Joy in the Journey

What if the very thing you’re doing to protect your heart is the thing keeping God out of it? In this raw and surprisingly personal episode of Joy in the Journey, Shannon and Joy ask a question most of us avoid: why is it so hard to simply receive God’s love? Shannon confesses she was a Christian for over 40 years before she truly let it in, and both Joy and Shannon open up about the hidden places they’ve guarded from the Lord, including one moment in a Bible study when God called out something Shannon never saw coming. Scripture references: Psalm 51 and 139, Job 42, and 2 Timothy 3.

What if the very thing you’re doing to protect your heart is the thing keeping God out of it? In this raw and surprisingly personal episode of Joy in the Journey, Shannon and Joy ask a question most of us avoid: why is it so hard to simply receive God’s love? Shannon confesses she was a Christian for over 40 years before she truly let it in, and both Joy and Shannon open up about the hidden places they’ve guarded from the Lord, including one moment in a Bible study when God called out something Shannon never saw coming. Scripture references: Psalm 51 and 139, Job 42, and 2 Timothy 3.

What if the voice telling you “you’re not enough” is actually right? In this deeply honest conversation, Shannon and Joy tackle the lie so many of us carry, whether it came from a spouse who walked away, the endless scroll of social media, or the whisper that we’ll never measure up as a mom, a wife, or a believer. Shannon opens up about a recent day when fear gripped her so tightly she felt it in her chest, and she shares exactly what she did to fight back. Together, she and Joy explore why comparison is the bait that hides the enemy’s hook, why beating yourself up can be a hidden form of pride, and how a surprising list of Bible heroes (a stuttering murderer, a prostitute, a suicidal prophet, and a man who hunted down Christians) proves that God has always chosen the unqualified. Five loaves weren’t enough to feed the crowd. Five stones weren’t enough to topple a giant. Maybe you aren’t supposed to be enough either. If you’re bone tired, carrying shame, or convinced you’ve gone too far, this episode is your invitation to stop running and fall into the arms of the One who is. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV) One thing to flag for your review: the episode touches on suicidal thoughts around the 5:30 mark. If your platform allows it, you might add a brief note at the end of the description pointing listeners to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, since the topic could resonate with someone who’s struggling.

Ways to Connect: Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com Email: [email protected] Facebook: Journey Living Ministries Instagram: Journey Living Ministries YouTube: @Journeyliving2911 Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio Find Joy: Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations

Someone cuts you off in traffic. A friend says the wrong thing. A family member gives you that look. Before you know it, you’ve taken the bait. In this honest and convicting conversation, Shannon and Joy talk about how offense slips into our hearts, often starting as nothing more than a whisper. Shannon shares her story of being a self-described expert “drawbridge operator,” keeping people at a distance in the name of self-protection, and the humbling moment God showed her what was really behind those walls. Together they explore why unchecked offense can become a silent killer of the spirit, what Scripture says about loving those who hurt us, and the surprising connection between being offended and the story of Satan’s fall. This isn’t cotton-candy Christianity. But if you’ve been carrying a hurt you can’t seem to set down, you’ll walk away with real hope: the prison door was never locked, and you’ve held the key all along.

Months after losing her husband, Shannon sat alone on a Florida beach, surrounded by happy couples and feeling the full weight of her grief. Then the Lord told her to ask Him for anything. So she did. She asked Him to help her find a diamond in the sand. What happened next still gives her chills.

In this episode, Shannon and Joy talk about the treasure hiding in plain sight that so many of us walk right past. They explore what it really means to seek God with your whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13), why the Bible was meant to be a mirror and not a pair of binoculars, and how a crowd standing at the Water Gate in Nehemiah 8 discovered that the joy of the Lord is our strength. You'll also hear what God whispered to Shannon on a tiny island in St. Lucia, and why so many believers know just enough about God to feel guilty but not enough to feel free.

If you've been settling for the world's dollar-store substitutes, this conversation will make you thirsty for the real thing.

Ways to Connect:

Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Journey Living Ministries

Instagram: Journey Living Ministries

YouTube: @Journeyliving2911

Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio

Find Joy:

Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com

Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations

It's Throwback Tuesday! We're going to look back at an earlier episode where Joy and Shannon look at "heart posture," the quiet stance of the heart that shows in our words, our calendars, and our bank statements. From David's cry in Psalm 51, "Create in me a pure heart, O God," to Jesus' warning that no one can serve two masters, they ask some honest questions. Where is your treasure? Are you standing on the outside while sitting down on the inside? And what would you say if Jesus texted you today asking to spend time with you? It's a gentle but convicting conversation about distraction, grief, perspective, and the sweetness of simply sitting in His presence. Pull up a chair. It's time for a heart check.

Ways to Connect: Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com Email: [email protected] Facebook: Journey Living Ministries Instagram: Journey Living Ministries YouTube: @Journeyliving2911 Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio Find Joy: Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations

Some seasons stretch us in ways we never asked for — and Shannon and Joy know that feeling firsthand. In this heart-to-heart, they open up about the hard, hidden work God does in us when life feels tight and uncertain, drawing from Joseph's own journey from pit to palace and a sweet picture from Psalm 4: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." Grab your coffee and settle in for a conversation that feels like sitting with a good friend, one that will remind you that whatever you're walking through right now, God is making room in you for more.

What if the thing robbing your joy isn't a big dramatic attack — but a quiet, sweet invitation to just... stay in bed, skip the Word, or avoid that person who gets on your nerves? Shannon and Joy unpack Isaiah 61 and the anointing God places on every believer. You'll hear Joy's personal story of choosing to trust God through deep grief, and why the church can leave you feeling emptier than when you walked in if you're only showing up to consume. This episode will challenge how you guard your time, your peace, and God's presence in your daily life. Because the anointing can't be bought or sold — it can only be received.

Ways to Connect:

Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com Email: [email protected] Facebook: Journey Living Ministries Instagram: Journey Living Ministries YouTube: @Journeyliving2911 Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio Find Joy: Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations

After the biggest spiritual win of your year, why does everything suddenly fall apart? Shannon and Joy sit with Elijah under the broom tree. Exhausted, afraid, and ready to quit, they uncover something the church rarely says out loud: sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. From Elijah's angel-delivered meal to the pressing of the olive that produces anointing oil, this conversation walks through why painful trials often follow our greatest victories, why the enemy targets us hardest right after a breakthrough, and why rest isn't weakness — it's a weapon. If you've ever prayed "Lord, I've had enough," this episode is your reminder: don't find it strange, and don't fight the press.

Ways to Connect: Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com Email: [email protected] Facebook: Journey Living Ministries Instagram: Journey Living Ministries YouTube: @Journeyliving2911 Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio Find Joy: Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations

Some questions you answer in a second. This one sits there. In this episode of Joy in The Journey, Shannon opens with the question she uses in life coaching and marriage rescue retreats, the one that leaves a room in what Joy calls holy silence. Are you okay with that? Okay with a marriage that has quietly gone cold. Okay with the health you keep meaning to deal with. Okay with the bank account, the cluttered house, the friendships that faded while you weren't looking. Nobody falls off a cliff. We slide. Shannon and Joy talk honestly about the slow fade that turns a life lukewarm one small compromise at a time, and about the verse Shannon says haunts her more than any other: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5).Then comes the question underneath all the others. If Jesus came back today and you didn't go with Him, would you be okay with that?This isn't an episode about shame. It's an episode about honesty, and about what becomes possible the moment you finally say out loud, "No. I'm not okay with that." Because that's when the better question shows up: Lord, what's my next step?

Ways to Connect:

Website: JourneyLivingMinistries.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Journey Living Ministries

Instagram: Journey Living Ministries

YouTube: @Journeyliving2911

Also on Spotify Apple Music iHeart Radio

Find Joy:

Website: BootCampForTheBlues.com

Facebook: JoyWareMiller - iJoyInspirations