Depth Podcast

Have you been following this series with my STRENGTH acrostic from my Depth Book? We have already covered S,T,R, & E and then we took a break for the one year birthday of the book. Now we are back to the acrostic and today we are going to cover N- Never Lose Sight of God's Grace.

It is interesting because when God dropped that STRENGTH acrostic in my mind on that bus ride, there were a couple letters that were harder to identify than others and the N was one of them. I remember meeting my friend for lunch. She also had walked through a divorce, and we were talking about how some heartbreaks have a shame or a stigma attached to them and others don't. And she said, "I think it is really important that you do something about God's grace." And that day at lunch together, we came up with Never Lose Sight of God's Grace! It is a very important part of the book; we talk about forgiveness and being vulnerable.

So I am really excited to have Faith Griffin Sims on the podcast this week. She is going to share about her heartbreak. Sadly, she lost her son to suicide. This week is suicide prevention week and suicide awareness week. So I want this episode to also help us become more aware. Faith is going to share so much truth and wisdom.

Faith wrote a post for my Heartbreak to Strength Story Blog Series back in 2021. The title of her post was Held By His Strength and I cannot wait for you to read her powerful article.

Other Resources:

-Link to Depth Podcast Episode 149: *Hope Always by Dr. Matthew Sleeth

-Link to Depth Podcast Episode 99: *I Love Jesus, But I Want To Die by Sarah J. Robinson

-Link to Depth Podcast Episode 49: *Fear Gone Wild: A Story of Mental Illness, Suicide, and Hope Through Loss By Kayla Stoecklein

Book Recommendations:

• *Depth by Jodi Rosser
• *The Gospel According to Job by John Mason
• *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop
• *A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser

Faith Griffin Sims is a wife, a mom of six, and "Mia" to 17 grandchildren. She writes about grief, suicide loss, and living life with hope. Faith believes in offering comfort in the way she has been comforted (2 Corinthians 1:4). In that vein; she began a local chapter of Survivors of Suicide (SOS) for others navigating the loss of a loved one by suicide. Faith recently earned a certificate in grief education. She is honored to be a contributing author on several books and websites and is currently writing a book. She would love to connect with you on her website and Instagram.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!

Did you know that one year ago I released my first book? This is so exciting! *Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength entered the world August 30, 2022.

This week on the podcast I am doing a special birthday episode for the book. I am sharing everything that has happened in the last year in my ministry from my speaking engagements I got because of my book to my podcast. It is a lot of fun! My friend, Karyce who I went to Rwanda with two different times is going to be interviewing me. I think it is special to go back and see the God stories in the ministry especially around the book. I am super excited for you to hear this behind the scenes episode.

To hear more about behind the scenes about the Depth Podcast and *Depth Book, check out the episodes below:

Depth Podcast Episode 47: Special Behind the Scenes Episode for the one year birthday of the podcast.

Depth Podcast Episode 97: The Depth Podcast is Two Years Old! Cannot wait for you to hear more behind the scene stories about the last two years.

Depth Podcast Episode 146: The Depth Podcast is Three Years Old and my first book, *Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength releases August 30, 2022.

Also, I am so excited for someone to win a copy of my book: *Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength. All the details of the book giveaway are on my website at jodirosser.com or you can click this direct link: https://kingsumo.com/g/scoocw/depth-birthday-book-giveaway

I shared on the podcast episode about a shipping delay that crushed my spirit on book launch day. That morning, I had to surrender it all to God. I remember pouring out my heart in a blog post called Trusting God When You Don't Understand the Plan. I recommend reading it if you are struggling at all in understanding God's timing. Here is a link to another blog post called Learning Patience When Plans Change when the Amazon link to preorder was delayed too.

Book Recommendations

• *The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
• *Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
• *Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!

Have you ever seen God use difficult circumstances in your life to grow your character? Maybe he is making you more patient. I know that is a big one for me that I struggle with. Maybe is helping you become more compassionate and empathetic towards others. I think one of the main ways God grows our character is through the storms in our life. So today, that is what I want to talk about on the podcast, the E in my STRENGTH acrostic from my book, *Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength. Again, its one year birthday is at the end of this month. Now if you missed my episodes on the S, T, and R in STRENGTH, then I definitely recommend going back and listening to those episodes, especially the S and T. I think those are very foundational as we are walking through grief.

Today, I want to focus on the E. It stands for Embrace God's Character Development in the midst of the Chaos. If I am being completely honest, I don't always like to Embrace the Character Development. But I do think it is an important way God chisels us and makes us more like Jesus. So today on the podcast I have Jen Roland. She is going to be sharing her story and how God used chronic pain to grow her and her character. I cannot wait for you to hear the truth she has to share.

Jen wrote a post for My Heartbreak to Strength Story Blog Series back in 2021. The title of her post was Finding Victory Over Defeat and I cannot wait for you to read her powerful article.

Click Here to get God's Truth to Combat Your Not Enough Statements- a free resource on my website!

Book Recommendations:

• *Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
• *The Deeper Journey by Robert Mulholland
• *Boundaries by Townsend and Cloud
• *Boundaries For Your Soul by Allison Cook and Kimberly Miller
• *Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
• *What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry

Jen Roland is a writer, speaker, board-certified Christian mental health coach, and women's ministry leader with a passion for walking alongside others toward healing and wholeness. She helps others implement positive lifestyle practices for their mind, body, and soul while developing a deeper relationship with God. Since her neuropathy diagnosis, Jen has focused her ministry on serving those with chronic pain and illness. On her website www.jenroland.com, she provides resources to restore hope, reduce pain, overcome fear and anxiety, and strengthen their faith. Jen lives in Woodbine, MD with her husband and three children.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help su

Have you heard the saying, "Hindsight is 20-20." It is when we look back at our lives and we see a clearer picture. For some reason during the middle of it, we couldn't see what was really happening. Well, I think this has a lot do to with perspective and today that is our topic on the podcast.

We are going to be highlighting the letter R in the strength acrostic in my book, Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength. Again, its one year birthday is coming up at the end of this month. The R stands for Replace Your Finite View With God's Infinite Perspective. Friend, I think this is one of the hardest things when we are going through grief and heartbreak: Trying to see it in a new light and a new perspective. Now let me say first, if you haven't listened to the S and T episodes in the acrostic, I recommend listening to those first. I think they are important steps before this letter R.

Depth Podcast Episode 188: Seek God and Invite Him into Your Pain

Depth Podcast Episode 189: Tearfully Allow Yourself Time to Grieve and Process the Emotions

I am excited to have my friend, Alycia Betz as a guest on my podcast this week. She walked through two losses back-to-back, so she is going to share her story. Together we are going to talk about how do we replace our finite view with God's infinite perspective. I have to tell you that I prayed more over this episode than any other in the acrostic because this one can be challenging. So, hope these words encourage you!

Alycia Betz is a writer, speaker, songwriter, homeschooling mom, and wife for over 20 years. She loves to use words and songs to bring hope, healing, and freedom to other women who are on their own journey through darkness. She'd love to journey together! You can connect with her on her website or check out her youtube channel

When you are in the middle of a hard season, do you allow yourself time to grieve? Do you know how to name your emotions and process them with someone you trust. Maybe a friend, a counselor or a support group? Honestly, I think this is a struggle for many people. So today on the podcast, I am so excited to highlight the letter T in my acrostic Strength in my book, Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength which is celebrating its one-year birthday at the end of August.

The letter T stands for Tearfully Allow Yourself Time to Grieve and Process the Emotions. My friend, Heather Jeffery, is my guest this week. Both of us have walked through a divorce and this week on the podcast, we are going to share how we process those hard emotions and what did that practically look like. Now let me just say that you don't have to have walked through the same heartbreak that we did in order to learn about how to process your emotions in your heartbreak. Again, everyone grieves differently, but we just wanted to give you some real life practical tools to add to your emotional tool box on how to walk through hard emotions.

If you missed last week's episode, we covered the S in Strength- how to seek God and invite Him into the pain. I think each episode builds on each other, so I highly recommend listening to this first episode as well.

Lastly, I recorded an episode with my counselor last year called How to Process Emotions in a Healthy Way. Debbie shares so many pearls of wisdom; I hope this episode encourages you too!

If you want to hear more about naming your feelings, you can listen to an episode on my Depth Podcast where my sons and I talk about Family and Feelings. Click on Depth Podcast Episode 26.

Heather wrote the first guest post for my Heartbreak to Strength Story Blog Series back in 2021. The title of her post was Finding Strength in Brokenness and I cannot wait for you to read her powerful article.

Heather Jeffery is a Christian writer, mentor, and certified abuse and recovery mental health coach. She is passionate about empowering women with Biblical truth as they link arms to seek clarity specializing in emotional abuse and divorce recovery. Heather believes our stories have purpose and are meant to be shared to encourage others just as we are encouraged by those in the Bible. She lives in Maryland with her two teenage daughters where she also works as a physical therapist and enjoys spending time outdoors anywhere there's water. You can receive truth filled encouragement by subscribing at heatherjeffery.com and follow her writing on Instagram @straightenyourcrown.1.

Have you ever felt the presence of God? Have you ever felt Him close to you? I know for me, I felt the presence of God the most in the middle of my hard seasons: my divorce, the loss of my friend, and my miscarriage. Maybe you can relate.

This week on the podcast, I am so excited to have Evelyn Sherwood. She is a friend of mine who sadly has walked through many hardships. One of the things we talk about today is just how much she felt the presence of God in the middle of this hard season. She actually says this amazing quote (I am going to give you a little sneak peek because it is so good). She says, "The sweetness of His presence far surpassed the pain of my suffering." Evelyn has so much wisdom to share with you.

But before we head over to the conversation, I have something exciting to share. My book, Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength is actually celebrating its one-year birthday at the end of August! So for the next 8 weeks, I am doing a special series based on the acrostic in the book. As I was writing the book, I prayed to God for wisdom on how to write a book with three storylines. He gave me this acrostic for the word, STRENGTH!

So, we are going to be going through the acrostic starting with the S today with Evelyn to Seek God and Invite Him Into the pain. Then we will move through the acrostic over the next 8 weeks on the podcast. I so excited for you to hear the wisdom from Evelyn of how she was able to seek God and invite Him into the middle of her pain. She went through an intense 18 month season where there was one storm after another, so you do not want to miss the truth she shares!

Evelyn wrote a post for my Heartbreak to Strength Story Blog Series back in 2021. The title of her post was Finding Strength in the Middle of the Storm, and I cannot wait for you to read her powerful article.

Book Recommendations:

• *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vreogop
• *Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker

Evelyn Sherwood is a trusted soul-care guide, speaker, and blogger who has served in pastoral ministry for thirty-five years. Sherwood serves an active and growing audience through her blog, evelynsherwood.com, and her bi-weekly subscription devotional Hope for the Journey, encouraging her readers to grab hold of hope in the trials by helping them recall God's work in their past. Nothing puts a smile on her face more than sharing about the faithfulness of God with a friend over a steaming cup of cappuccino or iced peach tea. On a summer evening, you might spot Evelyn and her husband, Steve, driving through Indiana farmlands in a canary yellow '47 Ford pickup or enjoying an outdoor movie night in their backyard with their eight grandkids. You can connect with Evelyn on her website, on Instagram, and you can sign up for her weekly devotional.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended

Did you hear my episode with Karen Ehman that I recorded back in 2020? It is one of my favorite books of hers; it is called *Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World. Her book encourages us to be more intentional and live alert. Taking our eyes off ourselves and placing them on others, we can "become a noticer" and scatter love and kindness. I cannot wait for you to hear her share about a heartdrop; honestly, it is my favorite part.

Book Recommendation:

*Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, and a writer for Encouragement For Today, an online devotional that reaches over 4 million users daily. She has written 14 books and Bible studies including *Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It; When to Say Nothing at All, *Zip It: The Keep It Shut 40 Day Challenge and *Keep Showing Up: How to Stay Crazy in Love You're your Love Drives You Crazy. Karen has been featured on numerous media outlets including TODAY Parents, FoxNews.com, Redbook.com, Crosswalk.com, and HomeLife Magazine. Her passion is to help women to live their priorities as they reflect the gospel to a watching world. Married to her college sweetheart, Todd, and the mother of three, she enjoys collecting vintage kitchenware, cheering for the Detroit Tigers, and feeding the many people who gather around her kitchen island for a taste of Mama Karen's cooking. Connect with her at karenehman.com.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!

Have you listened to my episode with Rebekah Lyons back in 2019? It was the very first year of the podcast and we talked about her book, *Rhythms of Renewal. This book is life changing for anyone that struggles with stress, worry, or anxiety. Rebekah shares in detail about her 4 rhythms as well as practical examples for each one. She even shares which rhythm comes most naturally to her as well as which one is most challenging. I promise you do not want to miss her insight and wisdom.

Please comment below and share which rhythm comes most naturally to you as well as which one is most challenging and involves you being intentional.

For more information about Rebekah's book, go to her website: https://rebekahlyons.com/

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!

Have you heard my first episode with Nicki Koziarz back in 2020. We talk about her book, *Why Her. The subtitle is 6 Truths We Need to Hear When Measuring Up Leaves Us Falling Behind. This book is all about comparison and I think this is such a real struggle in our lives especially with social media. We are going to address that today, and I am so excited to share some of my favorite truths from her book. Going back and listening to this, reminded me of the importance of helping our kids navigate this comparison struggle. Cannot wait for you to hear the truths from Nicki's book.

Note: Nicki has been a guest three times on my podcast! The first time is this repeat episode we are listening to today about her book, *Why Her?

Her second time on the podcast we talked about her book, *Flooded, where she vulnerably shares how doubt flooded her soul and began to impact her faith. You can check out our conversation on Episode 74. I cannot wait for you to hear Nicki share about the life of Noah in the Bible and the 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life is Hard and Doubt is Rising (the subtitle of her book).

Finally, she came back for a 3rd time on the podcast to talk about her latest book, *Your New Now: Finding Strength and Wisdom When You Feel Stuck Where You Are. This book is all about transitions. You definitely want to check out Depth Podcast Episode 169.

Book Recommendations:

• *Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Nicki Koziarz is an ECPA bestselling author and a speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She speaks nationally at conferences, retreats, and meetings and hosts her own podcast, Lessons from the Farm. An evangelist at heart, Nicki inspires others to become the best version of who God created them to be. Nicki, her husband, and their family run a small farm just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, which they affectionately call The Fixer Upper Farm. Learn more at nickikoziarz.com.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!

Did you hear my first episode with Michele Cushatt? It was back in 2020, and we talked about her book, *Relentless. The subtitle is The Unshakable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves. It is such a powerful episode and in it, she shares about her pain and suffering that she has walked through. She started to doubt, question, and wonder if the presence of pain meant the absence of God. Maybe you can relate.

Maybe you are wondering where God is in the middle of your hard time. You have doubts and questions. Some of the questions Michele had: God, when are you going to intervene? God, why haven't you put a stop to this pain and suffering? Maybe you have those same questions. There is so much truth in this episode and Michele's books have depth to them. I know you are going to learn so much for her.

Note: Michele came back for a 2nd time on the podcast to talk about her latest book, *A Faith That Will Not Fail. You definitely want to check out Depth Podcast Episode 171.

As an experienced communicator, Michele Cushatt speaks internationally to a wide variety of audiences and has published three previous books, including *Undone, *I Am. Her fourth book, *A Faith That Will Not Fail, publishes March 2023. A three-time head and neck cancer survivor and parent of "children from hard places, " Michele is a (reluctant) expert of trauma, pain, and the deep human need for authentic connection and enduring faith. She and her husband, Troy, share a blended family of six children, including biological children, stepchildren, and foster-adopt children. They live on eight acres outside of Denver, Colorado. Visit www.michelecushatt.com

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!