Curious Living

This is a tough curious question to address. Many of us have had times in our life when we felt worthless - not of value to anyone or anything - and simply not enough. This leads to struggles with our mental health and contributes to dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships. And, some of us have encountered situations in our childhood that contribute to this feeling of not being "enough" in this world.

Our guest in this episode is a life coach and specializes in helping us embrace our "enough" so that we can move beyond just "enough" and into a place of thriving. Guest Info

Jenny is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC) who runs her own coaching practice, River Life Coaching Pte. Ltd. Jenny is also a qualified lawyer in the U.K., Singapore, and Malaysia. She is passionate about coaching introverted individuals to be more visible on their own terms and empower them to live fully and joyfully.

https://www.riverlifecoaching.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-toh-cpc-acc/

https://www.facebook.com/riverlifecoaching

https://www.instagram.com/riverlifecoaching/

This episode is close to our heart at Williamson's Chapel because it's about caring for kids who age out of the foster care system. We have several families who are foster parents and we are devoted to helping families who foster and the children in the foster care system. Miriam's ministry is powerful and you may feel called to join her in helping these vulnerable children.

Guest Information

Miriam Cobb is the founder and director at Empty Frames Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to empowering orphaned and vulnerable youth as they transition out of state care.

Within this role, Miriam advocates for youth exiting care compiles new and successful resources for this population and develops programs and curricula to meet this international need. Empty Frames Initiative recently published the book, The Story of Foster Care, which served as a pilot of EFI's photography-based literacy curriculum, Storytelling Through Photography. The book explains foster care from the perspective of 3 former foster youth, 2 social workers, and 2 foster parents, and serves as a model of what Miriam hopes Empty Frames Initiative will be to others: an organization that empowers individuals to tell their stories, become connected to their community, and find hope in Christ.

In 2019 Miriam served on the North Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking Board of Directors, chairing the Community/Faith Based committee. She continues bringing awareness to the intersection of human trafficking and state care through speaking engagements, seeing this as a significant need that is often misunderstood or unmentioned in the broader discussion of human trafficking. Because many social justice issues can be tied to state care models and childhood trauma, she actively looks to understand, and engage her community in understanding, the intersectionality of needs.

[email protected] www.fillingemptyframes.org Instagram: @emptyframesinitiative Empty Frames Initiative offers training in life skills, counseling, community, and access to the Gospel. EFI is inspired and driven by the heart of the Father. We believe everyone is created with a purpose.

Chang is hard. Transition is hard. And, yet, we all have to endure it in our lifetime. In this episode, we talk with our very own Pastor Jan who is entering into a huge transition as she enters retirement. She shares her wisdom and experience with us as well as some biblical insights that can help us move through transitions with confidence and grace.

Rev. Jan Brittain has served as the senior pastor of Williamson's Chapel United Methodist Church since 2011 and has been serving the church for over 40 years. Pastor Jan has a passion for preaching and teaching and a special love for her sweet grandson and puppy, Josie B. You can watch Pastor Jan's sermons by clicking HERE.

Change requires us to make a "shift" - in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions. Our guest on this episode explores the concept of a "God shift" and how we can lean into that and respond in such a way that amazing and powerful things can happen in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Guest Info

Shayna Rattler, the Founder of the God Shift ™ Movement, is a prophetic minister, author, and speaker who empowers individuals and organizations around the world to experience a God shift that moves them out of disruption into a greater destiny, expectancy, and possibility. She is passionate about helping others develop a deeper understanding of God and the identity they have in Him. Her wit and humor make God's word relatable and her direct communication style makes it actionable.

Shayna has helped celebrities, influencers, military officers, political dignitaries, pastors, corporate executives, and seasoned entrepreneurs achieve personal growth and organizational excellence. She and her businesses have received multiple awards, she has published 4 books and has been featured in over 450 media outlets. Shayna also hosts the God Shift Podcast and the God Shift TV show.

It's part of our nature to view suffering as a bad thing. But, what if there are blessings that can come from it? What if suffering is a gateway to something better? In this episode we talk with a guy who can speak from personal experience about suffering and the blessings that can come from it. Podcast host Paul Granger shares his story with us and helps us recognize the upside to our suffering. Guest Info:

Paul Granger has been serving in inner-city ministries since 2005, with a focus on shepherding others as they seek to "love God and love others". He currently serves with Youth With A Mission in Richmond, is President of New Visions Civic League, facilitates a Community Bible Study, and hosts the "Where did you see God?" Podcast.

Is this "calling" something that I'm driving, or is this something God is genuinely calling me to do? This is a question many of us ask as we try to figure out next steps in any given situation. Are we driving this, or is God? Our guest for this episode helps us sort through that question and land in a place where we feel confident with our next steps toward God's true calling in our lives. Guest Information Kevin Bjorklund is a "creative" live coach who helps his clients determine their true calling in life. You can follow Kevin on his website, Instagram, or Facebook.

It's crazy how divided we are these days. We argue over most things and we struggle to see the gray in any issue. It seems to always boil down to "I'm right/you're wrong!" Our guest on this episode has a lot to say about that and wrote a fabulous book that addresses this very issue. Check out the links below to get her book and to read more about her. Guest Information:

Staci Diffendaffer is the author of Unconditioned Love: Healing Hearts and Minds in a Time of Conflict and Division. She's passionate about breaking down the walls that divide us and creating safe spaces to have healing conversations. Through the love and guidance of God, Staci overcame trauma, depression, and anxiety. After many years of varied abuse, she developed a false belief that most men were a threat. God's transformational healing enabled her to forgive her assailants and stop categorizing people into "good" or "bad" based on past hurts. Staci hopes to inspire her readers to create a compassionate culture that values every person and to better understand that their hardships can be a catalyst for a greater purpose.

Staci's website: https://www.ownyourvictory.com/

Staci on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacidiffendaffer/

Have you ever wondered what a "normal" Christian is supposed to look like? Well, let's take that up a notch and ask what a "radically" normal Christian may look like! I think we'll all be surprised . . . or, at the very least, intrigued by what our guest for this episode, Josh Kelley, has to say about this. Josh has a fascinating story to share and was a phenomenal guest. You will most certainly be blessed by his insights!

Guest Information

Josh Kelley has been a pastor, bartender, and adjunct Biblical Studies professor. He is a traditionally published author ("Radically Normal," Harvest House), novelist, writing coach, developmental editor, and ghostwriter. What he truly loves is communicating life-changing truths in an engaging way and helping others do the same. Josh has been married for over 20 years and has two teenage daughters. They once spent eight months driving around the country in a minivan, saw 40 states, two provinces, and Tijuana.

Josh's website: https://www.joshkelley.ink/ Josh's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/joshkelley.page

Grieving a deep loss is a process and, at times, we may feel as though we will never have joy again. But there can be joy on the other side and our guest for this episode helps unpack grief and shares hope for the joy that this to come.

We intentionally published this episode as Christmas approaches because we know the challenge many face as the holidays arrive. Others expect us to smile and have joy, as they do, but they simply don't understand how hard it is to have joy in the midst of our grief. We hope that this episode will lift you and help you see the joy that can be found on the other side.

Guest Information

Laura Warfel uses the gifts and strengths God has given her to help others become more than they ever think or imagine they can be. Laura does this by connecting people with other people, with valuable resources, and with the truth and direction found in God's Word. She enthusiastically shares her expertise in writing, editing, marketing, public relations to help individuals and organizations improve their communications.

Today, Laura's passion is to help one, two, three, fifty, hundreds, thousands of widows to be more than widows. Her goal is to form an army of churches and resources to provide the help widows need to survive and thrive. Along the way, she encourages everyone God sends her way to be more and do more with his/her life.

This episode is packed with fantastic insights and motivation to lean into our faith and trust in a God that ALWAYS provides. Today's world is a bit scary for many of us as we are unsure about our job security, finances, and health. But our God is one that provides for our needs in ways we never imagined. Mike was a fantastic guest with great energy and wisdom to share. Plus, he just interviewed Bob Goff for his podcast (Bob is one of my favorite people!) and that episode is a must-listen. Check out this episode and walk away feeling assured about who you are, who God is, and a deep assurance about God's provisions for your life.

About Mike Thakur

Mike believes that entrepreneurship, fused with faith is the fundamental vehicle for bringing sustainable change to society's biggest humanitarian issues both at home and abroad. With a lifetime of work in ministry and a deep passion for both business and service, he created WorkLodge as a social enterprise on a mission to change lives along with the Gabriel Project, a 501(c)3 that's solely funded by WorkLodge to bring hope to the hopeless, through self-sustaining one-off projects. When he's not inspiring his team and clients to 'Be Amazing,' you'll find him communicating his message on YouTube and everywhere Podcasts play. Mike also has a book coming out in early 2022 so stay tuned for that!

Mike's YouTube channel Mike's Podcast (search for "Mike Drop" wherever you listen) Mike's Website