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 Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Mike Savage joins me to talk about how Jesus wrecked and saved His life while serving 15 + years in prison for international money laundering.
Questions Mike and I Discussed:
- (2:58) To set the stage for your story, tell us a little about your childhood working your way through getting married and your first few jobs.
- (6:53) You end up being labeled as “a criminal mastermind” and often joke about how that can’t be true, because you got caught, describe your job to us and how the phrase “it’s a slow fade” is true of your plunge into money laundering.
- (13:21) Your wife, Cynthia, stayed with you, despite having absolutely no idea about your criminal activity. So go back and tell me a little bit about what your family life was like, while you were living this criminal lifestyle and she was clueless. And then what was it like those two years where you weren’t in prison, but you were being investigated?
- (30:02) So you end up in prison for 15 years, where you surrender your life to Jesus. Walk us through how you came to know Him.
- (35:52) The day arrives, when your time served is complete. What was the first year out of prison like for you and your family?
- What does your life look like today? How do you and Cynthia use your experience to point others toward Jesus?
Quotes to Remember:
“I knew everything that was going on. She knew nothing.”
“I actually was praying, even though I hadn’t been saved, I’m still praying, ‘God, please get me out of this. Please get me out of this.’ And He did get me out of it. I went to prison. I was found guilty.”
Related Episodes:
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Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Karen Swallow Prior joins me on Grace Enough Podcast to discuss the impact reading good books can have on our journey with Jesus, particularly as it relates to cultivating virtue and helping us read and understand Scripture.
Questions Karen Swallow Prior and I Discussed:
- (4:30) In your newest book On Reading Well you write, "Just as water, over a long period of time, reshapes the land through which it runs, so too we are formed by the habit of reading good books well." In light of that quote share a little of your backstory with us. How did you come to know Jesus and what are a few memories you have of books shaping your faith?
- (6:55) The subtitle of Reading Well is "Finding the Good Life Through Great Books." What is the good life and how does reading great books help us to discover it?
- (9:15) For many, the word virtue may not resonate, but when we define it as behavior showing high moral character my hope is ears perk up. Talk to us a little about cultivating virtue in our current culture and some practical steps we can take to be purposeful in this area.
- (13:07) What do you think it is about reading a book with a character who is virtuous? How do you think that inspires us to really live differently?
- (15:19) As followers of Jesus we hold Scripture in highest regard. How does reading other great books help us read and understand Scripture better?
- .......
Quotes to Remember:
"For me, love of books and love of Jesus are so intertwined, I can hardly disconnect them."
"As I grew older, and became more interested in the mind, and the intellect that books cultivates, I didn't see a lot of space for that in the church. And for a long time, I didn't see how the two went together. It really wasn't until I was completing my PhD that I, through a number of circumstances, figured out, wow, the love that I have for words comes from the Creator of the Word."
Related Episodes:
- 35: Sharon Hodde Miller: NICE: WHY WE LOVE TO BE LIKED AND HOW GOD CALLS US TO MORE
- 79: Amy Carroll | Sharing Your God Story
Follow Karen Swallow Prior on Twitter or karenswallowprior.com
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Tuesday Sep 15, 2020
Tuesday Sep 15, 2020
Markus Watson joins me on the Grace Enough Podcast to discuss his journey of being falsely accused the vortex of darkness he entered and truly understanding and believing he was/is God's beloved.
Questions Markus and I Discussed:
- (5:46) You grew up in a Christian household in Los Angeles. What was it like living in a large city like L.A., yet being the pastor's kid?
- (10:53) After college you return to Hollywood to begin living out your childhood dream. Walk us through that experience and what happened that led you to make a 180 degree career turn.
- (15:17) Tell us about your first ministry position in Union, Kentucky
- (17:27) In 2007, you moved to San Diego to accept a lead pastor position. Several years into your role life really came to a crashing halt when a member accused you of having a pornography problem. Walk us through that time line and how long it took to be found innocent of those false charges.
- (23:52) Did you constantly think, does everybody around me think that I'm doing this?
- (31:47) How did your family deal with the accusation and months long process?
- (41:16) You would call the false accusations and investigation a dark night of the soul experience. During that time you truly learned and believe you were/are the beloved of God. Share some of the books resources that helped you during that lonely time.
- (46:31) Your passion is to help the people of God learn to participate in God’s mission of restoring shalom in the world. What does that mean to you and how are you going about doing that in your day to day life?
Quotes to Remember:
"I got involved in Campus Crusade for Christ... It was transformative for me. I learned how to share my faith. I learned how to lead a Bible study, I learned how to give a talk and found I really enjoyed doing that."
"I loved it [seminary]. As soon as I started taking those classes, I just remember thinking to myself, Oh my gosh, I can't believe I get to learn all this stuff. It felt like I was exactly where I needed to be."
"I need to let you know that someone has accused you of having a problem with pornography."
"I fell into this vortex of darkness. I was scared. I was angry. I was angry, in part because we have a process for dealing with accusations and he wasn't following the process."
"I have a few points of light in the midst of that darkness. One is my friend Kevin, who was my accountability partner. He really went to bat for me during that time."
"It's interesting how in these situations, it's like light and darkness together, right? And somehow God works through that."
"Then, I had this picture in my mind of me just sort of sitting in a prison cell having lost everything, my job, my ordination, my family, my reputation, everything. And then, I just heard God say, 'But Markus, you might lose everything, but you will never lose My love for you.' That's the one thing no one can ever take away from you. And that was an utterly transformative moment for me because I understood God's love in a way that I had never understood it before."
"It's not about earning God's love. It's just about surrendering to it."
Resources Mentioned:
- Beyond Thingification: Helping Your Church Engage in God's Mission by Markus Watson
- Covenant Eyes
- Life of The Beloved by Henri Nouwen
- The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
- Abba's Child by Brennen Manning
- Surrender To Love by David Brenner
- Desiring God's Will by David Brenner
- Renovated by Jim Wilder
- Spiritual Life and Leadership Podcast
Related Episodes:
- 84: Sandy Cullum | When Your Faith Walk Changes
- 29: Jan Johnson | Spiritual Direction, Hearing God's Voice
- 54: Nick Stumbo | Discovering Freedom From Pornography
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Connect with Markus Watson at markuswatson.com
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Ep. 84 of the Grace Enough Podcast, Sandy Cullum joins me to talk about cultivating a prayer life through thanksgiving, quiet and Scripture prayers. We also discuss her journey of doubt and darkness and how she has learned God never left her.
Questions Sandy and I Discussed:
- (4:19) Tell us a little bit about your childhood and how you came to know Jesus.
- (836) Fast forward to being a young mom living back in Florida. What were your days like and how were you involved in ministry during that time?
- (15:03) Something I have said time and time again is, "I believe your prayers for me and Sam long before I was a part of your family literally changed my life and continues to do so." Share with our listeners a few tips on cultivating a prayer life.
- (30:22) You were in the middle of your "dark night of the soul" when Sam and I got married, but what I have heard about the Sandy prior to that season in your life is Jesus was truly your best friend and it was obvious. Share a little about what happened that led to your season of wrestling with all that you believed to be true.
- (1:03:50) What does your relationship with Jesus look like today?
Quotes to Remember:
"People have asked me how did you become such a woman of prayer? And I was like, because I couldn't handle life. I couldn't handle life. I was desperate."
"I had an advantage then, because we didn't have much money. And even though I have this full library now, I had almost no books, then. I had no internet and having the internet alone makes is this huge resource that's there that you can turn to first. Instead of turning to God first."
"I would say that practicing daily Thanksgiving, although people see it as a separate spiritual practice, is a huge part of prayer."
"I needed to keep my mind on what I did have, instead of what I didn't have and thought I needed. I needed that practice of writing down in journals every day, things I was thankful for, and being able to see it in front of my eyes. You might think that's not prayer, but if you're keeping any kind of a thanksgiving paper on your wall or a log of some sort, or you have it as a daily practice, that's prayer."
"Cultivate quiet. That's what I see as by far the biggest challenge for people today in our culture, social media, all the streaming that's available, our phones constantly going off. Prayer is as much listening and hearing what God is saying to us, as it is what we're saying to God. And if our phone is constantly going off, then we don't have...enough quiet space in our life, to let Him speak to us."
"When you pray those kinds of prayers for people, God changes your heart, and you're able to then accept things that may come into your life or their life that you wouldn't have asked for."
"If you just get in the habit of reading Scripture out loud, then you'll find yourself more easily moving into the Scripture prayers that God's Spirit is directing you to."
"One night when I was coming home from the Bible study, I remember it was raining and I remember I just started almost shouting, 'God, I want them to know you. I want them to know you like I know you. And I was praying for my husband. I was praying for Kyle and his wife, Michelle, and I was praying for Sam and I was praying for his future wife. And when I prayed that prayer, I knew that reality was changing and that my whole family as a result of that prayer was stepping into or through a different door."
"I was writing Father, I need you to show me the Scriptures I need now. I feel so lost, so unable to hear you or help my family through my intercession for them. Father, Who can I talk with about this? Who will understand and point me and push me in the right direction? Save me, save us, Lord, save us from ourselves."
"Prayers that I prayed back in 2003 and 2004 and 5, in 2006 God was holding in that bowl. You know that bowl of incense, which is the prayers of the saints, to release them later in my life, I wrote as late as March 29, 2006, 'I wonder if I will ever wholeheartedly believe in the God I used to know again? If my thoughts about God will ever again resonate with certainty rather than sound hollow and empty, like a whisper of a long ago dream? Oh, God have mercy on me. And so those prayers that I had prayed for Sam and his wife, I couldn't pray during this time. But God was holding them from the time when I had been able to pray them, and He was working them in your lives, because He's not bound by time and He's at the center of all time and sees it all."
"God was so faithfully patient with me...David asked me..., 'Sandy, are you a Christian?' I would think about it, I would answer him, 'I don't know if I'm a Christian, but I know that God hasn't left me' and I couldn't make rational sense of that with Scripture."
"I was having a fresh look at the cross from within the lens of Isaiah 53. Not just that our sin that He took upon Himself, but our suffering that He took upon Himself, and that the suffering took upon Himself was largely the result of God's respecting our free will."
Scripture References:
Revelation 21: The River of Life
Ephesians 6: Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 3:14-21 "...may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (18)
John 17Jesus prays for His disciples and all believers.
Isaiah 50: 4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Resources Mentioned:
- 2004 THE DANGEROUS PRAYER - WHAT WAS MY DEEPEST DESIRE?
- One of my earliest attempts to untangle the web of knots within me
- God on trial in my inner courtroom and the most powerful witness
- One Gift from my Season of Doubt: Seeing Suffering through a different lens
- Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship by Ken Boa
- Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth by Ken Boa
- Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore
- Praying The Scriptures For Your Children by Jodie Berndt
- The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
- The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson
TWO BOOKS TO USE LIKE DEVOTIONALS TO HELP YOU STAY ROOTED IN GOD'S CHARACTER AS YOU PRAY:
SANDY'S TWO FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT PRAYER:
- FINDING THE HEART'S TRUE HOME by Richard Foster (very accessible) Use as a guide, 21 short chapters, each about a different type of prayer. Thoughtfully reading it will stretch your conception and boxes of prayer - it will invite you to an ADVENTURE - not another duty or task on your to-do list.
- LISTENING PRAYER: LEARNING TO HEAR GOD'S VOICE AND KEEP A PRAYER JOURNAL by Leanne Payne Here's what Dallas Willard said about it: "An intensely practical book based on the author's rich experience of how to live now as a servant of Christ and His Word. There is nothing in print that surpasses it in this regard, and perhaps nothing that equals it."
Related Episodes and Previous Episodes Mentioned:
- 28: Jodie Berndt "Praying The Scriptures For Your Children
- 36: Treva Kuyper | Hope and Healing After Unexpected Loss
- 10: Faith Raider | Confessions of A Roadkill Christian
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Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Chrystal Evans Hurst joins me on the Grace Enough Podcast to discuss prayer and how it is simply accepting God's invitation to join Him in conversation.
Questions Chrystal and I Discussed:
- (4:20) Share a little of your faith journey with us. How did you come to know Jesus?
- (8:02) As we begin to talk about prayer, share with our listeners how prayer changed you during one of the hardest seasons of your life.
- (12:05) As followers of Jesus prayer is how we communicate with Him. I think it is safe to say we long for a consistent, unceasing prayer life, but often get caught up in the "how-to's" or feel guilty about constantly asking God for more. How can we move beyond that and develop prayer habits that lend itself to intimacy and conversation with Jesus?
- (19:15) How can we have peace in the waiting?
- (22:28) Why do our prayers matter for more than just us?
- (26:06) If you had the opportunity to sit down with your great grandchildren,
what is some wisdom that you would like to share with them?
Quotes to Remember:
"He can handle my questions. He can handle my anger. He can handle my grief. He can handle my my disappointment in Him, that He didn't do what we were asking him to do. And by coming to Him and continuing to come to Him, whatever that looks like, whether it's the disappointment, it's the grief, it's the frustration, it's the anger or if it's just, today was a rough day, and I want to make sure that You know that I know You were here for all of it.... The God of the universe has said, listen, I went through a lot of trouble to make sure that we could have fellowship."
"There are a lot of people who've been talking to God for a very long time. Is there anything that I'm going to say to God, a question that I'm going to ask, a frustration that I'm going to have, a grief that I'm struggling to handle, a disappointment that I'm struggling to deal with? Is there anything that I could say or ask God that he hasn't heard before? Probably not?"
"God has already started the conversation. He's already said, by virtue of the sacrifice of His son, and by the delivery of the word, I want to have a conversation with you."
"If you think God is...worth your time, then you talk back. You talk back. All prayer is is an invitation to enter into a conversation."
"Conversating with God is not supposed to be obligatory it's supposed to be relational. Just enjoy the conversation."
"Maybe the question is, instead of who's prayer warriorring for me? The question is, who am I the prayer warrior for?"
Scripture References:
- David: A man after God's own heart 1 Sam. 13;14, Acts 13:22
- Cattle on a thousand hills, Psalms 50: 10
- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Eph. 3:20
Resources Mentioned:
Episode Sponsors:
Beloved Women’s Online Conference, October 10,2020
With Love Bomi
website: https://www.withlovebomi.com
Related Episodes:
Connect with Chrystal Evans Hurst at chrystalevanshurst.com
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Tuesday Aug 25, 2020
Tuesday Aug 25, 2020
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith joins me to discuss the 7 types of rest and the impact depletion in one or more areas can have in your day to day living. She specifically addresses sensory rest, social rest, creative rest and the difference between sleep and rest.
Questions Dr. Saundra and I Discussed:
- (4:51) Since publishing a podcast episode with my husband on how we Sabbath I have been asked what we mean by practicing Sabbath or intentional rest. In your book, Sacred Rest you write, "Time chimes in loudly over the roar of our anxious minds, initiating a battle between warring fears and courageous rest. Aborting rest empties me of everything holy. It strips me of the ability to treasure life and peels away the value of being." Dive into those words a bit and share your journey of intentionally pursuing rest.
- (10:00) Something I LOVE about your book is the 7 key areas of rest you share and how to determine what area you may be lacking in. Will you share those 7 areas and touch on a few ways to determine what type of rest we are missing?
- (17:07) What is the difference between rest and sleep?
- (19:12) Tell us about rest quiz.com.
- (23:50) Something that is vital to rest is setting boundaries. How can we go about creating boundaries when it comes to rest?
- (29:37) Being a physician, what are some overall health impacts a lack of rest has on our bodies and brain function?
- (32:07) Let's say someone has a sensory deficit, what is a good thing for them to do?
Related Episodes:
- 69: Sam and Amber Cullum | Sabbath As A Family
- 68: Doug Gamble | Learning to Rest with Intention
- 67: Dr. Matthew Sleeth | 24/7 ER Doc to 24/6 Sabbath Rest
- 49: Jeremy Pryor | Family Teams
Connect with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith at IChooseMyBestLife.com and DrDaltonSmith.com.
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SPONSOR: Beloved Women's Online Conference: October 10, 2020. Click HERE for more information and to register.
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tricia Goyer joins me to talk about tools she uses to help calm angry kids. She is the mom of 10 and has experience with biological children, foster children, and adopted children.
Questions Tricia and I Discussed:
- (5:56) Your story is saturated with the love and grace of God, so I don't know where to begin besides asking you to share a bit of your faith journey with us?
- (16:36) As a 17 year old you prayed, "God, I have screwed up big time. If you can do anything with my life please do" and He has done so much. What are some of the ways you have experienced God's answer to that prayer?
- (20:51) You are a momma to 10 and have the experience of single parenting, biological children, foster children and adoptive children. With that said I know you have experienced a range of personalities, so we are going to hone in on the message of one of your many books, "How to Calm Angry Kids." Share with us a few things you have learned about anger
- (30:40) What are the typical responses when anger rises in a child and why is it important to identify the typical response of each of our children?
- (36:26) What are some ways we can help our children process the emotion of anger?
- (39:58) Our home environment matters and sometimes as parents we don't realize the environment is increasing the anxiety and anger response in our children. What are some common environmental factors that parents can identify and adjust to help create a more calming environment?
Quotes to Remember:
"When you acknowledge their emotions, then they're able to jump from the reactions to the conversation and move from the emotional part of their brain back to the thinking part."
"Three ways [ respond in anger] are flight, fight and freeze, and so flight is they're just going to take off because the emotions are so overwhelming....Fight is they're going to stand their ground, the adrenaline's pumping and they're going to fight and argue....Freeze is another one I think we don't recognize as much, but they're the ones that will withdraw into themselves."
"I really had to remind myself, I don't do well if someone's nagging me, but if someone's praising me and telling me I did a good job I'm gonna do it [well]. So that has made a huge, huge difference in our home environment. When I feel myself wanting to nag I'll say, what can I praise them for?"
SHOW NOTES continued
www.graceenoughpodcast.com/shownotes
Visit www.triciagoyer.com to connect with Tricia.
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Tuesday Aug 11, 2020
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
Amy and I chat about learning to listen, leveraging your feelings, and sharing your story in your day to day life by making your words consistent no matter who you are around.
Questions Amy and I Discussed:
- (5:40) Share a little of your faith journey with us. How did you come to know Jesus?
- (8:34) Your work focuses on coming alongside women who long for both a tender heart, steeped in God’s Word, and a strong voice that speaks up for Him in their world. How do you go about equipping them for this call?
- (20:05) You also encourage women to leverage their feelings when it comes to sharing their story. What does that mean and how would someone go about doing that?
- (28:20) Most Christians have a desire to share their story with others, but are often paralyzed by fear. How do you encourage women to share their life with Jesus with others?
- (37:27) If you had the opportunity to sit down with your great grandchildren, what some wisdom you would like to share with them.
Quotes to Remember:
“My new tagline is tender heart, strong voices, because I really believe that God is calling all of us….to use our story, our voices for Him in the spaces that we live, wherever we have influence, in our household with our children, in our neighborhoods and communities, in our workplaces and story is such a powerful way to share God’s truth.”
“God has been teaching me to really, really listen, because if we want to use our stories, to connect with other people, we have to know their stories first.”
“One of the big things that I’ve learned about listening is listening is not agreeing. This used to be…my big problem. I felt like if I listened to someone, and they were saying things that I didn’t agree with, and if I didn’t speak it would be as if I agreed. And I have learned that is not true. Listening is not equal to agreeing, listening is equal to love.”
“I think as Christians we are called to be aware of what is going on in our world, and where to engage with the pain of people who are suffering around us and to know the stories of people who don’t have a voice so we can help share those.”
“The power of story is it connects people. And I think our faith stories is just simply sharing whatever God is doing in our lives.”
“If you would tell a story about what God had just done in your life to your Christian girlfriend, why don’t we tell these stories to our next door neighbors.”
Resources Mentioned:
- Proverbs 31 Ministry
- Grit -n- Grace Podcast
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
- Out of The Salt Shaker And Into The World
- amycarroll.org
- Exhale by Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory
- Breaking Up With Perfect by Amy Carroll
Visit www.amycarroll.com to connect with Amy
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Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Lisa Goldberg joins me to chat about her journey from a marriage of hurt and deception to hope and redemption. We talk about the hardest part of fighting for her marriage after discovering her husband's infidelity, how God had been softening her heart long before the discovery and the way they use their experience to encourage other couples through Stay Side by Side Ministry.
Questions Lisa and I Discussed:
- (5:07) How did you meet your husband Steve and what was marriage like in the early years?
- (8:39) Eventually, you discovered your husband was having an affair. Will you share about that discovery and what life looked like in the months following?
- (20:01) Did your husband immediately agree to go to counseling? Was it easy for him to walk away from his mistress? How was that process for him?
- (23:23) What would you say is the hardest aspect of the journey of choosing to fight for your marriage after infidelity?
- (25:46) Tell us a little about how Steve ended up coming to know Jesus?
- (27:31) Your experience led to Stay Side by Side ministry, because you desire for all marriages to be God-centered and thriving.
- (30:12) What do you do as a couple to protect your marriage now?
Learn more at Stay Side by Side Ministry and follow on IG
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