A podcast designed to encourage believers that God can use you to impact His kingdom no matter your story. Yes, it requires surrender and trust, but His grace is enough.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Stephanie Rousselle joins me to discuss life as an atheist, encountering God as a foreign exchange student, surrendering to Jesus, teaching God's Word and how her various cultural experiences impacts her reading of God's Word.
Questions Stephanie and I Discuss:
- (2:17) Introduce yourself, your family to our listeners and tell everybody a little bit about what you do.
- (5:32) Tell everybody about Gospel Spice Podcast (and ministry).
- (11:57) You are French born and raised. Take our listeners back to your childhood and share some details about the family and culture in which you grew up.
- (23:10) What led you to open your heart and mind to the idea of God?
- (33:07) You returned to France as a young Christian, what did the next 5-10 years look like for you?
- (41:28) How has the way you read Scripture been impacted by living in numerous cultures around the world?
Quotes to Remember:
"My dad in particular, was a very strong atheist, but it was something I had researched and decided to take as my worldview."
"I ended up giving my life to the Lord, which was a painful process, because this girl is very full of self."
"My baptism was the stone of remembrance of this is what the Lord has done for me and my faith. At that moment in time it was real and that did keep me through very dry seasons in France."
"I was not seeking God. I was perfectly happy in my atheism, I did not have any awareness of a God shaped hole in my heart....I was so unaware of self, that God had to break that little by little."
Related Episodes:
- 104: Susie Rowan | Bible Study Fellowship, Executive Director
- 99: Jen Wilkin | Women of The Word
- 79: Amy Carroll | Sharing Your God Story
- 50: Rebecca Bender | Freedom From Human Trafficking
Connect with Stephanie Rousselle at www.gospelspice.com
or on Facebook
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Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer join me to discuss the abuse of power in the church, creating a goodness culture, and how the western business model has negatively impacted the church. Topics they wrote about in their book A Church Called Tov.
Questions Scot, Laura and I Discussed:
- (3:39) Your family attended and served at Willow Creek Church for a number of years. What were some strengths and weaknesses you observed while attending?
- (7:33) The two of you have written A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing. Laura, will you share a bit of the back story that led you to write this book?
- (15:47) "We form church cultures, but we are simultaneously formed by the cultures we've helped form." In relation to the church, Scot unpack that a bit for us.
- (18:56) What are a few early warning signs of a toxic church culture?
- (22:57) Something I have witnessed personally is the mis-application of Matthew 18, which you write about in Chapter 3 of the book. How is Matt. 18 mis-applied in abuse culture and how is it to be appropriately applied?
- (30:17) What is Tov? And how is it more than a works based goodness?
- (34:28) The portion that particularly struck me was how the western business model has taken root in churches. The focus has become achievement and accomplishment rather than holiness and Christlikeness. Unpack that a bit for our listeners.
- (42:13) As we close, what would you say is a good first step to take if you are a member of a church and are experiencing that feeling of "ugh...I think this may be happening in my church"?
Quotes to Remember:
"When people are confronted with their sins that are shocking, and will destroy their ministry they do certain patterns."
"Good characters produce good cultures, and bad toxic characters produce toxic cultures."
"If I see loyalty, constant building up, bragging about the church, and the pastor, and the musicians, I'm going to be suspicious, because they're holding people up at a level that is going to detract from Christ."
"Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is also a term used a lot in Judaism. But it is a term that makes Christians scared."
"If you are connected to Jesus, you are connected to someone who is all together tov (good), and if you spend time in the presence of someone who's all together tov, you'll be tov-er."
"We would go to these training sessions led by Bill Hybels, and he called it Fill. He wanted your section to fill. It was all about inviting people in and making sure that the seats had bodies in them."
SHOW NOTES cont.
Related Episodes:
- 94: Mary DeMuth | Hope After Sexual Abuse
- 97: Hannah Anderson | Goodness and The Lost Art of Discernment
- 101: Paula LeJeune | When God's Love and Adversity Collide
Connect with Scot McKnight on Twitter and at Jesus Creed
Connect with Laura Barringer on Twitter
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and www.graceenoughpodcast.com
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Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Cheri Jimenez joins me to discuss Safe Families for Children, supporting families in crisis, and the various roles people can fill to help a family in need reach a place of stability.
Questions Cheri and I Discussed:
- (4:16) Share a little of your faith journey with us. How did you become involved with Safe Families for Children?
- (7:40) What is Safe Families for Children? What is the purpose and the mission behind Safe Families?
- (13:27) How does Safe Families for Children differ from foster care?
- (18:57) If someone is listening, who is interested in getting involved with Safe Families, what are some of the volunteer roles they would fill?
- (25:27) How does Safe Families get connected with families in need?
- (30:37) Will you share 1 or 2 impact stories of families here in the Raleigh area who have come along side a family in crisis?
Quotes to Remember:
“I was brought up in a Christian home, we have a wonderful spiritual legacy. My grandparents were missionaries in Haiti for 46 years….Yy parents took over the work and the late 90s.”
“They [parents] maintain full custody. This is not something mandated by the state. They do not sign their children over…. They allow us to keep their children, so that they can make those changes necessary.”
“If we didn’t have a support system where would we be? So many of the individuals we serve just need help. So we are able to step in and through our host families…host their children while the parents get the help that they need.”
“This [Safe Families for Children] isn’t foster care.”
Related Episodes:
- 37: Dr. Lindsay Hinson | Foster Parenting
- 48: Tori Hope Petersen | Hope for the Foster Child
- 28: Jodie Berndt “Praying The Scriptures For Your Children
- 64: Natalie Maxwell | A Story of Special Needs Adoption
Find out more about Safe Families for Children
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and www.graceenoughpodcast.com
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Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Susie Rowan joins me to discuss her journey through Bible Study Fellowship, encountering God through His Word, and pivoting an international ministry during a pandemic.
Questions Susie and I Discussed:
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(3:46) How did you come to know Jesus as Savior?
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(6:05) What prompted you to first begin attending BSF?
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(8:45) You are the current Executive Director of BSF and have served in various other roles in the BSF organization. Will you share a bit of that journey with us?
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(15:16) What are some of the things that you have changed in BSF to help engage future generations?
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(20:50) What are some of the shifts you have had to make as an organization as a result of coronavirus?
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(24:53) What is the study model of BSF?
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(28:25) What would you like to say to the woman listening who may still be struggling to commit to an in-depth Bible Study for whatever reason?
Quotes to Remember:
"I gave my life to Christ on Sunday morning during the preaching of the gospel by a local pastor in a local church. I love to encourage pastors by saying, 'God saved me during the preaching on Sunday morning'."
Related Episodes:
- 99: Jen Wilkin | Women of the Word
- 95: Nancy Guthrie | God Does His Best Work With Empty
- 28: Jodie Berndt "Praying The Scriptures For Your Children
Connect with Susie Rowan at www.bsfinternational.org
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Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Pastor Andy George joins me to discuss pastoring a multi-site church through the pandemic. We discuss challenges, unexpected blessings, engaging an online community, and how people can support their local ministry leaders.
Questions Andy and I Discussed:
- (5:23) We are quickly approaching 1 year of living during a pandemic, which means you are approaching 1 year of leading a church during a pandemic. How has your life and ministry changed during this time?
- (9:05) What have been some of the biggest challenges of leading during this time?
- (12:45) What have been some of the unexpected blessings of leading during this time?
- (19:02) What does pastoring an online community look like in comparison to a traditional congregation?
- (28:23) What has been/is one of your greatest fears for your congregation?
- (34:01) In what ways, can congregants (in this case me) come along side their pastors to support and encourage them?
- (39:29) Any final words you would like to share with followers of Jesus who find themselves struggling to return to their local church or engage online?
Quotes to Remember:
Related Episodes:
- 63: Mazi Robinson | Managing Anxiety
- 61: Daniel Messina | Jesus as King
- 68: Doug Gamble | Learning to Rest
Connect with Andy George on Twitter and IG
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and www.graceenoughpodcast.com
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Tuesday Jan 26, 2021
Tuesday Jan 26, 2021
Christopher Yuan joins me to discuss his journey from being an agnostic gay man in prison to a follower of Jesus, who now teaches the Bible at Moody Bible Institute and travels around the world with his parents speaking on faith and sexuality
Questions Christopher and I Discussed:
- (1:48) I have briefly introduced you, but will share with our listeners a little about the work you do on a day to day basis?
- (3:03) What was life like for you growing up?
- (4:41) In your early 20’s, you came out as a gay man to your parents, which you and your mother write about in your first book Out of A Far Country, tell us more about that experience.
- (14:51) It was through realizing she was a sinner that your mom was able to begin loving and accepting you, but you went the opposite direction. You were in dental school and began making some really destructive choices. Tell us what happened that led you to read the Bible and a little about your journey from prisoner to Bible professor?.............................
Quotes to Remember:
“We were in the office [Dean of the Dental School], all four of us and my mom told the dean, ‘It’s not important that Christopher becomes a dentist. What’s more important is that Christopher becomes a Christ follower.”
“She realized that nothing is more important than our children following Jesus, even more important than education, even more important than career.”
“Before my dad left, he wanted to give me his very first Bible and I threw it in the trash can. That’s how much I despised it.”
Related Episodes:
- 76: Rosaria Butterfield | Radical Hospitality
- 77: Rosaria Butterfield | Christian Identity, Intersectionality
- 98: Katherine James | A Son’s Addiction & A Mother’s Love
- 52: Nick Stumbo | Discovering Freedom From Pornography
- 91: Mary Flo Ridley | Let’s Talk Birds and Bees
Connect with Christopher Yuan on Twitter and christopheryuan.com
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and www.graceenoughpodcast.com
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Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Paula LeJeune was born into adversity. She was born a conjoined twin, underwent more than 30 facial surgeries, lived with an abusive father, yet she has experienced the love and grace of God throughout her life.
Questions Paula and I Discussed:
- (4:00) Adversity is a word that can be used to describe your literal first breath on earth. Share about your birth and the adversity you and your mother faced.
- (6:38) What were your early childhood years like? (surgeries, family life, etc.)
- (9:53) Did you grow up in a Christian family?
- (14:01) Did you ever get the feeling that people in your congregation new their pastor was abusing his family?
- (15:14) When did you personally decide, despite all that was going on, I believe that Jesus is my Savior, he is the one that can redeem me?
- (16:55) As we all know, tween and teen years can be difficult and even more so if your appearance is outside of what kids perceive as "normal." What were some of the things that affected what you believed about yourself, what you believed about God, and relationships?
- In addition to the adversity that came along with all of the facial surgeries, you dealt with adversity at home. We all want home to be our safe place, but sometimes home is a place of fear and abuse. Share a little of the adversity you had to overcome at home.
- (21:40) Did you ever have anybody in your life that kind of helped keep you going?
- (23:16) What was your deepest longing through those long years of surgeries and scarring and recovering and more surgeries and how did God meet the longing through Clifton?
- (32:08) What do you think kept you serving in your dad's church as an adult, even though you knew that he was really a fraud?
- (33:54) What was it like taking over the church that you grew up in, where your dad was the pastor?
- (39:10) For the woman listening who may be in the midst of adversity, how would you encourage them that their current circumstance does not have to be their future?
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Perfectly Imperfect Princess: An Un-fairy Tale Gone Right by Paula LeJeune
- Lisa Whittle: Ministry Strong
Related Episodes:
- 94: Mary DeMuth | Hope After Sexual Abuse
- 57: Kristen Hatton | Redemptive Parenting
- 64: Natalie Maxwell | A Story of Special Needs Adoption
Connect with Paula LeJeune on IG
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and www.graceenoughpodcast.com
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Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
The host of Grace Enough Podcast, Amber is interviewed by her oldest son and daughter about her journey over the last two years, which includes 100 episodes.
Questions Discussed:
- (4:00) How do you find who you want to interview on the podcast?
- (5:10) How do you think up all your questions?
- (6:10) How do you feel when you get a big interview?
- (8:12) How do you feel when you think it’s gonna be a really good interview, but actually turns out to be boring?
- (9:41) Can you tell us what it’s like to record, get ready, and post an episode of the podcast?
- (11:49) Is there an episode, it doesn’t just have to be one, that the message was so amazing you felt like you were there with them?
- (14:09) What was your favorite episode of the podcast?
- (15:58) Has there been an episode where you didn’t really know what the guest was talking about?
- (16:37) Who do you want to interview in the future?
Quotes to Remember:
“Why are they listening to [the Grace Enough Podcast]? And my response was to be encouraged to take the next step of faith, knowing God is faithful, even if it looks different than expected.”
Related Episodes:
- 99: Jen Wilkin | Women of the Word
- 52: Jonathan Gibson | Proclaiming God is Good After Infant Loss
- 90: Hillary Morgan Ferrer | Empowering Kids t0 Challenge Cultural Lies
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Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Jen Wilkin joins me to talk about diving into the Scriptures and the risk of a diet made up of mostly devotional reading vs. God's Word.
Questions Jen and I Discussed:
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(1:41) When did you come to know Jesus?
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(3:15) What prompted you to begin leading Bible Studies and what did those early days look like?
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(7:36) How would you encourage busy women who struggle to spend time consistently reading and studying the Bible?
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(12:06) Your books, particularly Women of The Word and None Like Him, have been "go to" resources for me in my own time with Jesus. What led to the writing of those books?
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(17:04) You recently wrote a piece titled, "Your Devotional Is Not A Bible." Share a little about that piece and the importance of not using a devotional as a substitute for God's Word?
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(19:53) As we close, if someone is listening today and simply feels discouraged when they think about reading the Bible, what are a few simple steps that can take to begin?
Quotes to Remember:
"I remember [when] one girl showed up, because everybody else had something that came up. And so I taught one girl in my living room, and we just started going through books of the Bible."
"I think there's a myth out there that personal Bible study time is the sweet spot and the reality is the Bible is meant to be understood in community. There is a role for personal study time, but but it to be pointing us toward a shared conversation around the scriptures."
Related Episodes:
- 95: Nancy Guthrie | God Does His Best Work With Empty
- 96: Alisa Childers | Truth In Response To Progressive Christianity
- 35: Sharon Hodde Miller | Why We Love to Be Liked and How God Calls Us To More
Follow Jen Wilkin on Twitter and at jenwilkin.net
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Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Katherine James and I discuss her journey of loving her son through his addiction and the magnificence of God during some of the darkest days.
Questions Katherine and I Discussed:
- (3:34) You have 3 grown children whom you used to pray for while looking up at Orion‘s belt. Take us back to that time and share a little about those prayers, your hopes for your little people and what your family’s life with Jesus was like at that time.
- (6:19) Eventually, you discovered your youngest son was heavily addicted to drugs. Share a little of that discovery with us.
- (11:59) In A Prayer for Orion, you frequently reflect on the guilt parents feel as they raise their kids: “Parenting was supposed to be if this, then that. We would raise them right and they would be all right” How did you work through the guilt and shame you experienced being both a parent of an addict and a Christian?
- (15:53) What would you say to parents who struggle with guilt or feel as if they somehow failed their kids?
- (19:31) Your home became a welcoming place for your son’s friends who were also addicts. You and your husband welcomed and loved, “The Lost Boys.” What did you learn from opening your home to those who were walking through addiction?
- (25:05) While reading A Prayer for Orion, I could feel the heaviness of evil and the hope of God. Describe the tension between evil and magnificence you refer to in the book.
- (25:58) Let’s close with the moment when “what if” became “even if.” Even if Sweetboy didn’t survive a heroin overdose, everything would still be okay. Share that experience with us.
Quotes to Remember:
“He was always a great kid at home. There wasn’t any sense of rebellion or anger.”
“The unique thing about drugs is it’s unpredictable. That’s one of the particularly difficult things about it… you don’t know if it’s going to come back or not….There’s just this, I have to trust You [God]. What I’m trusting in, isn’t the way that things are going to turn out. What I’m trusting in is that You are who You say You are, that You have not lied to me.”
Related Episodes:
- 28: Jodie Berndt | Praying The Scriptures For Your Children
- 57: Kristen Hatton | Redemptive Parenting
- 71: Krista Boan | Tips For Parents In The Digital Age
Follow Katherine James on Twitter and at katherinejameshome.com
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