His blood on the cross is still as fresh for us today as it was over 2000 years ago. While we're still alive we have an opportunity to seek God's heart and find out what it means to walk in the freedom of who He is and what He's done. It's an incredible place to do life from.

Listen in as Tess shares her wit, failures and the beauty of who Christ is in the freakshow of life!

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Connect with Tess:
Listen Sister Encouragement for Women
www.listensister.ca
Top 10 Signs your Life is a Freakshow! I know you suspect it’s true - Find out for sure with this beautiful and FREE framable PDF here: https://tessscott.com/freakshow/
https://linktr.ee/ListenSisterEncouragement

Social Media Links:
My website:  Listen Sister! Finding Hope in the Freak Show of Life (tessscott.com) 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listensistertessscott 
Instagram: Listen Sister Encouragement (@listensister_encouragement) • Instagram photos and videos 
Linked In Tess Scott | LinkedIn 

Purchase Links:
Listen, Sister!: Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life by Tess Scott, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/listen-sister-tess-scott/1140051727?ean=9781631957390) 
USA - Listen, Sister!: Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life: Scott, Tess: 9781631957390: Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Listen-Sister-Finding-Hope-Freakshow/dp/1631957392/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7JF3CFP4D52O&keywords=Tess+Scott&qid=1668983379&sprefix=tess+sco%2Caps%2C463&sr=8-1)  
Canada - Listen, Sister!: Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life: Scott, Tess: 9781631957390: Books - Amazon.ca 
Listen, Sister!: Finding Hope In The Freakshow Of Life, Book by Tess Scott (Paperback) | www.chapters.indigo.ca 
Listen, Sister! : Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life (Paperback) - Walmart.com 

Bio: Tess Scott, former black sheep turned “Jesus Girl” is mom of 8 boys and spunky “Grami with a heart above the i” to a whole slew of adorable grandkids. Using both humor and vulnerability, Tess shares her life as a speaker, an author and an encourager of women. Her first book, “Listen,Sister! Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life officially launched in June, 2022. You can usually find Tess knee deep in some sort of shenanigans in Sarnia Ontario to the ongoing embarrassment of her family.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/3df333f8d10543c192a275766f95ecfe/edit_v2

How to Live A 1 Corinthians 13 Love - Kim Sorrelle, Director for Rays of Hope International

How to Live A 1 Corinthians 13 Love with Kim Sorrelle

My guest today is Kim Sorrelle. She is the Director for Rays of Hope International. She is an award winning author and she is an International Speaker.

If you're familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, you know this chapter is referred to as the love verses. They describe the importance, depth and beauty of God's love for us and since He loved us first, He also expects us to love others in the way He has modeled it for us. I'm not sure about you but I really, really struggle to love like God loves.

I want to love like God loves. I know I want someone to love me the way it's described in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I want a love that is patient and kind. One that does not keep a record of wrongs and that covers over a multitude of sins. Wait, that might be yoga pants but you know what I'm getting at. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we'll focus on verses 4 through 12. Verses 4 though 8 describe the way God loves us. Verses 9 through 12 tells us what it will be like when we leave this life behind and step into eternity. For Christians this means we step into God's presence.

Everything about this life is but a mere shadow here and these verses compare this life to being a child with regard to the way we think and reason vs the way we think and reason as an adult. You didn't think the same at 20 years old like you did when you were 13 years old. You didn't think the same from even 16 to 20.

My point being, as we age we grow in our understanding in short, thinking like a child is completely different than thinking like an adult. Same is true when it comes to what we perceive about this life now vs when we stand in God's presence.

Face to face with God will give us a depth of understanding that is unmatched by anything we had previously understood. In eternity, what we thought we knew here and what we find out to be true there will be mind blowing to say the least.

Let's take a look at verses 4 through 12 of 1 Corinthians 13 because I think it's a great chance to meditate on what God is saying here. Take the time to look at the whole chapter.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Verse 8 sets us up for the transition from what love is to leaving this world behind in exchange for face to face with God in eternity.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Let the beauty of God's instruction seep into your heart. What could life be like if every person took to heart, God's instruction on love? Hurt people would no longer hurt people. We could hold others accountable for the purpose of love, we could speak the truth in love and not be afraid. We'd be like iron sharpening iron.

Love would reign in every heart. Think about what that means for families alone. Love is what we'd emulate and spread. Why can't love be as contagious as hate?

Check out all that Kim had to share. May she bless your heart like she did mine!

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

CONNECT WITH KIM:

EMAIL: KIM@KIMSORRELLE.COM

WEBSITE

https://www.kimsorrelle.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

https://tiny.one/kimsfacebookpage

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-langlois-sorrelle-11079523/

https://www.instagram.com/kimsorrelle/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/Kim_Sorrelle

https://www.facebook.com/ksorrelle

https://tiny.one/kimsorrelleyoutube

AMAZON BOOK LINKS

https://tiny.one/loveisonamazon

https://tinyurl.com/cryuntilyoulaughonamazon

 

TRANSCRIPT: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/40b89c379eb84e5a9a1cc0693b8927c9/edit_v2

Hope Deferred with Lainie Stubblefield - Marriage and Children

Hope Deferred with Lainie Stubblefield - Marriage and Children

God's word says, hope deferred makes the heart sick but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. If so, then why would it seem that God withholds good things from us? Specifically for this conversation, withhold marriage and children from my guest Lainie Stubblefield?

If you've longed for something for many years and it feels as though you've been overlooked, let Lainie's story encourage your heart because she shares how she struggles with God about her pain and the revelations she receives by engaging God's heart in her journey of deeply desiring to be a wife and mom.

Hope deferred can be about many different desires of the heart. It's longing for something but not seeing it come to fruition. As mentioned, Lainie's heart desire has been for marriage and children and as a Christian she's chosen to wait on God's timing.

A double edged sword for sure. On the one hand, I consider it a sliver of gold, being confident that God knows the man whom has He chosen to be my spouse. At the very least, when marriage gets tough I could rest in the fact that everything's going to be okay because God picked this one for me. And yet, when it's taking so long for God to answer, it's very easy to also blame Him when things don't turn out like I want or had envisioned.

Lainie reminded me of my friend Kathrine. They are steadfast in their waiting. I'm not saying it's easy. Both women are transparent about their experiences with pain and struggle but they stay the course until God moves His hand. And by move His hand, I am also not saying that He answers in the way they wanted or desired. In their struggling well with God they discover new intimacies about His heart for them. They find that God is enough in every situation.

I can't count the times when I was waiting on the Lord to answer a prayer and then at some point I get it in my head that He needs help. I jump in and "help out" aka take control. I've got this mindset that surely I missed what He was saying or where He was leading so I'm going to steer this prayer request in the right direction and get the answer I'm looking for, pronto. So, more times than I can count I have returned to the Lord in repentance with more baggage attached to my original request. Good news though, God's unfazed with my antics. In the past, He's spoken into my spirit something along the lines of, sweet child I could have saved you all of that if you'd just been patient.

I say that to say this, we can get out there and make things happen. There are other options to waiting on Christ. Lainie has other options. One of those options being that she could stay focused on her struggle and pain becoming bitter but she has set it in her heart and has chosen to submit herself to God's timing and His wisdom.

To some it may look like God has forgotten Lainie or is withholding this good thing, even Laine has asked God that question. But Lainie has pressed deeply into the heart of God to discover the beauty of intimacy with Christ. In doing so, Christ has revealed His sufficiency in singleness.

So you might be thinking, what is the importance of waiting on God? For Christians, it's in the waiting that our faith is exercised. It's where we discover new levels of relationship with God, where He reveals hidden things, gives us access to new dimensions of His heart. It's where we explore and discover things we didn't even imagine to know or ask. After all, an immediate gratification God does not require faith and certainly no relationship. There is beauty to be found in the midst of the pain and waiting. 

Lainie is warm, friendly and easy to. She talks about the various revelations that God shared with her and I loved that she had a strong understanding of the importance of both married couples and the singles with regard to the body of Christ. She has, what I would call, an intuitive understanding and even shares what she discerns with her pastor (who is very open to her input) from a singles perspective. She shares how to blend the two (married and single) in various ways for a mutually beneficial experience that edifies the whole body of Christ.

Listen in to hear all that God revealed and how Lainie has applied it to her life so that hope deferred doesn't become the sole pursuit of her life.

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Connect with Lainie:
https://steelmagnoliaspodcast.com/
https://www.accessmore.com/pd/Have-Love-Will-Travel-

Resources Mentioned:
Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage
Sam Alberry, The 7 Myths about Singleness

Bio:
Lainie Stubblefield has helped others receive healing in their bodies as a massage therapist for over 20 years. As a follower of Jesus, she also has a heart for seeing others receive the freedom that is available in our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. She is the co-host of the Steel Magnolias podcast discussing various aspects of Southern Culture as well as a new travel podcast coming out soon called Have Love, Will Travel on the Access More Network.

Transcript:
https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/b9efa3a7cff54eb09f74e358bf0dbe94/edit_v2

 

 

Balancing Good and Evil - Lori Morrison, Private Investigator

Balancing Good and Evil - Lori Morrison, Private Investigator

My guest Lori Morrison is a Christian who happens to be a PI, Private Investigator. She deals with good and evil on a daily basis. She also hosts the podcast called The Unlovely Truth where she explores the intersection of faith and true crime. In each of her episodes she’s not making up any of the evil she discusses. Evil is real.

All of this is intriguing to me because as Christians we also face good and evil on a daily basis and we have a huge fascination with true crime. However, we don’t want anything to do with evil in our lives. I can't blame you there because if I'm honest, neither do I.

We tend to shun evil to the point that we completely avoid it, we pray it away, we’re afraid to engage it, and we’re horrified by the headlines in the news. Not only does Lori engage evil on a daily basis from the perspective of helping families find answers about their loved ones, but she also serves female inmates through a bible study.

I think about the courage that it takes to see both sides of the equation. As she shared her experiences I realized how much intention it takes to stay balanced. To have compassion for both the family of the victim and the criminal and yet engage in the fight for justice. But as Christians isn’t that what we’re required to do? Be in the world but not of it? To love justice and seek mercy?

Lori recalls the true crime story that Jesus uses as a teaching tool and in doing so she shows us how we are to combat evil and that is to become engaged in the fight to offset evil. Lori says that it’s not about becoming a PI yourself. Each of us can make our own personal impact. There is work to do, and we, as individuals, can make an impact on both sides of the equation.

As Christians we reveal the heart of God in our normal day to day activities, through our skills and passions etc. We have the opportunity to shine the Light of who Christ is into the darkest parts of life, to let a hurting world know that God has the power and the authority to turn evil for our good and His glory.  Whether that's a family that gets closure and personal justice for their loved one or the repentant heart of a criminal who becomes sold out for Christ and uses their past to heal others living in a life of crime.

If you’re a Christian you know that God loves everyone. Without exception. So our first step in using God's light to dispel the darkness of this life is to engage the heart of God. Let's find out what He wants to use about us, where He wants to work through us. Where dose He want us to apply our gifts and talents, time, energy and resources. And then let’s use Lori’s example of how she is purposeful about taking care of herself so that she’s able to balance the push and pull of this life with the passion of God’s heart. 

Live Loved & Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Lori's Bio: I'm licensed private investigator Lori Morrison. You may know me as the host of the podcast the Unlovely Truth, an author, and a speaker.  I'm here to help you become a different kind of P.I. - a Person of Impact. I've done it, I've worked with others who have done it, and I can help YOU do it, too!

Connect with Lori:

https://www.theunlovelytruth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theunlovelytruthpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theUnlovelyTruth

https://www.instagram.com/theunlovelytruthpodcast/

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/67d8cf0e4baf49799a5b45f14898feb2/edit_v2