Let's Talk

Most people have trouble saying "no," and Christians may have an even tougher time because we worry we are being selfish. But because we are finite beings, we have to place limits on our time and relationships. Even Jesus, who was God incarnate, had boundaries; he walked away from the crowds that were thronging to him to be healed in order to spend time with his Father. (see Luke 5:15–16).

On this episode of Let's Talk, Jackie Hill Perry, Jasmine Holmes, and Melissa Kruger talk about boundaries. According to Jasmine, "Boundaries are what enable us to serve God to the utmost of our ability by prioritizing the mission that he's given us on this earth." We shouldn't make boundaries out of laziness or the desire to avoid what is difficult. Jackie says, "I need to interrogate if I'm setting up a boundary because it's the wise thing to do or if I'm using it as an excuse to preserve my own comforts."

A key piece of determining where to set God-honoring boundaries is to remember that we are ultimately called to serve and glorify God, not other people. Of course, we should serve people, but that doesn't mean we should always do what they want us to, especially if it conflicts with the priorities God has placed on our life. 

Related content:

• Why Freedom Needs Boundaries
• When a Friendship Becomes Co-Dependent
• How to Know When to Say No
• Let’s Talk: People Pleasing

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Work has existed from the time of creation when "The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). Once sin entered the world, we still had to work, but it became much, much harder (Gen. 3:17–19). Work can be a subject filled with angst. Some people love their work. Some make work an idol, while others work simply because they need to put food on the table.

On this first episode of season 3 of Let's Talk, Jackie, Jasmine, and Melissa talk about how to think rightly about work. "There are real thorns and thistles with all of our work, even if it's not physical ones," Melissa says. Whether it's just we're tired or we're overworked. There are all these things that, I think, in perfection wouldn't have been true." Yet in spite of these thorns and thistles, we can still experience God-given purpose in work as we steward the opportunities God has given us.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

Related Resources:

• Faith and Work (TGC Course)
• What Are You Called to Do? A Theology of Work (4-part series of articles)
• 4 Ways to Better Engage Women in the Workplace

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Let's Talk, hosted by Jackie Hill Perry, Melissa Kruger, and Jasmine Holmes, is a podcast for women from The Gospel Coalition. Over the next nine weeks, Jackie, Jasmine, and Melissa will talk about how we can apply biblical wisdom to everyday life. They'll talk candidly about work, boundaries, race, shame, and much more.  

Tune in to season three, episode one on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, and subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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Welcome to a preview special edition of Gospelbound and Let’s Talk. Join Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger, hosts of Gospelbound and the Let’s Talk podcast as they discuss a bonus season-end episode of these two TGC podcasts, which launched in 2020. 

To listen to this entire hour-long episode featuring the top 10 Theology Stories of 2021, head over to the Gospel Bound podcast.

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In this episode of Let's Talk, recorded live at TGC's 2021 women's conference, Jackie Hill Perry, Jasmine Holmes, and Melissa Kruger discuss the importance of practicing spiritual disciplines, even in life's busiest seasons. They talk about what spiritual disciplines are and why we shouldn't see them simply as boxes to be checked. They consider how to identify idols that might keep us from time with the Lord, and they point out the warning signs that you're too busy for your own good.

Mentioned in this podcast:

• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life  by Donald Whitney
• Five Things to Pray for Your Children
• Dwell Scripture Listening App

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"I'm defined by what I do."

"I should be able to do it all."

"I have to be married and have kids for my life to matter."

"Women don't need theology."

These are some of the lies Christian women (or men) may be tempted to believe. On this episode of Let's Talk, Melissa Kruger, Jackie Hill Perry, and Jasmine Holmes unpack why we find these lies compelling as well as why we shouldn't believe them. Jasmine points out that a way to combat lies is to follow the example of Mary, sister of Lazarus, by "choosing the better portion," to sit at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42). We do that by reading and believing his Word.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

Related content:

• 5 Lies About Your Body
• 5 Misconceptions About Singleness
• 5 Lies Christians Tell About Money
• 3 Reasons Women Need Good Theology
• TGC Q&A: What Does God Say to Those Who Struggle with Body Image?

This season of Let’s Talk is sponsored by RTS Global, the online program at Reformed Theological Seminary. Learn more at rts.edu/online.

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Most people either hate conflict or (secretly) love it. Both can cause problems, and conflict avoidance isn't always the most godly path.

On this episode of Let's Talk, Jackie Hill Perry, Melissa Kruger, and Jasmine Holmes talk about their own relationships with conflict. While none of them is naturally confrontational, Melissa points out that Jesus had a lot of conflict. Jackie says that she used to avoid conflict at all costs before she realized, "there is a beauty and an obligation, for the sake of love, to engage in certain conflicts." 

Conflicts can reveal attitudes in our hearts that we aren't aware of. It was through conflict that Jackie realized her love for God was integrally connected to how she loves her neighbor: "How I was loving people who I was in conflict with revealed a lot about my heart for Jesus. I don't have the freedom, or the authority, or the right to not love you."

Listen to this discussion with an open mind, and let the Holy Spirit reveal and sanctify your attitude toward conflict.

This season of Let’s Talk is sponsored by RTS Global, the online program at Reformed Theological Seminary. Learn more at rts.edu/online.

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Melissa Kruger, Jasmine Holmes, and Jackie Hill Perry all come from different church backgrounds with different views of spiritual gifts. Yet when they talk about this sometimes contentious subject, they find a lot to agree about. Scripture teaches that unless we exercise spiritual gifts in love, they are worthless. And when we truly understand God's design for the body of Christ, we won't be threatened by others' giftedness.

On this episode of Let's Talk, our hosts discuss whether spiritual gifts are tied to natural giftedness or whether they only show up only after conversion. They talk about how to discover spiritual gifts and whether we should use spiritual gift "tests" or inventories.

Related Content:

• A Compilation of Resources on Spiritual Gifts
• How (Not) to Discover Your Spiritual Gifts
• The Gift of Prophecy
• Can Any Christian Learn How to Do Miracles?

Favorite Music Mentioned in this Episode:

• City Alight
• Trust in You by Antoine Bradford
• Be Held by Christy Nockels
• Intercession by Tasha Cobbs Leonard

This season of Let’s Talk is sponsored by RTS Global, the online program at Reformed Theological Seminary. Learn more at rts.edu/online.

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Sometimes, when a person starts to understand Reformed theology and the sovereignty of God for the first time, it can confuse her prayer life. We wonder, if God has already determined what is going to happen, why pray? Yet God's Word commands us to pray! The Bible clearly doesn't see a contradiction between God's absolute sovereignty and the fact that he works through our prayers.

In this episode of Let's Talk, Jackie Hill Perry, Jasmine Holmes, and Melissa Kruger talk about why we don't pray sometimes, and why we should. Jackie points out that Jesus, who knew God better than anyone else, was very, very prayerful. Prayer draws us close to God, even when he says "no" to something we ask for. Melissa says, "Being a parent has taught me I'd rather say 'yes' to my kids. I would rather do that most of the time. And when I say no, it's typically for their good. It's because I don't want them to get hurt. I see things they can't see. And so the nice thing about the Lord is He sees things we can't see."

This season of Let’s Talk is sponsored by RTS Global, the online program at Reformed Theological Seminary. Learn more at rts.edu/online.

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"Judgmental" is a negative descriptor in our culture, but the same culture holds some values so deeply that it "cancels" anyone who disregards them. And while cancel culture can bring great harm, it's existence points to the fact that not all judgment is bad. Jasmine Holmes says, "Even in our culture that is not a largely Christian culture, we understand that to judge is to protect. We want to make a judgment about people who are putting others in danger. We want to make a judgment about people who are victimizing others."

In this episode of Let's Talk, Jasmine Holmes, Jackie Hill Perry, and Melissa Kruger talk about the confusion around a biblical view of judgment. They discuss the questions of when it's right and when it's wrong to judge others, and whether it's possible to make right judgments with the wrong heart attitude. They talk about the difference in judging those inside the church and out. Ultimately, the gospel and our own need for grace must inform how and why we judge other people.

Related Resources

• Judge People! (Like Jesus Did)
• Here’s to a Judgment-Free Year?
• You Want a God of Judgment

This season of Let’s Talk is sponsored by RTS Global, the online program at Reformed Theological Seminary. Learn more at rts.edu/online.

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