After 100 episodes and 2.5 years of Let's Be Real, it’s time to take a break. In this farewell episode, we discuss the importance of ending things intentionally and revisiting the reasons behind why something was started. This helps us create space for new beginnings.

On today’s episode we’re throwing it back to one of the earliest episodes with Aundi Kolber, licensed professional counselor and author of Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy. She has such a compassionate, gentle approach to helping people come into abundant life through healing from "big T" and "little t” traumas, and I think you’ll love this episode.

Aundi teaches us about how even "little t" traumas can accumulate and wound in a way that keeps us from staying authentic to ourselves.  How we all have a "window of tolerance" and what it means to stay within that window  Aundi walks me through a guided exercise to stay with and then release hard feelings especially in times where we feel like we can't cope. 

"the harder life is, the softer we need to be.” 

 Find out more about Aundi: Website | Instagram

Today’s episode is from the How to Study the Bible Podcast. We are kicking off a new Advent series there, looking at the women in Jesus’ lineage in a God of Our Mothers series. In Matthew 1, we get a genealogy of Jesus’ family. Genealogies are put in place because the people matter to the story, and there are several women named in his family line.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Matthew 1:1-3:

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar…”

Genesis 38 – Who Is Tamar?

1. She is not an Israelite

2. She is unwanted

3. She is mistreated

4. She is seeking justice

5. She is shrewd

(Don’t forget how Judah’s mom came to have him--also veiled and in disguise)

Genesis 38:26 is the turning point in the story. Judah confesses his unrighteousness, and we see that Tamar is brought into his family and one of her twin sons becomes part of the lineage that leads to Jesus (Perez).

WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY

After Joseph is sold into slavery, we get this graphic story in Genesis 38. We see the wickedness of Judah as a foil to Joseph’s righteousness. But eventually, we’ll see Judah take a righteous turn. First, though, he marries a Canaanite, and they have three sons. One of these sons marries Tamar.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. God colors outside the lines.

2. We are never defined by our past.

3. God sees the marginalized.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Matthew 9:10-12:

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

FREE Gift from Nicole!

Nicole has written a free Christmas Eve liturgy for you and your family:

https://www.nicoleunice.com/christmas

On today’s episode we are joined by Blaine Hogan. Blaine is an actor, artist, director and author of Untitled and Exit the Cave. Blaine shares the stories that shaped him while exploring how our relationship to our past defines how we imagine the future and live in the present.

Blaine’s Website | Book Submissions Link

Are personas, platforms, and profits hurting the church? In light of the fall of famous Christian leaders in recent years, Katelyn Beaty reexamines the relationship between church and celebrity. In her book, Celebrities for Jesus (and this episode), Katelyn explores the ways fame has reshaped the American church, explains how and why celebrity is woven into the fabric of the evangelical movement, and identifies many ways fame goes awry.

Katelyn’s Website | Book Submissions

(0:00) Intro

(3:22) Christian celebrities

(5:44) Fame vs. celebrity

(9:01) Celebrity pressures

(11:24) Dangers of marketing our faith

(14:10) Various church structures

(17:24) How to discern truth in this space

(23:42) Personal church life

(29:00) A word to Christian leaders

(31:55) What is bringing you joy right now?

We have the privilege of having Nicole Lynn Lewis on the podcast today. Nicole is a fellow William & Mary alum, but she did it with her three-month-old daughter in tow. Nicole now works every day to change the statistic that less than 2% of teen mothers will earn their degrees before age 30. Nicole has been featured on major news outlets including “Good Morning America,” CNN, “NBC Nightly News,” and The Washington Post. 

What does resilience look like? What does it look like to faithfully stay the course? Exhaustion and fatigue in leadership are so real. This episode dives into 3 key components that impact our ability to be fruitful for the long term.  

Pace (3:37) 

Purpose (9:01)

Posture (13:47)

We are joined today by Author, Life Planner, and Relationship Expert, Chanel Dokun. Chanel shares so much wisdom to help prevent women from felling like they missed out on their own life. In this episode, we will dive into daily liturgies, thriving vs. striving, life purpose, and so much more.

Get a copy of Life Starts Now

Chanel’s Website | Reclaim the Morning

Monica DiCristina is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a passion for helping individuals and couples overcome past and present unproductive patterns and establish emotional safety and connection, and we dive in to topics like emotional resilience, boundaries, and whether or not people can change.   

You can subscribe to Monica’s Newsletter Here

Today we are joined by #1 bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman, and his good friend, author, counselor, and diversity consultant, Clarence Shuler.

Many of us want to do something to improve race relations but don’t know where to start or even if we can make a difference. Cross-cultural friends for over fifty years, Gary and Clarence believe building friendships across racial and cultural lines will change lives and our country for the better forever. This belief inspired their new book, Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships, to help others develop loving friendships that challenge their perspective and enrich their lives.

This episode covers some of their friendship, what inspired them to write this book, and practical steps for cross-cultural friendships.

Gary’s Website | Clarence’s Website

Gary’s Facebook | Gary’s Twitter | Clarence’s Facebook