Gospel Spice | Awaken Delight in God through faith in Jesus Christ

Amanda Jenkins returns on the Gospel Spice Podcast today for a deep dive into what it means to abide in Christ in ever-growing ways. She talks with Stephanie about discovering new dimensions of relationship with Jesus, and the importance of experiential knowledge and resting in Him. Amanda tells us how her family is faring through seasons of The Chosen, with a focus on discipling older children. She and Dallas have four children, aged 22, 20, 18 and 16. How are they parenting through the show, and towards intimacy with Christ? Amanda shares the power of intentionality and the necessity of embracing mistakes to grow from them. She tells us how she and Dallas have nurtured a family culture for open conversations and for making God the center of their daily lives. She shares what it looks like to surrender your children to God at every age. She also shares with us, in a fun, whimsical ways, what plans she and Dallas have to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this week!

We also invite you to watch this conversation on our YouTube channel: 

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/i7fB68uKG_8?feature=oembed

In the second half of the conversation, which will air as our next episode, Amanda shares some of the recent personal struggles and sufferings she and her family have endured, how they have grown in the Lord through it, and what she has learned about herself and, more essentially, about God.

DISCOVER THE CHOSEN

Best show of the century. Everything is at https://new.thechosen.tv/

We cannot recommend Amanda's Bible Studies enough. Get all of them today at https://new.thechosen.tv/collections/books 

NEW BONUS! GO DEEPER WITH OUR REFLECTION QUESTIONS ON THIS EPISODE

1. What does it mean to abide in Christ? How does this look different for each individual?

2. How can we grow our relationships with our children and disciple them as they grow older?

3. How do different families approach nightly devotionals or Bible study time?

4. What can we learn from David's practice of turning his attention to God's character in times of lament? How can we apply this to our own lives?

5. How does suffering impact our relationship with God? Can it draw us closer to Him or drive us away?

6. How can we release control and trust God with our children's emotional development and spiritual growth?

7. What are some natural challenges to reentry after a spouse has been away, and how can intentional conversations help with the transition back to normalcy?

8. In what ways can we seek God when things are going smoothly and not get complacent in our faith?

9. How can we avoid the temptation to seek validation from people instead of God? What are some practical ways to focus on abiding in Christ instead of looking to others for approval?

10. How have our standards and priorities changed as we have matured in our relationship with God? What helps us to recognize what is worth fighting for and what is not?

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"Lord, teach us to pray." The disciples came to Jesus with this humble, bold statement. Let's unpack it and appropriate it for ourselves today. Let's look at what it says about them, about Jesus, and about us. Stephanie invites you to ponder questions Jesus asks, and some statements that believers made throughout Scripture, that are really prayers in disguise, and an invitation for us to ponder the deeper things of the spirit and to invite Him to shape us into who He created us to become. Now you know that Stephanie loves to find unexpected connections in Scripture, so that we may experience afresh what might otherwise be stale and feel like microwaved leftovers, spiritually speaking. So today, let's sprinkle our time in Scripture with a dash of spice - Gospel Spice 🙂 

In our previous episode we pondered the depth of Jesus' question in several settings: "What do you want?" Stephanie invites us to connect this question to another very familiar passage -- when the disciples come to Jesus, after watching Him pray in solitude, and tell Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." In this context, Jesus provides what we know as the Lord's prayer. This is as relevant as ever. What if we came to Jesus with the same statement - "teach us to pray." What would it reveal about our hearts and our lives? How would Jesus answer? How can we emulate the disciples? 

This series is an invitation to immerse yourself in the various ways God communicates to us, and us to Him. So pay attention, He is here and willing to whisper in your ear.

A word of caution: don’t come to Scripture with the agenda of finding yourself there. Right now we are going to take Scripture in. Like breathing, like eating, like smelling a flower. Don’t come to Scripture with the agenda of finding yourself there. Come with the firm intention of discovering God instead. And then Scripture will never disappoint. God promises to be found in the places where He dwells – His Word especially. And in the process, you will undoubtedly find yourself as you find Him. So as we enter the hallowed pages of Scripture together, through a humble doorway and a very simple story, ask yourself: what is this telling me about Jesus?

NEW TO GOSPEL SPICE? YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!

Check out our free resources, and more, at https://www.gospelspice.com/start

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Here are a few suggestions:

Identity in the battle | Ephesians

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/372022/link/

Malachi: Messenger to Messiah

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/356130/link/

Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/324347/link/

Come to the Table | The Feasts Jesus celebrated

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/309956/link/

The perfect gift for everyone - apparel, drinkware, stickers and more for all the women, men and kids in your life!

https://www.gospelspice.com/merch

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

“What do you want?” Jesus asks this powerful question on several occasions.

What do YOU want? If Jesus asked you this, how would you answer? How would you feel?

In the Greek and Hebrew, to “want” is a multifaceted word that speaks to the heart, the mind and the body. In Psalm 23 when we read, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” it means I am made whole, complete, so that I have no more need or unmet longing. It is the state of heaven – and, occasionally, heaven on earth.

“What do you want?” Jesus asks.

Stephanie takes us deep in Scripture through three powerful Greek words today. God is inviting you to capture your imagination, heart, soul and spirit through a deeper longing for Him. It is an intellectual search, a deep desire for Him, and also a need of our body. We will connect the dots and find that Jesus gives us the blueprint to answer this question the way the Father would invite us to. Let’s embrace Jesus’ invitation to ask, seek and knock – only to receive, find and have the door be opened. It is the same trio of Greek words, and it will inspire us to answer His question in the way that will bring us delight, for His glory.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Stephanie is joined by Sheila Wray Gregoire to discuss how to raise girls to resist toxic Christian teachings about sex, self, and speaking up. This conversation aims to serve parents of girls (and boys too!) from pre-teen years all to way to young adulthood.

Sheila and Stephanie have an hour-long conversation of which today’s episode is the second part (episode 206 was the first half, accessible here:  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/237258/link/ or on your favorite listening platform)

Parents want their daughters to thrive--to be strong, confident, and equipped to step into the life God has for them. Sheila asks, “What if the church is setting our daughters up to be small? What if the most common teachings girls hear in youth group make them more likely to marry an abuser? Less likely to understand consent? And more likely to blame themselves if they are assaulted?”

Armed with data from an all-new survey of more than 7,000 women, the authors of The Great Sex Rescue, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky, reveal how experiences in church as teens affect women's self-esteem and relationships today in their new book “She Deserves Better.”

They expose common evangelical teachings that can backfire: the purity emphasis that can cause shame rather than good choices, the dating rules that can prime girls for abuse, and the one overarching belief that can keep them from setting healthy boundaries.

This book tackles tough topics like:

-          The dating rule that works best—except when it doesn’t (and why we need nuance)

-          How we can talk about clothing choices without causing body image issues or blaming girls for boys’ thoughts

-          How to talk about saving sex without idolizing virginity or creating sexual anxiety

-          How we can protect our daughters from a church hurt that could send them fleeing the faith

And so much more.

"Sheila, Rebecca, and Joanna are an all-star team, confronting the harm done to our daughters in both the church and the world,” said Aimee Byrd, author of The Sexual Reformation. “The title says it all. Full stop. Our daughters deserve better! This book is full of thorough research, refreshingly commonsense biblical wisdom, and practical help on how to talk with our daughters and prepare them for confidence and maturity."

MEET SHEILA WRAY GREGOIRE

Sheila Wray Gregoire is the face behind BareMarrige.com, the largest single-blogger marriage blog. She's also an award-winning author of nine books, including The Great Sex Rescue, and a sought-after speaker. With her humorous, no-nonsense approach, Sheila is passionate about changing the evangelical conversation about sex and marriage to line up with kingdom principles. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband. They have two adult daughters and two grandbabies.

Do you feel the pain and pressure of spiritual exhaustion? Do you feel unworthy despite consistent effort? Do you lack joy in your personal faith? Do you desire practical, daily rhythms that sustain delight in God?  That’s why I wrote "Awaken Delight." It will help you (re)discover:

1-Delight in God is identity-shaping, not emotion-driven. Delight in God is not fleeting emotion but resilient identity.

2-Delight in God is altogether trust, satisfaction in God, relational intimacy with Him. Delight in God is often expressed and grown through resilient joy under suffering.

3-Jesus is the center of every endeavor to delight in God.

These are some of the truths we ponder together through my book, Awaken Delight.

"Awaken Delight" is a theologically grounded spiritual formation book for thoughtful believers who feel spiritually fatigued, and ready to embrace the reality of delight in God.

Find out more at https://www.gospelspice.com/awakendelight 

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Stephanie is joined by Sheila Wray Gregoire to discuss how to raise girls to resist toxic Christian teachings about sex, self, and speaking up. This conversation aims to serve parents of girls (and boys too!) from pre-teen years all to way to young adulthood.

Parents want their daughters to thrive--to be strong, confident, and equipped to step into the life God has for them. Sheila asks, “What if the church is setting our daughters up to be small? What if the most common teachings girls hear in youth group make them more likely to marry an abuser? Less likely to understand consent? And more likely to blame themselves if they are assaulted?”

Sheila and Stephanie have an hour-long conversation of which today’s episode is the first part (episode 207 will be the sequel, and will publish a few days later).

Armed with data from an all-new survey of more than 7,000 women, the authors of The Great Sex Rescue, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky, reveal how experiences in church as teens affect women's self-esteem and relationships today in their new book “She Deserves Better.”

They expose common evangelical teachings that can backfire: the purity emphasis that can cause shame rather than good choices, the dating rules that can prime girls for abuse, and the one overarching belief that can keep them from setting healthy boundaries.

This book tackles tough topics like:

-          The dating rule that works best—except when it doesn’t (and why we need nuance)

-          How we can talk about clothing choices without causing body image issues or blaming girls for boys’ thoughts

-          How to talk about saving sex without idolizing virginity or creating sexual anxiety

-          How we can protect our daughters from a church hurt that could send them fleeing the faith

And so much more.

"Sheila, Rebecca, and Joanna are an all-star team, confronting the harm done to our daughters in both the church and the world,” said Aimee Byrd, author of The Sexual Reformation. “The title says it all. Full stop. Our daughters deserve better! This book is full of thorough research, refreshingly commonsense biblical wisdom, and practical help on how to talk with our daughters and prepare them for confidence and maturity."

MEET SHEILA WRAY GREGOIRE

Sheila Wray Gregoire is the face behind BareMarrige.com, the largest single-blogger marriage blog. She's also an award-winning author of nine books, including The Great Sex Rescue, and a sought-after speaker. With her humorous, no-nonsense approach, Sheila is passionate about changing the evangelical conversation about sex and marriage to line up with kingdom principles. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband. They have two adult daughters and two grandbabies.

Do you feel the pain and pressure of spiritual exhaustion? Do you feel unworthy despite consistent effort? Do you lack joy in your personal faith? Do you desire practical, daily rhythms that sustain delight in God?  That’s why I wrote "Awaken Delight." It will help you (re)discover:

1-Delight in God is identity-shaping, not emotion-driven. Delight in God is not fleeting emotion but resilient identity.

2-Delight in God is altogether trust, satisfaction in God, relational intimacy with Him. Delight in God is often expressed and grown through resilient joy under suffering.

3-Jesus is the center of every endeavor to delight in God.

These are some of the truths we ponder together through my book, Awaken Delight.

"Awaken Delight" is a theologically grounded spiritual formation book for thoughtful believers who feel spiritually fatigued, and ready to embrace the reality of delight in God.

Find out more at https://www.gospelspice.com/awakendelight 

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Stephanie takes us to that very first effusion of the Holy Spirit on the believers gathered in obedience to Jesus' command to wait for the Spirit to come upon them. 

Have you ever wondered who the Holy Spirit is, especially in relation to God the Father and Christ the Son? How about who He is in relation to us? We are told that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit at salvation. What does it mean, and what does it entail?

We're looking at the nature and goal of a seal in the ancient world--and it takes you much deeper than a dusty history lesson!

It's the most glorious of promises, and frankly, one of the most misunderstood ones. So today, peel the veil back and dive deep into the glory of the Holy Spirit. You may leave wet from head to toe--drenched in the guarantee of your inheritance, until you take full possession of it!

Have you ever pondered that Pentecost is what makes us superior to the angels? Take a listen today!

ANNOUNCEMENT | We are switching to 2 episodes a week this season! Love it? Hate it? Please let us know by filling out this one-question survey. YOUR OPINION MATTERS! thank you!

Stephanie mentions one of her favorite books, Chosen but free by Norman Geisler. At the date of the release of this episode, the paperback is listed for less than $10 on Amazon... you owe it to yourself to get it! Other resources are listed here: https://www.gospelspice.com/resources 

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.

Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. 

And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

NEW!

Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example,

- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

The perfect gift for everyone - apparel, drinkware, stickers and more for all the women, men and kids in your life!

https://www.gospelspice.com/merch

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

God the Father could simply not wait to welcome Jesus back in Heaven after Easter. So much so, that He told us about the welcome party hundreds of years before it happened! It is a foretaste of the party that awaits YOU when you enter heaven. This is the sure hope that is the foundation of our faith. 
In our current uncertain times, we can rest assured that if we are in Christ, we will have quite the welcome party in Heaven. Did someone you know and love recently reach the pearly gates? That is their reality today too!

We look at the richness of the symbolism of the Ascension, but only because it is the precursor to one of the greatest celebrations for the believers: the gift of the Holy Spirit, the full indwelling of God Himself in the believers, given at Pentecost. We will delve deep into Pentecost in our next episode, but this is a glimpse into glory today!

ANNOUNCEMENT | We are switching to 2 episodes a week this season! Love it? Hate it? Please let us know by filling out this one-question survey. YOUR OPINION MATTERS! thank you!

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

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PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address [email protected]. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Christie Purifoy is Stephanie’s near-neighbor and dear, dear friend. They invite you in the conversation to deepen our relationship with God through simple ways to add beauty to your home through flowers, year round.  What does gardening teach us about intimacy with Him? How do flowers invite us to trust Him through the seasons of life – the seasons of abundance, or growth, but also of winter, wilderness, and waiting?

Through enchanting prose and delightful activities, avid writer, gardener and place-maker Christie Purifoy invites you to capture the curious magic of the garden and bring its life and joy into your home this season.  A flower garden is a place where endless possibilities are contemplated (and celebrated), where reason bows to beauty, and practicality gives way to whimsy. It’s where we sink our roots deep, lean into the rhythms of each season, and wish for beautiful things to grow.

Stephanie has been labelled a “black thumb” as a child – meaning, she is more apt to kill a plant, than to give it the environment to thrive! Can she cultivate a home in bloom? Christie brings hope to this helpless flower-killer who constantly seeks beauty in all areas of her life.

Christie and Stephanie had initially met a few weeks before they recorded Christie’s first guest appearance on Gospel Spice, back in 2022. And now they are together again to discuss Christie’s latest book, A home in bloom, and its deep ramifications in our spiritual lives and our relationships with one another.

MORE ABOUT A HOME IN BLOOM

A HOME IN BLOOM is the second book in the trilogy that started with GARDEN MAKER. They go so well together, both visually and thematically, that it would be a shame not to own both of them! They make the perfect Mother’s day gift, among many other gift occasions.

This fully photographed guide shows you how to enjoy the many gifts the garden offers inside your own home, transforming your living spaces into places filled with warmth and wonder. Each season, Christie shares her notes on what to plant and walks you through easy projects that will surely become lifelong practices that help you bring the outdoors in.

Learn how to grow your house into a home in bloom.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Bloom-Enchanted-Seasons-Flowers/dp/0736982167

A Home in Bloom is now available online and in local stores everywhere!

MORE ABOUT CHRISTIE PURIFOY
Christie is a writer and avid gardener. She earned a PhD in English Literature from the University of Chicago and has taught literature and composition at the undergraduate level. Her books include Garden Maker: Growing a Life of Beauty and Wonder with Flowers, Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons, and Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace. She explores her love of gardening and all things beautiful at her Victorian farmhouse in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Meet Christie at https://www.christiepurifoy.com/

NEW TO GOSPEL SPICE? YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!

Check out our free resources, and more, at https://www.gospelspice.com/start

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Here are a few suggestions:

Identity in the battle | Ephesians

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/372022/link/

Malachi: Messenger to Messiah

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/356130/link/

Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/324347/link/

Come to the Table | The Feasts Jesus celebrated

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/309956/link/

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

God has been truly faithful to each one of us in this communal Gospel Spice journey. You, our beloved listener, is the reason why we started, the reason why we keep doing this week after week. Walking alongside you in your journey of faith, finding God at work in the every day and in the grand moments, and praising Him. Seeking Him and finding Him, delighting in Him and beholding His glory - that is the essence of life. It is meant to be a life lived in community - you and me, you and us, together. So, with humble gratitude, a heartfelt thank-you to you who are reading these lines and listening to (or watching) this episode. 

The best celebrations in life take place when we are surrounded with family and loved ones. So, today we are celebrating God's enduring faithfulness over 200 episodes by digging behind the scenes and spending quality time with Him through three very special women who have profoundly shaped Gospel Spice - each one in her own God-given way. Linda invites us to embrace the love that comes from God. Angel challenges us to stay on mission for the Kingdom. Lindsay reminds us to trust God for deeper things. 

Linda, Angel and Lindsay have done more to serve you, than you might know! So today Stephanie spends time with them and invites you to pull up a chair, put the kettle on for some tea or coffee, or maybe take us on a walk or on the road today with you. Scoot in, there is a place for you right here with us. We pray these conversations uplift you and encourage you to keep delighting in the glory of God today, tomorrow and every day!

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.

Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. 

And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

NEW!

Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example,

- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

The perfect gift for everyone - apparel, drinkware, stickers and more for all the women, men and kids in your life!

https://www.gospelspice.com/merch

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Stephanie is delighted to welcome Richard Foster, the author of one of the most influential books in her life, Celebration of Discipline. Today, Richard, with Brenda Quinn, talk about the power of learning humility. He tells Stephanie, “The practice of humility has made me playful and free.” In our culture of raging narcissism, Richard calls humility the "vanishing virtue." He says that practicing humility has been "playful, freeing, fun, and freedom from [his] need to feel important." How wonderful!

When Stephanie asks about how to learn humility, Richard answers, “We learn humility by taking up other tasks, like serving others.”

Richard explains that humility is a secret gift that keeps on giving. He says, “one of the things we need to learn is to embrace and enjoy anonymity.”

Richard encourages us to develop a passion for culture, encouraging each one if us to keep on living at the intersection of culture and Scripture here at Gospel Spice. He says, “look for the finger of God at work through every culture.” He adds, “in every culture there are things that are consonant with Scripture, and some that are dissonant. Our task is to discern among them.”

In a society where raging narcissism dominates the moral landscape, the virtue of humility is often dismissed as irrelevant. Not only is humility vanishing from contemporary culture, but we are also witnessing how destructive a lack of humility has become among our churches and ministry leaders. And yet, Richard Foster, the founder of Renovare, insists that humility is central to the journey toward character formation and spiritual transformation. For this reason he decided to spend a year studying the virtue of humility.

Using the Lakota calendar as a framework, Foster provides us with a look into the insights he gathered from sources ranging from Native American culture to Julian of Norwich to Scripture to personal friends. By engaging with both the spiritual classics and Foster's own experiences, Learning Humility provides profound insight into what humility can look like in our current cultural climate.

Join Richard Foster on Gospel Spice today, and embrace the journey toward a life of humility, which he says leads us into "freedom, joy, and holy hilarity."

MEET RICHARD FOSTER

Richard Foster is founder, past pres­i­dent and cur­rent team mem­ber of Ren­o­varé. Hav­ing stud­ied at George Fox and Fuller The­o­log­i­cal Sem­i­nary, Fos­ter has served as a pas­tor and taught world­wide on spir­i­tu­al for­ma­tion. Author of dozens of arti­cles and six books, includ­ing Cel­e­bra­tion of Dis­ci­pline, Richard con­tin­ues to write on the spir­i­tu­al life. He and his wife, Car­olynn, have two grown chil­dren, Joel and Nathan, nine grand­chil­dren, and live near Den­ver, Colorado.

Discover more at https://renovare.org/

MEET BRENDA QUINN

Brenda Quinn is a pastor of spiritual formation in the Foursquare church and a writer of many years. She is also the author of the character profiles in the Life with God Bible. Brenda Quinn, former staff editor for Serendipity House and editorial coordinator for MOPS International, Inc., is cowriter of study guides for both "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "What’s So Amazing About Grace?" She coauthored the devotional "Meet the Bible" with Philip Yancey. Brenda lives with her husband and son in Colorado.

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Check out our free resources, and more, at https://www.gospelspice.com/start

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Here are a few suggestions:

Identity in the battle | Ephesians

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/372022/link/

Malachi: Messenger to Messiah

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/356130/link/

Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/324347/link/

Come to the Table | The Feasts Jesus celebrated

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/309956/link/

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