God Hears Her Podcast

Who do you think of when you hear the word moxie? Who do you know that is courageous and determined? A close friend? Your mom? A mentor? On this episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa talk with Julie Richardson, a woman who learned courage and determination from her mom and from facing unforeseen personal struggles.

About Our Guest:

Julie Richardson has experienced God’s faithfulness through many life challenges including divorce, infertility, and the loss of loved ones. She has led women’s ministries in a variety of churches and parachurch ministries over the last 25 years, and one of her greatest joys is to mentor women, helping them discover the vibrant life that Christ offers. Julie has been a part of Our Daily Bread Ministries for the last 20 years working in a variety of capacities and most recently as a visual media producer who tells stories of how God works in the lives of His people. She is passionate about prayer and leads the growing prayer ministry at Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Notes and Quotes:

• “I was seeking the world’s happiness, and as I was doing those things I started to not hear God’s voice as much; His voice got softer and softer.”
• “I really got everything I was hoping for with the happiness factor. And I wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel fulfilled.”
• “God placed a couple people in my path. And they were ‘Jesus’ to me.”
• “You can look at your life as if it’s a home, and have you given God every room of your life?” (Anne Graham Lotz)
• “You have 100% of the Holy Spirit in your life, but does the Holy Spirit have 100% of you?”
• Moxie means determination and courage.
• “Your grief and joy can coexist at the same time.”
• “Following God, surrendering, doesn’t always mean we get what we want.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

Have you ever thought about how much time you spend on technology? How often do you pick up your phone throughout the day? Do you find yourself using it as a constant escape? On this episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn talk to Amy Crouch about being wise with how much time we spend on technology. Listen for some great practical advice from Amy.

About Our Guest:

Amy Crouch is the author of My Tech-Wise Life and attends Cornell University studying linguistics, English, and anything else she can fit into her schedule. Her book is a follow-up to her father’s book, The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch, and she describes what it’s like to grow up in a family that takes a disciplined approach to technology as well as offers helpful hints for others. Amy loves to cook, climb mountains, and chat about books.

Notes and Quotes:

• “We took a sabbath once a week from work, but also screens.”
• “My parents were always really intentional in saying to me, ‘This is why we have made these shared commitments.’”
• “Real life has to be difficult. If it is not difficult, it’s not real life.”
• “Another question to ask ourselves is ‘What am I escaping, and why?’”
• “Ask yourself, Is social media making it harder for you to be content?”
• “Every time I survive distraction, I am reminded that it doesn’t have power over me.”
• “Technology is really good at shaping our habits.”
• Baby steps: Don’t beat yourself up, start and end your days without screens, leave your phone out of the bedroom, find something to take the place of technology.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order My Tech-Wise Life on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xVCyaZ 
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

How does our culture define the perfect woman? When you picture her, what does she look like? How does she act? And the question we all ask ourselves: how do we measure up? Today on God Hears Her, we’re talking with gospel singer, fashion designer, and author Kierra Sheard about what it means to embrace and love yourself as you are. Join Eryn and Elisa as they ask Kierra about the inspiration behind her book Big, Bold, and Beautiful: Owning the Woman God Created You to Be.

About Our Guest:

Kierra Sheard is an American gospel singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress, entrepreneur, author, and creative director. Based in Detroit, Michigan, Kierra Sheard is no stranger to breaking new ground. This young dynamo grew up with two gospel music barrier-breakers as role models: mother Karen Clark Sheard,  a member of legendary group the Clark Sisters, and grandmother Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, a gospel music legend. Now the GRAMMY® and Stellar Award-winning artist is back with her first musical project in five years, Kierra.

Notes and Quotes:

• “I accept heaven’s way of beauty, because the world’s view of beauty keeps changing.”
• “I was still chasing what the other woman had. She has that. That ain’t for you to have!”
• “Not every seat or every ride is for you.”
• “I may not be their cup of tea, but I am a cup of tea.”
• “Self-care is you being selective with your squad/village.”
• “God didn’t design us on the earth to do it all alone.”
• “God doesn’t always make the old go away. He transforms who we have been into who we already are in Him.”
• “If you see the truth, acknowledge and accept the truth. Don’t try to make [something else] work.”
• “What the world sees as a negative, God turns into a positive.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order Kierra’s book Big, Bold, Beautiful: Owning the Woman God Created You to Be.  https://amzn.to/2X1EPF4
• Check out Kierra Sheard’s new album, Kierra: https://amzn.to/3jntp60
• Kierra’s Instagram: kierrasheard
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

How many of us deal with depression, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts, but don’t ever talk about it? In places where we should feel safe, we often fear judgment or diagnosing where our thoughts may be coming from. Not to mention the stigma that comes when we begin discussing mental health. On this episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa talk with Sarah J. Robinson about mental health and her journey of understanding her own depression.

About Our Guest:

Sarah J. Robinson once believed her lifelong battle with depression made her a bad Christian. And yet, through her years of shame, self-harm, and suicide attempts, Sarah learned that God is present in our deepest darkness. Sarah is now an author and speaker who helps others discover that mental illness doesn’t disqualify them from living rich, beautiful lives in Christ. Drawing from a decade of ministry experience and the mental health field, Sarah helps readers fight for wholeness and cultivate joy. She lives in Nashville with her husband.

Notes and Quotes:

• “I didn’t know my thoughts were not what everyone else was thinking.”
• “The common misconception is that depression is sadness.”
• There is a difference between intrusive thoughts and suicidal thoughts/tendencies.
• “We sort of overlooked passages in Scripture where God walked through suffering with people.”
• “There is that honeymoon phase of faith where everything is new and awesome, but I quickly learned that I couldn’t just ‘choose joy.’”
• “Nothing helped because I had an illness that needed to be treated, not a lack of prayer or a lack of faith.”
• “I remember journaling and thinking, You deserve more than this, God. You are perfect and deserve more than this mess.”
• “People mean well, but they are ill-informed or ill-equipped.” 
• “People who really wanted to love me well are the people that said the most hurtful things.”
• “God choosing to take the long road with me has revealed His kindness and His character in a way I would not trade for anything.”
• Discovering joy vs. choosing joy.
• “You are worth everything it takes to get better.” 

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order Sarah’s book I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die: Finding Hope in the Darkness of Depression: https://amzn.to/3CpzqrC
• Sarah’s Instagram: sarahjrbnsn
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy
• Remember, if you or someone you love is hurting from suicidal thoughts or tendencies, you can dial the suicide hotline at 800-273-8255 or chat with someone on suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You can also visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for more information.

How adventurous is your spirit? Do you desire to move to a faraway land? Maybe you’d love to sail the seas and raise your family on an island? Or live off-the-grid like a pioneer in a remote part of a mountainous wilderness? Or maybe you prefer to live vicariously through other people’s adventures? This episode of God Hears Her is a blessing to all adventurous souls. Leslie Leyland Fields joins Elisa and Eryn to talk all about faith, the wonder years, and adventure.

About Our Guest:

In addition to being a fisherwoman in Alaska, Leslie Leyland Fields is also a teacher, speaker, and author. One of her passions is to teach the craft and art of spiritual memoir, and many of her students have gone on to publish their own manuscripts. She leads The Harvester Island Writers’ Workshop and Food and Faith workshops on her family’s island in Alaska. Leslie has also helped create The Wonder Years, gatherings that bring women together to equip them to make the second half of life the best half.

Notes and Quotes:

• “I can turn back and bless some of those moments, because I can look back and see how God used it for good.”
• “Our value is not based on our physical capabilities or our mental capabilities. Our value is simply based on who we are: loved by God.”
• “God has just made it so clear that He is always with us.”
• “In these moments when we come face to face with death, Jesus is there.”
• “I think God calls us to something bigger and so much more than that [the constant need to be safe].”
• “Do hard things with your kids. Live a wild adventure with your kids and Jesus.”
• “I think God has an incredible chapter for women who are at this point in their lives [40+].”
• “God wants you to use this life experience. He doesn’t want you to retire it.”
• “Letting go is letting go of what we think we should do next and living in that wonder.”
• “It is the Word of God that has kept me alive.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order Leslie’s book Your Story Matters: Finding, Writing and Living the Truth of Your Life https://www.amazon.com/Your-Story-Matters-Finding-Writing/dp/1641582197
• Leslie’s Instagram: leslie.leyland.fields
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

How many times do we feel ragged and burned out? Broken and basically just a hot mess? Yet we believe we need to suck it up and show up in front of God with a smile plastered on our faces like everything is hunky-dory? In this “best of” episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa revisit their conversation with Ellie Holcomb. Ellie walks us through her take on grit, grounding ourselves in God’s truth, and showing up as we are.

About our guest: 

Ellie Holcomb, a Nashville native, began her musical career by touring the country with her husband. After eight years, and with the birth of their daughter, Ellie opted to step out of the role of heavy touring. From that space came her debut solo album, As Sure As The Sun, which charted at no. 1 on the iTunes Christian chart and helped deem Holcomb the “Best New Artist” at the 2014 Dove Awards. She has released multiple albums since then and also a best-selling book. Ellie, her husband, and their three children live and make music in Nashville.

Notes and Quotes: 

• “Even growing up in this amazing, vibrant community, I gathered that the gospel was all about me being good enough and loving God and loving people enough. And that is all good and well, but that’s not really the gospel.”
• “The gospel is not about making bad people good people. It’s about making dead people alive people.”
• “I didn’t know it was okay to not be okay.”
• “The church isn’t meant to be a trophy room. It’s supposed to be a hospital and a table that everyone is welcome to.”
• “I know that God is a healer . . . but I was too scared to give Him my broken heart.”
• “God’s Word gave us solid ground to stand on when the shame storm starts to roll in.”
• “He started changing us, and it didn’t change our circumstances, but it started changing us from the inside out.”
• “I know God is real from the sorrow in my life.”
• “God is with you. He can handle your anger, and He can handle your hurt. He can hold it all.”
• “He walked out of a grave. And the suffering you are experiencing does not have the final word.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Ellis' Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hNiAUVPCTgcpy8vljCxzs?si=dBdA4OSJTfaDCWhoBSVejQ&dl_branch=1
• Ellie’s Instagram: ellieholcomb
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

We all experience life-defining moments. Some of those moments can be good and life-changing while other moments are not so good. What happens when we allow those not-so-good moments to negatively define our identities? In this “best of” episode of God Hears Her, Elisa and Eryn revisit their conversation with speaker and best-selling author Laura Smith as she shares ways in which we can learn to overcome the lies that we’ve believed and focus on God’s life-changing and freeing truth.

About our guest: 

Laura Smith is an avid storyteller through her books, blog posts, and public speaking. Her recent book How Sweet the Sound focuses on the beauty and truth that come from Scripture-inspired hymns. Along with being a wife and mom, Laura’s hope is to use her writing and public speaking to help others discover the identity that God has instilled in each of us.

Notes and Quotes: 

• “I think it’s so interesting how, you know, you can grow up thinking one way about your family life, and then you step into this awareness of what it really is.”
• “He loves us for exactly who we are, because He created us in His image—because He created us!”          
• “In college, I had my Bible. I would read it every day, then I would put it under my pillow and go do whatever the heck I wanted. I believed in God, and I loved him, but I didn’t live like it.”
• “It was some sort of lie that I started to believe when I was younger, that if I do these things, then ‘this’ will make ‘this’ true.”
• “I am trying to honor the fact that forgiveness and trust are not the same thing.”
• “I can forgive [my dad] and be kind to him, but I don’t have to trust him and let him into my safe spaces.”
• “We tend to think that when we come to know Jesus that everything is just ‘BING’ and resolved and wrapped up in this box with a pretty bow on it. And real life is often: God promises and does meet the desires of our hearts. Sometimes it’s now, sometimes it’s  later, sometimes it’s not really in this lifetime.”
• Three resounding themes: God is almighty. He loves us unconditionally. He will never leave us.
• “So many of us want to throw out the pain in our lives; the hardness of our lives; the embarrassing, depleting, revealing in our lives; and think, ‘Okay, now God can come in, and now He can do something with me.’”
• “God planted good in the soil of your pain.”
• “We have to really focus on who we are listening to for our identity.”
• Three ways to stay in the truth that God created me as a masterpiece: Read the Bible every day; pray every day “Who do you see me as?”; hang out with core people you can trust and confide in.

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order Laura Smith’s book How Sweet the Sound: https://amzn.to/36wMRqp 
• Laura's Instagram: laurasmithauthor
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

• Ephesians 2:10 NIV “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202%3A10&version=NIV

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you needed to give something fully to God? The word surrender may feel a little overwhelming, but Dr. Debbye Turner Bell is a great example of what can happen when we fully submit ourselves to God’s best and accomplish something we didn’t feel we were capable of doing. Join Eryn and Elisa on this episode of God Hears Her as they speak with Debbye Turner Bell about her journey of pursuing a courageous faith.

About our Guest:

Dr. Debbye Turner Bell is a veterinarian, broadcast journalist, motivational speaker, workshop facilitator, corporate trainer, and Miss America 1990. For more than two decades, she has addressed audiences in the corporate, academic, and community service arenas. In addition to her speaking and media work, she is also the Founder and CEO of Debbye Turner Bell Consulting, a faculty member of the Institute for Management Studies, and an Affiliate Trainer for the TransPorter Group Inc. Dr. Turner Bell lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Gerald, and daughter Lynlee.

Notes and Quotes: All Quotes by Debbye

• “That [prayer of surrender] is when my goals became subservient to God’s goals, will, and His purpose for my life.”
• “It is a matter of deciding, ‘God, I believe you no matter what the circumstances look like.’”
• “That is what I seek to get to: that if God Himself smite me, it won’t shake my faith in Him.”
• “God proves Himself to us every day. And if we will just take the time to notice His faithfulness in our lives, then it creates in us a reservoir of His work in our life.”
• “Every time that God performed a miracle in the Old Testament, an altar was built. The whole purpose of the altar was to remember what God had done.”
• “What I know about God and what I feel in the moment can be such a disconnect with me.”
• “When we don’t know what God’s Word says about who we are and our identity and our authority, then we live below our privileges.” 
• “Faith is a decision, not a feeling.”
• “Surrender is a choice, not a default.”
• “Surrender takes strength.”
• “Our identity is not what happened to us. Our identity is who we were created to be.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Order Courageous Faith: A Lifelong Pursuit of Faith Over Fear: https://amzn.to/3A6RCVz 
• Debbye’s Instagram: debbyeturnerbell
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

We’ve all made bad decisions. Some of those bad decisions come back to haunt us, and some decisions we thought were good at the time end up having nasty consequences. Oftentimes, those moments lead to regret, and many of us struggle to move past our big mistakes. In this “best of” episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa revisit a conversation with humorist Liz Curtis Higgs as she shares how we can find freedom from the past and hope for the future.

About our guest: 

Liz Curtis Higgs describes herself as a former “bad girl” who met Jesus and is no longer defined by her mistakes. She’s a best-selling author and well-known speaker, and she wrote the foreword for the best-selling devotional from Our Daily Bread Ministries titled God Sees Her. Liz currently lives with her husband, Bill, in their Kentucky home.

Notes and Quotes: 

• “I have no comfort zone. I will tell anybody anything if it will point them to the grace of God.”
• “They saw past all the ick and said, ‘At the heart, she is a woman that needs to know Jesus,’ and so they just loved me right into the kingdom.”
• “God and His faithfulness waited.”
• “We all found ways to numb the pain of not being part of the right crowd and created our own crowd.”
• “For me, I am a girl who likes community, and I wanted that above all.”
• “When it says in Scripture, ‘He gives you the desires of your heart,’ it doesn’t mean He gives you every little thing your heart desires; it means He places in your heart the desires He would have for you.”
• “Some of it He dealt with honestly very quickly. . . . That is what I needed. Everybody is different. Some of us are weaned off the old life, and that doesn’t mean that you didn’t hear the Lord correctly or you’re disobedient.” 
• “The path for each of us is so unique; the Savior, though, is one and the same.”
• “We all share a kind of badness, and we all struggle with shame around badness. And my badness may not look like your badness, and yours may not look like mine. But we share it; and if we could just love each other in our badness and accept and not judge . . . wow, what a world that could be.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned in Show: 

• Show Note on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

• Psalm 37:4 NIV  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+37%3A4&version=NIV
• Mark 10:18 NIV  “No one is good—except God alone.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010%3A18&version=NIV

We all have moments in our past that lead to brokenness. For some, this is a recent past, and for others, childhood trauma continues to shape present reality. What brokenness—or broken people—have you experienced in your life? On this “best of” episode of God Hears Her, Eryn and Elisa revisit a conversation with Toni Collier as she reminds all of us that our past doesn’t have to define us. Instead, even our brokenness can be redeemed by God and used for His glory and our good.

About our guest: 

Toni Collier is a communicator, host, and consultant. She’s also a voice of Our Daily Bread, and the creator of the blog “Broken Crayons Still Color”—a place for women to be reminded that our past doesn’t define us. Toni is “Texas proud” of her Houston, Texas roots, but currently resides with her family in Atlanta, Georgia where she and her husband Sam are lead pastors at Hillsong Atlanta.

Notes and Quotes: 

• “There is a balance between being imperfect and striving for perfection, and I think the middle is hard to sit in.”
• “I went through a mindset shift that God wasn’t up there with His finger pointing down at me, but instead was like ‘put me in coach.’”
• Counseling is not a weakness, it is needed. 
• “Our lives are like bookshelves.”
• “It is not the brokenness we are lifting up and celebrating, but it is God’s presence and redemption in the brokenness.”
• “The world has lied to us, and told us we had to be perfect to be used.”
• “The truth is, God wants to use us in the middle of our mess.”
• This is the time to walk boldly in our brokenness.
• “What people don’t know is what comes with exposing those traumas . . . anxiety.”
• When we discover our brokenness, it takes time to heal. 
• “You are more than enough.”

Links/Books/Resources Mentioned In Show: 

• Show Notes on godhearsher.org
• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
• Subscribe on iTunes!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast
• Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon.  https://amzn.to/32lYSgh
• Check out Toni’s Blog: Broken Crayons Still Color: http://brkncrayons.com/
• Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy
• Toni’s Instagram: tonijcollier

Verses Mentioned in Show: 

• 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2012%3A9&version=NIV