"Well, they will just never change, he is just too far gone"...

You don't want to admit it... but these words have come to your mind about someone that you struggle to believe is restorable.

It's not always easy to have hope for everyone.   To believe that they can someday be trusted.

Sometimes, it even hurts to choose to have hope for another.... it feels risky.. too risky.

Who is it that you don't believe can change?

Why does it scare you to believe that they too are restorable?

Will you journey with me once again through the junkyard?  Will you consider hope for the person or people group that you sometimes think will never change?  

Listen in as I wrestle my way through the proverbial junkyard, and my honest thoughts.

LINKS-  $25 off your first appointment with Dr. Rhonda when you use this link www.beautifulhealingjourney.com/hopelayer 

$25 off your first session at www.takeheartcounseling.com when you mention "Hope Layer podcast in your email to [email protected]

"I would have said, 'pick someone else.  You've got the wrong girl.  I'm not strong like that ... I would not have thought any of that capable of surviving." - just a few words from Marie's authentic heart in this touching episode.  

Friends, she gets it!  She knows pain, and she knows hope!

Imagine a car driving down the road, obeying the laws and minding it's own business... and then, suddenly, out of nowhere was hit head on by a tractor trailer.  The insurance adjuster would come along and see that the hit car was no doubt deemed "totaled" or "a total loss". 

Some may have imagined Marie's life to be "totaled" after her husband took several children's lives and then his own life in the Amish schoolhouse shooting.

Marie shares how she was in fact hit head on and desperate for help as the trajectory of her life was suddenly changed forever.  But, she still had two choices.  

Listen in to how and why Marie is living proof that we are all restorable.  There IS HOPE for Marie, for her kids...and for you and I!  Friends, this episode is so powerful and is leaving a lasting impact on me!

SHOW NOTE QUOTES & LINKS -

- Mark 9:24 "help me with my unbelief"

- www.lysaturkeurst.com  Book recommendation - "It's not supposed to be this way"

- 2 Corinthians 1:3 "the God of all comfort... comfort others with the comfort you have received"

- For $25 off your first counseling session with Meagan Good at Take Heart Counseling .. email [email protected] and mention "Hope Layer" podcast

- For $25 off your initial exam with Dr. Rhonda Larson use link www.beautifulhealingjourney.com/hopelayer - Marie's website and book recommendation  "One Light Still Shines"

-  Restorable Retreat www.jenminingerphotography.com/retreats 

I didn't want to leave the junkyard.

I felt like I didn't have enough time.  I felt like the "work" there wasn't finished yet...like there was more for me to receive from the junkyard.

It's kind of a strange analogy, but is it true that I don't spend enough time in the junkyards of life?

Typically I want to rush out of the hard times, get a quick fix, and get back to the mountain tops!  I want to be on the other side of pain, I want to be restored...I just don't want the process that is required to get me there.

Solomon wrote it, the Beatles sang it..."a time to laugh, a time cry...to everything there is a season..."... and one thing that I am learning is that there are treasures in the seemingly hopeless junkyard seasons.

So, with some reluctance, I will attempt to take my time doing the hard work of allowing God to restore me....  I know that He will continue to lead me as I "walk through" it, He will comfort me, guide me and even give me breathers.... will you join me?

I've got some treasures to share with you today on this episode.  Treasures from some of my junkyard seasons...including an invitation to my Restorable Retreat!

If you are in a hard season, please consider not doing it alone.  Joining me at my retreat may be a great option for you...BUT...I also want to encourage you to seek professional help.  My friend Meagan, who is a therapist and founder of Take Heart Counseling is offering all "Hope Layer" listeners $25 off of their first session with her.  Email [email protected] , tell her you are interested in the "Hope Layer" discount for your first session.

Thanks for listening in today... may you receive hope and comfort from the comfort that I have received!

To see the pictures that go along with this hopeful talk.... click here for my blog

As I walked around, I saw some piles of scrap metal that I could barely identify as something that used to be a "whole" car.  ... 

...and I thought, "ok, well, THAT IS actually too far gone".  Like, really, some things that I saw there were actually not worth the hassle, not worth the investment, not REALLY restorable.

THAT is exactly where this "junkyard" analogy breaks down.  Because God is so different that the human restorer.  

In God's eyes, and with His power, no one is too far gone.  We are all worth the investment.  We are all lovable.  Nothing is impossible.  In God's eyes and with His power, we are ALL restorable.  The restoring process may be hard, but the other side offers so much HOPE!

To see the pictures that helped with my hopeful talk BLOG

Ann Voskamp's Book "Broken Way"

To get a generous Hope Layer Discount on a professional website or Branding Kit Click here for discount!

You ready for this? This personal project that has changed and rocked so much of my business...but more importantly, so much of my life, my heart and my relationships.

This project that was originally, never intended to be shared or seen by anyone but myself..is now out there, for you!

Why?  You ask...

Simply put, because this project has comforted me so deeply.  It has been used to give me hope when hope was thin.  And now, God has compelled me to comfort others with the comfort that I have received.

So, this is for you.  You who could use some comfort, or maybe a hefty dose of hope.  You, who knows that you don't have it all together...in fact, it's for you who knows that you're actually broken.  What I mean is, you have places in your life or your heart that are broken...that you think could never change.  Pieces of your heart that continue to discourage you and leave you feeling defeated...those places that you believe are not restorable.

You ready?  This is the first of many in the SERIES of a project that I call "Restorable" Go to my website here where you can watch the VIDEO ------ our amazing videographer Justin from Cinematic Love Stories ----- Click here for a special Hope Layer Discount from Rachel Kline Creative.  She is offering us a branding kit for $299 or $350 off the cost of a NEW website!  That is a very generous discount!

Listen in as I share a short clip from my upcoming Restorable project.  Restorable is the project that has completely altered my photography business... and the project that has impacted my daily life.

As you here this clip, you will hear that I will be sharing my brokenness with you, and while my brokenness sure does leak out into so many parts of my life.... it is not all of me.  So, after the little film clip, I will then share simple stories from my real life and my heart at home.  I want you to know that heaviness and happiness can co-exist!

In this episode I will share about my role model, my nickname, my 8 brothers that I love so much, and I'll even share my age.  I will also tell you pieces of my journey that led me from dreaming of being a wife and a mom, to using my photography as personal therapy... to comforting you with the comfort that I have received.

I will not be sharing how the journey has been easy and glossy, rather I will share with you that there has been discouragement and struggle.  Through the highs and lows, the mountain tops and valleys, the "I want to quit days and the "this is amazing days"...God has graciously given me fresh winds to continue to lead me to take my next right step.

So, here I am...a _??_ year old wife and mom who has alot of fun capturing hearts through my camera lenses ...and a girl who is leaning into God for comfort in all her broken places and discovering a beauty that I didn't know before!    And sharing this with you today, is my next right step.

Listen in for some authentic inspiration, stories and hope!

Resources from this episode: Click here for more info on Rachel Kline's HUGE discount offer just for Hope Layer listeners!

Scouting The Divine by Margaret Feinberg

Praise Habit by David Crowder

You Are The Girl For The Job by Jess Connolly Sacred Enneagram by Christopher L Heuertz

Podcast Episode to get to know me more.

The amazing Justin Barlup of Cinematic Love Stories (creator of Restorable film) Blog post about my experience from being a guest podcast and how God uses so many different voices to lead us.

Maybe you know me as a wife to my high school sweetheart, and mom to our 5 kids who fill our home with all kinds fun.  Well, my kids and hubby will be the first to tell you that I don't get it all right here, and I sure do have my share of bad days.  My family sees my brokenness more than anyone...yet... I still know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I LOVE being a wife and mom!  I'm just wired that way, in fact, I never dreamed of doing anything outside of this awesome wife/mom calling???

But, here I am... being seriously filled up with joy as a photographer who gets to serve others by capturing the deeper layers of a person's story.    So... much good stuff...and so much to juggle!  So, why in the world am I starting a podcast?...right?!!

I hope you'll listen in to this short talk, and find yourself inspired for your own deeply layered story! 

For the full transcript of this episode, click here

You want to check out our 20th anniversary project? Here is our beloved and personal project from our 20th in Oregon!  I think you will love it almost as much as we do...and I think you will be inspired and encouraged by our words and pictures! 

Rachel Kline is genius when it comes to the computer...and I am so thankful for that, because she has built me a beautiful and easy to use website for my business!  Rachel believes in the mission of the Hope Layer Podcast and wants to support us here by cheering for all Hope Layer listeners!  She is doing this by offering a very generous discount to you, just for joining me here!!  To get $350 off a new website built by Rachel Kline Creative, Go here now ! Need help with business branding?  Get Rachel's branding kit for $299 (regularly $459)!  Click here to get all the info and a special Hope Layer's discount!!   So cool ... you benefit, I benefit...we all benefit from Rachel's mad computer skills and her generous offer!

I am so so grateful for you being here with me!  If this has impacted you in anyway...then please subscribe here and leave a review!  Also, go ahead and share this episode, and together we can comfort others with the comfort that we have received!