Dear Daughters

What does it look like to be a lifelong learner?

Recently, my daughter Sara and her five-month-old baby Annie, came to visit us. Annie was in the middle of hitting some development milestones and what a delight to behold. I I loved watching Annie's little eyes and ears take in all the new sights and sounds at my house. Her infectious smile and laugh made us so joyful.

What if we took delight in learning new things? How would that change the way we viewed life? Would a commitment to becoming lifelong learners give us more joy? Join me as we talk about what it looks like to be a lifelong learner and making way for delight in your everyday life.

SHOW NOTES

• Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music

God is the Creator, inherently creative. And he made you in his image. So that means: you are creative. Learning to see yourself as creative is the first step in using creativity as a spiritual practice.

Last week, we talked about the practice of creativity as a way to calm our anxiety and soothe our soul in Dear Daughters Episode 219. This is the second part in a two part series on creativity.

I hope you learn more about how God created you to be creative. And I hope you find practical ways to express your creativity in a way that brings you joy and peace.

Listen in to a practical approach to the practice of creativity as spiritual discipline.

SHOW NOTES

• Join me in reading, Whole Brain Living, Beyond Anxiety, and The Anxious Generation
• Listen to my episode on Joy Journal & Simple Prayers
• Listen to Liz's story Living Each Day as Your Last
• Jaclyn's story about her anxiety: Finding Joy Amidst Anxiety
• Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter.
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music

In the beginning God created …

God is the Creator. He is creative. He made us in his image. So our birthright is creativity. But sometimes we get in our own way and doubt the creative gifts God has given us. As well, we miss all the things God has for us because of the way he created our brains. Yep, that whole right brain/left brain situation.

In this first episode this brand new year, we'll be looking into a practice of creativity and how it's helps to quiet our anxious thoughts and soothe our spirits.

I invite you to pull up a chair and listen in as Jaclyn and I dive into the practice of creativity.

SHOW NOTES

• Join me in reading, Whole Brain Living, Beyond Anxiety, and The Anxious Generation
• Listen to my episode on Joy Journal & Simple Prayers
• Listen to Liz's story Living Each Day as Your Last
• Jaclyn's story about her anxiety: Finding Joy Amidst Anxiety
• Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter.
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music.

How do you live each day like it's your last?

How can we manage to live each day with delight and gratitude and a big ole thankful heart? And how do we express gratitude and love to those nearest and dearest in a 'last day' kind of way? I will let my friend, Liz, lead the way for us.

Liz Benigno is a dear friend, a best friend, a bright light, a woman of wisdom. She is also wildly funny, an adventurer and terrifically fun to be around. How grateful I am for her presence in my life and yours. I'm forever thankful to have her words and thoughts and laugh right here – just a click away on any day I want to be with her. Aren't you?

I'd love to encourage you to listen to all the episodes with Liz in sequence. Here they are as follows:

• Dear Daughters 5
• Dear Daughters 216
• Dear Daughters 217

SHOW NOTES

• Buy and share Liz's book, Francine Rasberry
• Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter.
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music

You've probably heard about people that have had a white light kind of pre-death experience. There are some books and even movies out there that recount those kind of experiences but I've never talked with anyone who had one, nor did I know before this interview that my friend, Liz Benigno, had one just weeks ago in her hospital room.

Liz and I sat down a few weeks back and talked for an hour and a half, which created a trio of thirty minute interviews. This is the second of three. I encourage you to listen to the previous episode (DD 216), because it builds to this one. And of course, I would love for you to come back and visit when I post the final episode in a couple weeks.

Her story today is especially inspiring because she unpacks her story with God as well as letting us know about an intensely personal and one of a kind white light pre-death experience.

What's your God story? It's one of my favorite questions to ask. And everybody has a God story, even if you don't believe in God. That's a story, too. And there's nothing like verbalizing where you are spiritually and where you think God is to better understand that story.

SHOW NOTES

• Check out my shop for some goodies! Little loveys show up there all the time.
• My FAVORITES on Amazon.
• Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter.
• Discover How to Share Your God Story.
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music

I started The Dear Daughters Podcast way back in 2016 as a way to encourage younger women. Especially women in the midst of what I call: the 'decade of big decisions.' It's the time in life when you're finishing school, deciding on a career, getting married, starting a family. All these kinds of momental decisions that lay a path for the rest of your life.

I wanted to be a voice – and provide voices of wisdom via interviews with people I felt could encourage you in living your one beautiful life before God. That's why way back in the beginning days of the podcast, I invited my friend Liz Benigno on the show.

In that interview (Dear Daughters Episode 5) we talked about a lot of things. In particular, how she had recently finished treatment for breast cancer. At that time of course, we had no idea that her cancer would resurface nor would her fight be complete and that eventually, the cancer would be discovered in different parts of her body. She was re-diagnosed in September 2022. She has now gone through months of treatment. She's rode the roller coaster feeling good and not good at all, been in and out of the hospital, grieved her prognosis, and even planned her funeral.

Right now she uses this analogy to describe her life: She's at the airport but her flight is delayed – and she's waiting. She says, while she's waiting, she's attentive to God's voice. She wants to do all the things he has planned for her. One of those things is recording her thoughts in this interview. I offered a couple weeks ago. She accepted. Here we are. Without further ado – my dear friend, Liz Benigno.

SHOW NOTES

• Check out my shop for some goodies! Little loveys show up there all the time.
• My FAVORITES on Amazon.
• Sign up for my weekly newsletter.
• Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music.

We have some exciting news to share here at the Dear Daughter’s Podcast. After 7 years, with so much gratitude, we have brought this podcast series to a close – and this is the final episode!

Today, I sit down with Tori, one of the members of my team, and we reflect on the time I’ve spent on The Dear Daughters Podcast — some of my favorite memories, what I’ve learned, what I’ve loved, and what’s next. (And don’t worry! We have a new podcast that is live RIGHT NOW!!)

SHOW NOTES

• Listen to the Simple Prayers Podcast or subscribe wherever you love to listen for weekly prayers.
• Become a Newsletter Friend and get weekly-ish encouragement and know about all the fun things coming in 2024.
• Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship, online or in-person.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan’s music. :)

If you know me, you know that one thing I love to collect are vintage copies of books I adore. Around this time each year, I find myself coming to the same worn book that's perched on the bookshelf in my office: Let's Keep Christmas by Peter and Catherine Marshall.

In today's podcast, I sit down to give a live reading of this book to you and yours, in hopes that this story that started as a sermon reminds you that "Keeping Christmas" is something we do when we honor Christ all year long— but especially at this time of year. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!

Wishing you and yours the Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year.

SHOW NOTES

• Become a Newsletter Friend and get weekly-ish encouragement and know about all the fun things coming in 2024.
• Join us Sundays (or this Christmas Eve!) at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship, online or in-person.
• Learn more about ACF's Ministry Partners here.
• Want to learn more about becoming a Christian? Email here.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music. :)

I can't believe that 2023 is coming to a close already. Can you? Today on the podcast, Tori and I look back over this year and talk about the wonderful things that have happened this year, but also the not-so-wonderful things. I hope that you take time to sit down and ask yourself and your loved ones reflective questions as December comes and goes.

• What were you grateful for this year?
• What did you learn about yourself this year?
• What is something small and something big that you're dreaming of for next year?

It's so important to be curious about your own story as well as others. Who's someone that you could ask one of these questions to?

SHOW NOTES

• Become a Newsletter Friend and get weekly-ish encouragement and know about all the fun things coming in 2024.
• Read about our Acts 2:46 Dinners here.
• Join us Sundays (or this Christmas Eve!) at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship, online or in-person.
• Learn more about ACF's Ministry Partners here.
• Want to learn more about becoming a Christian? Email here.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music. :)

Creating whimsy over the holidays is one of my favorite things to do when we have the whole family at home. Today, Tori and I go through the ways that I've incorporated different traditions into my family's Christmas each year.

Whether we're making a yummy milk punch, eating at the table, or opening gifts— there are so many ways that you can make this holiday a little more magical.

SHOW NOTES

• Become a Newsletter Friend and get weekly-ish encouragement and know about all the fun things in 2023.
• See The Davis Girls' Christmas Competition Song here!
• Listen to the Holiday Blunders Podcast Episode.
• Milk Punch Recipe to make this season!
• Join us Sundays (or this Christmas Eve!) at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship, online or in-person.
• Learn more about ACF's Ministry Partners here.
• Want to learn more about becoming a Christian? Email here.
• Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here.
• Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music. :)