Constantly Under Construction with Donna Harris

It is so great to be reminded of how God's word is all about a new beginning.

If you are struggling in your life, O.S. Hawkins has ways to help you get motivated to walk forward in a fresh way toward a new beginning. He gives practical applications of becoming do-er's of God's word and encouragement in resolving conflict in our relationships.

O.S. is passionate about helping retired pastors and each of purchase of any of his books helps fund the Mission Dignity organization. Check more out here.

Here are the scroll-to points of this episode

[2:30] Introduce of the Code Series and the Nehemiah Code[8:00] the biggest challenge of a new beginning

[12:00] god wants us to be a risk taker

[14:00] resolving conflict in relationships

[18:00] Mission Dignity - retired pastors and widows

Quotable moments: "It's never too late for a new beginning" Buy O.S. Hawkin's book Follow O.S. on Facebook Visit O.S. Hawkins' Website Check out Mission Dignity to support retired pastors

Sure, "find your identity in Christ" is a cliche. But what does that actually mean? Whitney explains a lot of her perspective was changed when she read the book, The Truest Thing About You by David Lomas. We also discussed what it means to live "IN CHRIST". I've listed all the scripture references that Whitney shared so that you, too, can meditate on God's word when it comes to who you believe you are.

2 Corinthians 5:21 Ephesians 1 1 John 3:3

Whitney talks about a time when she was struggling to find security in her identity and how she felt desperate to be working in a place of purpose. Stripped away from her hometown, Whitney struggled to find a job that matched her desire of fulfilling God's purpose. Listen to the story of how she eventually connected with a fantastic organization, Pure Hope, as a result of God's perfect timing.

Scroll to these stand out parts in the episode:

[4:00] Whitney's awakening of her salvation and seeing God's grace in her life.

[10:00] Who are you really?

[16:21] How to better understand our own Identity

[20:00] Whitney's search for Identity in her work

[25:00] Idolizing Your Reputation

[31:00] Pure Hope - God's More Compelling Story of Sex vs. Other Mindsets in the Christian Community

Quotable Moments:

"The truest thing about you has to be something that isn't subject to change."

"For the first time I realized oh, I don't have to perform. I don't have to prove myself in any way by the approval of other people or my performance."

"I am a beloved child of God and I can live from a place of love and acceptance in Christ."

Learn about Pure Hope Follow Whitney on Instagram Pure Hope on Instagram

Overweight, dragging, and tired, Brandon was living a struggling life a year ago. He confessed that he felt like he could die any day and would pray, with each passing moment, for the Lord to spare his life. Ironically, he prayed to be placed in the hospital in exchange for death. A man in the middle of despair, Brandon, was on the verge of something big and he had no idea. One morning, Brandon's health took a drastic turn when he was unable to fit into his clothes and unable to breath as his entire body began to swell. He was quickly rushed to the emergency room after his entire body swelled and nearly took away his last remaining breath. After a traumatic number of days in the ICU and a medically induced coma, the diagnosis was found :IGA Nephropathy. They say the cause was a perfect storm of the flu shot, adverse blood pressure medication, and a sinus infection. This condition temporarily stripped away his memory, his strength, and his dignity. Learn about how the compassion from a considerate doctor saved Brandon's life ...and also taught him about God's the compassion for us when it comes to His grace and mercy in our lives. Brandon walks us through the days in the hospital when he couldn't remember where he was or why he was there. Being confused and weak, Brandon relented to becoming the weakest person in the room. He talks about the anger and the frustration he felt during his rehabilitation. How he felt trapped in a situation that he didn't ask for. This was not unlike our anger and frustration we feel in our everyday trials without Jesus. Brandon also shares a funny but poignant story of how he struggled for dignity. Let's just say it's a bit of potty talk. :) It was vulnerability that ultimately brought him to the place of accepting the love and care that others had for him during his dark time. You'll appreciate how vulnerability in a physical sense tells a story of how we are at our most vulnerable without Jesus in our lives. Brandon now a completely different person. Active, healthy, and enjoying life, Brandon has a lot to be thankful for because of the dramatic way his life was altered. I can't wait for you to hear how Brandon's story can parallel our own when it comes to trials in life and in our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. Stand Out Parts in today's episode: [4:00] "God, Don't take me home yet. Don't kill me." [14:00] Learning about Life after the Coma [25:00] Pooping (yes, pooping!) and Vulnerability [28:39] Desiring Dignity [32:20] Shift from Anger to Gratitude [34:40] Mercy from Jesus - The Connection to Vulnerability and our Salvation Quotable Moments: "When the spiritually vulnerable experience care from Jesus, they will care for the physically and spiritually vulnerable." "When we realize the depth our own vulnerability and what Jesus did…it really has a lot of parallels to my time in the hospital." "I didn't realize I was sick, I didn't realize I was vulnerable and so therefore I was frustrated with the people who were trying to tell me I was vulnerable. " Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Android Visit Constantly Under Construction

The overwhelming feeling that Denise experienced in the middle of the night was a moment she will never forget and changed what she thought abut her "perfect" family life.

That night she woke to compose a song, she began writing and worshipping, and also, she also found herself weeping. She describes the experience like she was writing someone else's sorrowful story. The unsettling presence of evil in her home felt very near and all too real.

The next morning, she couldn't pinpoint or understand what the evil presence was the night before. Until... she heard God whisper into heart, "Your husband has something to tell you." From that moment on, Denise knew something had happened. The unsettling feeling did not leave her and God's voice made itself known once again. Denise pursued to find the truth of the situation even when the answer was not one she wanted to hear.

How could something like this happen within her family? After all, they lived in a small rural area, homeschooled the children, present in the community and at church. On the outside, everything added up to one perfect God-fearing family.

Listen to the episode to get the full details of Denise's story and to learn about the heaps of shame she endured because of a horrible revelation in her home. You'll also you'll find answers to how we handle sin that is thrust upon us and how to shake the shame that tries to keep us in bondage.

Denise is confident that can be completely freed from shame! She spent years trying to keep the shame away and hide it by being a "safe girl". In her book, Shame Off You, Denise reveals faulty methods that people have used to rid themselves of shame, and she provides remedies to shame based off Biblical principles. The Shame Quotient Quiz and Shame RX blog on Denise's website will give you a weekly prescription for overcoming shame.

Key parts of this episode:

[4:00] - Denise shares the beginning of a horrible experience that was brought to her attention when waking up to write a song

[8:37] - Denise continues to listen to the whisper of God's voice

[16:35] - How to see God's purpose in the midst of pain and shame

[20:15] - Trying to cover the pervasive shame & the beginning of healing

[25:00] - Getting mad at God...yet finding hope

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

[10:09] You can do all the right things -- and still someone can choose to sin

[17:07] Hiding shame doesn't heal it...it just makes it multiply

[23:37] The most ugly cry is the most redemptive part in a position of healing

[24:48] God says I wasn't angry with you when I bore your sin

[26:00] When we KNOW how good God is and His character, then we know anything that He allows in our life He will use for good!

[28:36] He draws near to the broken hearted

Buy Denise's Book Shame Off You

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You might know her as "Chewbacca Mom" but after this episode, I hope you see Candace Payne as a woman who shares a lot of the same struggles we all do and has earned some hard-fought wisdom about finding joy in that process. Two years ago, when Candace Payne put on a Chewbacca mask on Facebook Live, she never imagined that her life would be brought to the place it is today. That FB video gave millions of people a good laugh and also opened up doors of opportunity for Candace. We talk a bit about how wonderful the ride has been and what she has learned about herself in the light of recognition.

Now that she has a platform, Candace has become somewhat of an ambassador for joy. But fighting for Joy has not always been easy for Candace. We talk about a few struggles that have touched her life in deep ways.

A suicide attempt and postpartum depression are just two small examples in where Candace reminds us that no one is immune to life's trials.

What gets Candace fired up everyday is pursuing Authenticity and Truth in her identity. She speaks so eloquently about finding value in your authentic self and prospecting joy in that process. I can't wait for you to listen to how Candace discovered who she was through the combination of her experiences, seeing herself through God's eyes, and standing in confidence in the way she was created to be different.

Here's where you scroll to stand out parts in this episode on Simple Joy: [9:00] - Fighting for joy

[13:00] - Self Love and True Identity [18:00] - Joy to Fight for: Candace's suicide attempt and postpartum depression

[27:00] - Don't let the journey for Joy hold you back: Practical Tips on Experiencing Joy

[30:00] - Prospecting for Joy like gold QUOTABLE MOMENTS

{16:08}"I'm gonna do the hard work of seeing who I am through the perspective of the one who created me. I'm gonna own some things from what I've experienced and lived and I'm gonna stand in what I know; that I am different and unique and 'called to be'."

{29:35} "I really believe joy is something that has strength and it is a fighter. It is something that says I will stand with you in this. And I think it's overlooked all the time as a weapon. Joy really is a weapon for life's darkest moments that it deals us."

Buy Candace's Book

Candace's Website

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Buy Candace's Book

Alli wrote a book on the concept of happiness called: The Year of Living Happy: Contented and Connected in a Crazy World. What she has discovered about true happiness will surprise you! We've twisted our thinking that happiness is a selfish concept and only JOY is holy. This is not true!

Alli did her homework and studied the concept of happiness and found that it's not just an idea that exists outside of being holy. You might be surprised to find that in original language of the Bible (Greek and Hebrew) there is no differentiation between joy and happiness. If we look at what the world says makes us happy (money, sex, power, possessions), this always falls flat. But it is through seeking the Lord and through His holiness where we find true happiness.

Happiness is not something that can come easy, but it does take discipline of gratitude and CHOOSING to ask God to bring the spirit of happiness every day. Holiness can be fun and it's marked throughout Scripture through the life of Jesus. He was both fully God and fully man when He walked the earth. He laughed, he hung out with his best friends, and he enjoyed gathering with people. From Alli, we are reminded that all throughout scripture that all good things from God are also holy things. No matter what your preconceived notions of what happiness looks from the past, there is a way forward, and that comes from following Jesus and His transforming power in your life can reshape what happiness looks like.

Alli blows my mind by sharing that we are only happy as WE DECIDE TO BE! This can be acquired by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to come and adjust our attitude toward gratitude, we are sure to connect with holy happiness.

[5:29] - Alli debunks Happiness as a Secular concept

[12:15] - A Spirit of Happiness in your Home: Actionable tips

[17:53] - How to be happy even when stressed

[19:58] - Happiness for the Entrepreneur (Did you know Alli once hustled at a McDonald's, using the restaurant's wifi to get her work done?)

[23:34] - Is is okay to pursue happiness?

[24:45] - When "humility" ruins happiness

Pre-order The Year of Living Happy: Contented and Connected in a Crazy World.

FREEBIE: you can download the first 7 chapters of the book!

And when you preorder, you get the 30 Days of Happiness Journal! This guided journal provides great action steps to make a change toward happiness in your life. It's a game changer in how you view your everyday life and how to move forward with personal and professional goals!

*************************************** QUOTABLE MOMENTS [8:18] "We are created with an innate desire to love other people -- and share good times with other people" [11:14] We all have a happiness set point, but no matter what our external environment is giving, we are going to be as happy as we DECIDE to be [21:00] 20% of your success formula comes from mechanics, 80% of your success formula comes from internal thoughts and attitude [21:24] Don't let fear and anxiety overtake you, you will take yourself out of the game before you ever give yourself a chance to play

[23:00] Power of your thoughts will take you where you need to go

Many people are facing life-threatening diseases, terminal illness, and the long-term care of elderly parents, but have few resources to rely on in these difficult times. They often keep their challenges private only to suffer in silence with no real support system. Hidden Treasures written by Robin Bertram delivers practical solutions to the problems everyone must deal with when they are experiencing the degradation of the quality of their life or the potential loss of a loved one.

Buy the Book

The life-changing accident happened three weeks after getting engaged. Usually, you don't survive an accident being t-boned by a semi-truck.

Ashley recalls the blessings of the incident at the time.: Like how an entire field was nearby so it was easy for the helicopter to land and lifeflight her to the hospital. During her time at the hospital, Ashley endured multiple surgeries and was in a coma for a month. The accident and suspected stroke caused facial paralysis and has left her hand unusable.

My guest today is Ashley Stevens. She's a Catholic convert and she blogs and speaks about her experiences. We talk about some crazy times in her life: one was when she gave birth to her daughter in the car, the other was how she narrowly survived a horrific car accident with a semi-truck. This accident altered her life significantly, taking away the use of her hand, paralyzing one side of her face and leaving her deaf in one ear. You'll appreciate the lessons that Ashley has learned in thankfulness and in the pursuit of joy, even in the small things.

www.constantlyunderconstruction.com

Depression first engulfed James during his time as a full-time children's minister. Depression is a unique struggle in most jobs, but in ministry, it seems to be even more daunting. And, I wanted to get insight into how it feels to struggle with mental illness as a man in ministry. Before depression, James had the ability to really connect with the kids at church. He said, "If I can think it, I can create it." He reminisces his time where he described himself an amazing pastor. He loved his life and loved his job. For James, depression started as a tiny nagging feeling where everything is doomed. There wasn't one incident that triggered things for him, he just slowly stopped loving life. In the past, James judged people who had depression. He thought people should buck up and get over it. Because of family history, he even felt like people with a diagnosis of mental illness used this as an excuse to "get out of life". James' depression manifested itself through sleep disorders and apathy. He said things got to the point where his wife carried everything up to the point where he was literally just working at church when necessary. The ability to feel good was taken from him. He says he was lacking serotonin and dopamine, a true chemical imbalance. James felt a lot of shame in his struggle and just waited for the day that he was "over" the depression. He struggled with wondering what he did wrong spiritually because he had depression. The feeling of keeping up an appearance of "fine" at church was exhausting. He took it upon himself to get better and tried and tried and tried to change spiritually. His pastoral staff made is seem as though they accepted his depression, that it was ok to be broken. However, there was a point where that wasn't the case. After attempting to quit his job as a pastor three times, he finally had to walk away from traditional ministry. James cried out to God, desperate for an answer, wanting a change in his life, and wanting to be free from the hold of depression. He says that ultimately this was a medical mental issue but not a spiritual one. What he needed was proper medical attention to attend to his health. One blessing that James sees in the hard times is that depression has beaten his quick temper out of him. He realizes he now only has so much emotional and mental energy and choosing to spend it wisely (instead of wasting it on being angry on something silly). James walks us through his road to recovery. He traveled from doc to doc, prescription to prescription and found that his health was a constantly under construction battle of self-care, grace, and acceptance of his situation. James asked, "What if God chooses to never heal me from this? How will my relationship with God continue through this?" At this point, James found beautiful and sweet surrender. A point where James let go, but God never did. James helps us understand that God is always meeting us where we are. God gives us value and none of our efforts change that. This is where surrender becomes effortless freedom instead of shameful quitting. If you were old enough to view TV commercials from the 80's, you'll appreciate his NesTea analogy. :) And this is precisely why I admire James. God created him to share his humor and his struggle. And it is so, so valuable. Find James and his podcasts here: https://nlcast.com

Susette tells a redemptive story of shame regarding her body image that involves a mall dressing room, a fancy dress with those darn side zippers, and a pair of scissors. We all have been caught in a dress in the dressing room, right? That's stressful!!! Imagine having a huge connection with shame alongside it.

We contrast that shame story with another one where Susette had a breakthrough with recognizing shame. This one involves water bugs! (And how we see ourselves) :) Believe it or not, this also was a very vulnerable moment for Susette and I am so appreciative of her sharing so we can feel those feeling alongside her. Most of her frustrations with her shame became subconscious thoughts that heap over time and attack her womanly heart: weight, homemaking, motherhood...all the parts of our identity.

Susette's vulnerable heart is refreshing. I love that she is so open about her current disconnection with with God and her frustrations with infertility. She helped us see that by sharing all of this with her husband, language can battle the shame. Stating it out loud has become a weapon for fighting against it. Verbalizing, using language, is a way to cut shame.

Counseling and therapy is another great way to put language to shame. Knowing about the shame itself and finding your people that are safe to verbalize it to can be a great path to self discovery and proper mental and spiritual health.

You can train your friends to help you too. You can teach them and practice identifying shame and supporting one another as we build language for acknowledging it. Susette say Reading a bene brown book together can be a way to communicate shameful feelings with your people in your life. Also, Celebrate Recovery is a great group program to be a place to share your heart, identity your shame, and verbalize it.

Here are some resources Susette wanted to share with you about finding a therapist:

Psychologytoday.com is a good reference for people in need—most therapists are on it, so people can search through a complete list. It also has availability for therapists who do online therapy. You can see anyone licensed in your state for online. For anyone in California, you can begin therapy with Susette by emailing her here: [email protected] Christians can call New Life Ministries too—they have therapist referrals in most states: 1-800-New-Life

We talk about shame and our relationship with God and the difference between shame and conviction. Shame becomes a buzzword in the Christian community. God's conviction is gentle and with hope for change. Shame is the opposite and it's isolating, none of Gods love is involved.

When it comes to science and shame, Susette breaks it all down how our bodies can be trained to WANT to pursue God more when we pray. The more we pray, the more specific parts of the brain that helps us cope with hard stuff grows and helps us process. It's like our brain builds our faith through our experiences! How cool is that?!

Susette is thrilled to build a community among our Constantly Under Construction Podcast Tribe. She also has a podcast Facebook group for The Desire Line. Please, dive into both! I absolutely love what she is doing to connect people with themselves and our Creator.

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