Head to Heart

I’ve come to the conclusion that success is not worth it if Jesus is not the One defining it. Do you ever feel discontent with where your life is at? Do you have a number in your head that you think will satisfy you once you reach it? We hear constant messages about getting to whatever is next & to just keep hustling. We need to redefine what “success” means because if it means constant striving, then none of us will ever enjoy our lives! I talk about my own personal journey in discovering how comparison is such a dangerous trap to fall into, what a successful life looks like according to Kingdom values, and how to just be happy where you’re at in life. There is no such thing as a sacred/secular divide & how Jesus defines a successful life is SO DIFFERENT than how most of us picture it in our heads.

For being as important as we claim it to be, missions done wrong can leave a lot of harm in its aftermath. Who is a short term mission trip really for? Is it for the benefit of those overseas or a glorified vacation? Is it missions even worth it? It is very possibly for a short term mission trip to actually harm the locals they supposedly “help”. Jillian told us her personal story of figuring out how to do missions in a healthy way that doesn’t try to fix other people’s problems, but that shows them Jesus in the midst of it.

Do you ever fear being completely honest with God about your desires? Do good things entering your life cause you to become anxious? I recorded a SOLO episode & told my story of starting to date my now husband & how such a great thing caused me so much anxiety. It all went back to my beliefs about God. I thought God wanted me to suffer because that’s when He would help me grow, but He showed me His actual heart & how He is not a manipulative Father who just wants to teach me a lesson. He has good things in store for you & He IS FOR YOU!

How can God trust you with leadership positions if you can’t even submit to your current boss? It’s one thing when a peer makes a mistake, but what do we do when our leadership makes lots of mistakes? What if the leadership we’re under is blatantly wrong? It is so easy to harbor bitterness because we expect our leaders to do better, but that bitterness is only hurting ourselves. Megan & I discussed how to react in a godly way when your leadership is being anything but godly. It doesn’t involve retaliation, but actually submission. We walk through steps to pursue healing from church hurt, reconciliations with leaders & what Jesus said to do while operating under unfair leadership, which He did PLENTY of times.

Our insides usually reflect onto our outsides. If our minds are chaotic, our lives will follow suit. Ishriel shared her story of how the Lord set her free from a cloudy, depressed mindset after a difficult family loss & taught her how to see who was really on the throne of her heart. She walked us through how to evaluate our own priorities, set them straight, and experience the Father’s love & jealousy for us. She gave practical tips for staying organized & shared how her new small business can help you do just that! Ishriel owns “Life in Order” which sells custom made bullet journals. You can go to her Instagram @ishriel to order one today (with a coupon code we mention in the episode)!

Welcome to Head to Heart Podcast. I’m your host, Jenny Marcum. This bi-weekly podcast is designed to be a safe space to admit what we truly believe in our hearts. We all know the difference between just having Biblical knowledge floating around in our heads & actually believing that it’s true. Until God’s Truth makes it’s way into our hearts, nothing changes.

We’ll be doing a mix of solo episodes & interviews with friends who have experienced the freedom that comes when head knowledge becomes heart knowledge. We’ll talk about overcoming lies in our relationships, mental health struggles, and the way we see ourselves.

Jesus said to His disciples in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal & kill & destroy; I have come that they may have life & have it to the full.” How can we experience this full life if we’re not taking God at His word?

The Truth will set you free so that you can walk every day in the freedom God desires for you. It’s time to let go of the pressures, insecurities, and burdens. That’s not yours to carry. Thanks for joining us.

Drew Lang was our special guest on the show and we talked all about growth in our Christian walks. As a youth pastor, he sees the deer in be headlights look as new believers ask, “Now what?” Whether you’re a new Christian, feel stuck or just want to grow more, this episode will help you reach out to the right mentors in your life, remove shame from your perspective, and leave unhealthy patterns of sin behind as you pursue Christ.

Are immigrants taking all the jobs in the United States? What does the Bible say about undocumented immigrants? This was actually a biblical issue before it was a political one. Megan McKarns & I discussed all the myths about immigration & what Jesus means by the command to “care for the foreigner”.

Why are my past mistakes still affecting me if I’m supposedly forgiven? How do I actually believe what God says about me? What is the difference between shame vs. conviction? My best friend of 7 years, Ava Cheffer, shared her own story about how shame is one of the enemy’s top strategies to keep us from living our lives to the fullest. Shame is a universal experience, but we do not have to stay stuck in it. Ava walked us through how to renew our minds and move forward into a bright future regardless of our past mistakes.

Sierra came back for Part 2 of Lies of Purity Culture! It’s so easy to use blanket statements to avoid the mess. We hear sayings like “Just cover up” or “Just don’t date”. But those don’t address questions like, “What am I supposed to do if I’m struggling with lust?” or “How can I set good boundaries for myself?” The message we could be told is that our bodies are bad. But it’s heart issues that need to be dealt with. Our bodies are gifts & it is up to us how we steward them.