Grace Over Perfection with Alison Simmons

Every morning in the car on the way to school, the kids and I pray for the day, for each other, and for events happening in our world.

And sometimes this leads to a great conversation about God and what the Bible teaches about Him. Sometimes, it doesn't.

This morning, the tiny voice of my 7-year-old piped up from the backseat and asked, “Mommy, how does a kid know if they are a Christian?”

Now, isn’t that the million-dollar question?! How does ANYONE know if they (or someone else) are a Chrisitan?

In this episode, I share how I explained it to her as well as the things parents should and shouldn't use to gauge their child's salvation.

It was an ordinary Thursday night. Pizza for dinner, family time, and before the 7 kids headed to bed. Lisa cleaned up and kissed her husband goodnight.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he said.

A few hours later, Lisa woke up to his heavy breathing and that was the moment when her world would be forever changed.

In today's episode, Lisa shares her and her children's story of grief and how God was still at work in the middle of the pain.

You can learn more about her new book Life Can Be Good Again, which releases on April 19, 2002, HERE. 

*Get the BONUS VIDEO SERIES: Braving the Broken Starter Kit when you pre-order today!

Jamie grew up in a dysfunctional, abusive family. She found herself pregnant at a very young age and ended up in an abusive marriage just like her parents had. 

Unloved. Unworthy.

These are words that Jamie uses to describe the way she felt for so many painful years. And yet, when she looks back now, she can see how God was at work in the middle of it all.

In today's interview, Jamie shares the story of how God "interrupted" her life of dysfunction and how He called her to be the person she needed all those years - someone to point others to Jesus.

Jamie Bailey is a Professional Christian Counselor and Marriage Coach. Together, with her husband, they help couples overcome marriage struggles and learn all that it takes to create a God-centered marriage. They are the founders of Expedition Marriage and together host the Expedition Marriage podcast.

“I don’t understand, Lord. I’ve already dealt with this sin. Remember? You and I had it out over my need to be in control, already. You convicted me of my refusal to submit to authority in my life in general because I wanted to be my own authority.”

“And I changed! The Holy Spirit worked on my heart and I began to understand that receiving grace meant that I could then give it to others. And as I changed, so did the way I interacted with those around me.”

That was my conversation with God just a few months ago.

How do you reconcile fighting and overcoming sin with the help of the Holy Spirit and then still cycling back through that sin later, maybe again and again?

Does that seem the opposite of how spiritual growth works? Isn’t that a sign of weak faith?

In today's episode, we are talking about what perfect spiritual growth looks like and it may not be what you are thinking at all.

Learn more about The Grace > Perfection Formula: Your Guide to Cultivating Stronger Faith Habits HERE

Download your FREE copy of the 45-day devotional through the Old Testament HERE

 Jael wasn’t anyone special, technically speaking.

And she wasn’t planning on doing anything other than taking care of her household that day Sisera ended up on her doorstep. She was just going about her daily tasks when she was suddenly faced with a situation that she had no choice but to deal with right then and there.

And isn’t that the way God often works?

On a typical, run-of-mill day when you are just crossing things off your To-Do list,  have you ever suddenly found yourself in the middle of a God-ordained moment and you feel completely unprepared to handle it?

It is unlikely that you’ve been folding laundry when a terrorist shows up in your front yard but there are plenty of scenarios that pop up when you least expect it and you think...

“But I’m just a mom, just a wife, just a volunteer."
"I’m just too young, too young, too middle-aged."
"Ugh - I’m just too busy, just too tired, just too overwhelmed."
"I just don’t know enough scripture. I just don’t have a strong enough faith. I am just struggling through life myself.”

Fill in the blank, friend. What do you tell yourself you are “just too much” of that you feel like you can’t be used by God to further His kingdom in some way?

Friend, pay attention - You are just right.

--------------------------

Learn more about The Grace > Perfection Formula: Your Guide to Growing Stronger Faith Habits HERE

Click HERE for a transcript of this episode.

In Mattew 5:31-37, Jesus addresses the issue of divorce and actually gives "permission" to break the marital covenant in the case of sexual immorality.

Does that mean that adultery is your "free ticket" out of marriage?

(Ha! I can tell you from personal experience that divorce is not free!)

In this episode, I interview Brad and Lisa Valencia, a couple that did not cash in that ticket.

They share openly and honestly about their story of infidelity and the long road to redemption. They pray that their honesty can offer a beacon of hope into whatever your marriage may be going through, and a roadmap for others to learn from.

Check out their ministry, Unrelenting Pursuit, where they desire to see all marriages in an unrelenting pursuit of love, joy, and forgiveness. 

Instagram - @unrelentingpursuit_

Facebook - Unrelenting Pursuit

Learn more about the Grace > Perfection Formula: Your Guide to Cultivating Stronger Faith Habits HERE

I had posted a request, asking for women to let me interview them in order to help me better understand what kind of content I should be creating to offer the most value to my podcast listeners, email subscribers, and social media followers.

Full transparency, my goal was to gather information, not to hold any of them accountable for anything they were or were not doing in their relationship with the Lord. 

Funny how God works, though.

It was incredible! In every single case, what was supposed to be a 20 min interview became 45min to hour-long conversations where these women just opened up and shared their hearts. 

Each question I asked seemed to dig a little deeper and uncover something that had been buried, either on purpose or accidentally, for years.

This was not my intention. I was just hoping to gather insights into what the women that follow me needed and wanted.

And you know what I discovered? They need and want accountability.

Hold up - accountability? That’s when someone makes you feel like crap about not reading your Bible or praying as often as you should, or going to church regularly. 

No friend, no one wants that. And that is not real accountability. In this episode, I share what real accountability is and what it can do for you...and what it can't.

Click here to learn more about The Grace > Perfection Formula: Your Guide to Cultivating Stronger Faith Habits and to enroll so you can:

• Experience freedom from the guilt caused by what you can't do.
• Enjoy flexibility that allows you to do what you can.
• Get the encouragement you need to keep moving forward.

Naomi was a woman of great faith and yet now, she is broken and cannot see past her suffering. 

Have you ever felt like this? Like God has dealt bitterly with you?

Suffering in this life is real. Sometimes it is due to our own bad decisions, sometimes we suffer because of someone else’s bad decisions, and then there are the times life just happens and we suffer because of things that are completely out of anyone’s control…but God’s.

God is sovereign which means He is in control of all things. And that includes whatever you are suffering through or have suffered through or will suffer through.

Why would He allow that? In today's episode, we find the answer in the life of Naomi and how this woman of great faith suffered for a purpose.

Sign up here for the FREE Workshop: How to Connect with God - 3 things you can do today and how to actually make it happen

Get the transcript for today's episode here.

Before Sara and her husband got engaged, they had a very practical and important talk about what they both expected their future would look like. At the time, she was certain that she wanted to be a SHAM...until she decided she didn't want to after starting her business and having a baby.

In today's episode, Sara tells the story of how she became the sole breadwinner for her family, the struggles she and her husband faced during the transition, and the transformation God took them both through as they dealt with the sin that surfaced in this new, nontraditional environment.

---------------

Sara Motes is an enneagram 3, saved-by-grace girl who teaches passion-led business owners how to use Pinterest to grow their businesses. She has been married to her husband, Jacob, for 7 years and has been blessed with two beautiful sons. 

Sign up for the FREE Workshop: How to Connect with God - 3 things you can do today and how to actually make them happen

Click HERE for a full transcript of this episode.

Who is Elisabeth Elliot?

She is a woman of great faith, not because her parents taught her the Bible, not because she attended church and SS and prayer meetings, not because she went to a Christian college and became a foreign missionary...

Yes, all of these things laid a strong foundation, but she became a woman of great faith because she walked through fiery trials and learned to trust God no matter her circumstances.

In today's episode, we will learn the answer that God gave Elisabeth when she continually asked Him, "Why God? Why?"

It is the same answer He give you and me today. 

Sign up for the FREE Workshop: How to Connect with God - 3 things you can do today and how to actually make them happen

Click HERE for a full transcript of this episode.