LifeAudio

Have you ever wrestled with the tension of female friendships? One day it feels like a refuge, the next like a rivalry. Too often, even in the Church, women can struggle to truly trust—or even like—other women.

That’s why I was so excited to sit down with bestselling author Natalie Runion to talk about her new book, I Don’t Even Like Women. In it, Natalie flips the script on the narratives that keep us divided and reminds us that God designed friendships with other women to be life-giving, healing, and deeply purposeful.

In our conversation, Natalie shares how:

• We can dismantle the lies that distance us from one another.
  
  
• Past trauma doesn’t disqualify us from finding safe, meaningful friendships.
  
  
• Humor and honesty can free us from comparison, fear, and insecurity.
  
  
• Healthy female friendships equip us to live boldly into our God-given callings.
  
  

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered: Are women my competition or my collaborators? My rivals or my refuge? I promise you’ll walk away with hope, encouragement, and practical tools for building friendships that last.

Grateful to be on this journey of love and friendship with you,

Rachael

Read the Show Notes:

Writing - Rachael K. Adams

Support the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/

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There are few experiences more painful than relational betrayal. But what happens when that betrayal becomes public and costs you your home and faith community? That was precisely what Toni Collier experienced when she not only experienced betrayal in her marriage but the people in her church, those she heavily invested in, ghosted her during her time of pain. But despite the pain she experienced, she also encountered the grace of God through the loving support of those who knew her, saw her, and stood beside her in her season of intense pain. This experience reiterated to her the importance of finding safe and support community upon whom one can depend. This episode is for everyone who feels alone in their pain and finds themselves in desperate need of a friend. 

Resource referenced: Don't Try This Alone: How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide from Your Pain

Discussion/reflective questions:

1. What most resonated with you in this episode?
2. How easy or difficult do you find it to share your pain and struggles with others, and why is this so?
3. When have you experienced strength and comfort through others?
4. How might, or how has, allowing others to see our struggle helped you feel less alone?
5. Why might it be important to process our pain with the understanding that redemption is always on the way?
6. When and how have you seen God bring redemption from or through your pain?
7. What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

Find Toni Collier:

On her website

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YouTube

Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

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Subscribe to her free newsletter

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Could a first-century Jewish historian offer one of the most compelling extra-biblical confirmations of Jesus’ life? In this episode, Dr. Thomas Schmidt, a Yale Ph.D. and author of Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ, is here to explore the controversial Testimonium Flavianum, a passage in Josephus’ Antiquities that remarkably affirms key Christian beliefs: Jesus’ miracles, His messianic role, and even His resurrection. Dr. Schmidt challenges the traditional narrative about the passage being interpolated.

READ: Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christby T. C. Schmidt (https://a.co/d/dG4jLCW)

Download book FREE: https://josephusandjesus.com/

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Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in survivor mode — just trying to get through the day, pushing past your own needs, and wondering if joy will ever really come?
So many women believe they must wait until they’re “healed enough” or “whole enough” before joy is possible. But friend, joy isn’t the end result of healing. Joy is part of the healing.

In this episode, you’ll discover how neuroscience and Scripture show us that even the smallest joys — a laugh, a sweet moment, or something as simple as a s’more by the fire — can begin to rewire your heart from survival into belovedness.

I’ll share a tender personal story of how God used a summer evening with my kids to show me it’s never too late for joy, and how choosing joy — even in the middle of tears — is a sacred step of healing.

Key Takeaways:


Why small joys help rewire your brain out of survival mode
 How “false safety mechanisms” from trauma silence your desires — and how to break free
 Why Jesus invites you to taste joy even before you’re fully healed
 A personal story of how a simple summer night with my boys became a moment of healing joy
 A practical soul care practice to take one small joy step this week

Breath Prayer:

Inhale: Those who sow in tears 
Exhale: will reap with shouts of joy

 Scripture:
“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.” Psalm 126:6

 Join NEW Wellness Course: Breathe Joy with Jesus: Creating Happy Healthy Habits with God's Promises
  Register at mysoulcareschool.com

 → Take the FREE Soul Care Quiz at soulcarequiz.com
Get your free personal wellness assessment and learn which area of wellness you need most.

Connect with Bonnie:

  Bestselling Books by Bonnie:
https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd

  Join the Soul Care Newsletter:
https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe

  Watch Weekly YouTube Devotionals:
https://youtube.com/thebonniegray

 Follow Bonnie on Instagram & Facebook:
@thebonniegray

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Faith activates our prayers, but doubt blocks God’s power from moving in our lives. What are we to do then when doubt interrupts our prayers? In today’s episode, learn 4 common doubts we all face when we approach God in prayer, and how to overcome each one.

Download Christina's Free 5-Day Prayer Guide to help you put into practice the powerful habit of prayer.

Take the Prayer Personality Quiz to learn how you best Hear from God and communicate with Him: https://www.prayquiz.com.

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA:

Go to her site, www.belovedwomen.org, and study the Bible with her in the Beloved Women app available in the Apple and Google Play stores, where she invites busy women to fill up on God’s love and truth through online Bible study, practical Christian living, and authentic womanhood. https://www.belovedwomen.org/join/

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Scriptures are taken from ESV.

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What if your deepest pain was actually planting seeds for the spiritual fruit your family needs most?

Every Christian parent walks through seasons of hardship and heartache, moments that feel like a “dark night of the soul.” But why does God allow these painful, confusing valleys? And—more importantly—what is He growing in us through them?

In this solo episode of Christian Parent/Crazy World, host Catherine pulls back the curtain on her own current season of struggle: holding down the fort as her husband works in another state, navigating loneliness, and wrestling with God’s timing and plans. But this isn’t just about surviving difficulty—it’s about discovering what God is accomplishing in the midst of it. Catherine reminds listeners that these hard, unchosen seasons are not evidence of God’s absence, but fertile ground for His deepest growth.

Key Insights and Takeaways:

• Gifts vs. Fruit: Catherine draws on a striking analogy from a recent sermon—how, in the Old Testament, priests wore alternating gold bells (gifts) and pomegranates (fruit) on their robes. Just as gifts and fruit were literally woven together, so too must our talents be balanced with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
• How is Spiritual Fruit Grown? Unlike our natural gifts, spiritual fruit isn’t something we’re born with or can develop by sheer will—it’s birthed in intimacy with God, often in the hardest and most uncomfortable soil. As Catherine powerfully states, “The fruit of the Spirit is birthed in the opposite soil from what it reflects."
• The Soil Where Each Fruit of the Spirit Grows:
  • Love is birthed in loss
  • Joy is birthed in mourning
  • Peace is birthed in chaos
  • Patience is birthed in waiting
  • Kindness is birthed in disappointment
  • Goodness is birthed in need and injustice
  • Faithfulness is birthed in betrayal
  • Gentleness is birthed in conflict
  • Self-control is birthed in temptation
• Pain Has Purpose: Using vivid stories—from her own journey to those of friends facing life-threatening illness or unimaginable grief—Catherine assures parents that God never wastes our dark nights. These seasons prepare us, shaping our character to carry God’s gifts with humility and serving as a foundation for godly parenting in a fallen world.
• Practical Encouragement: Catherine offers heartfelt encouragement and a moving prayer for listeners enduring their own difficult seasons, reminding every Christian parent that “God is growing something in you that you will need for where He is taking you.”

Notable Moment:
Catherine shares, “Fruit is birthed in the dark night of the soul… Spiritual fruit grows in the dark, in the painful places, in the moments that push us and stretch us and sometimes crush us—because fruit is birthed in the dark night of the soul.”

Don’t miss:
This episode’s challenge to examine your own family: Are you nurturing both gifts and fruit in your parenting? Are you modeling for your children what it looks like to trust God through sorrow and uncertainty?

Call to Action:
How might your current struggles be the very soil God is using to grow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control in your home? What fruit is He birthing in your family—right now, in the dar

In this final meditation of the Fully Known, Fully Loved series, we return to the very heart of the gospel: God’s love.

Through the familiar but powerful words of John 3:16–18—read from The Message—we’re reminded that God didn’t send Jesus to accuse or condemn, but to rescue. To restore. To love.

Whether you’ve known Jesus for decades or are still exploring what faith means, this meditation invites you to slow down and let the truth of God’s extravagant love settle deeply into your soul.

In this guided Christian meditation, you’ll be invited to:
• Reflect on how you first came to know Jesus
• Thank God for the people who led you to Him
• Lift up someone you’re praying for who doesn’t yet know Christ
• Rest in the truth that you are fully known and still fully loved

Let the words of this passage remind you:
God loves you deeply, completely, and eternally.

Helpful Links:
Download your FREE companion journal for the Fully Known, Fully Loved series here
This journal includes:
• All the Scriptures for this series
• Weekly reflection prompts
• Space to record what God is revealing to you

Here are some additional helpful links:

You can find out more about me, Jodie, at http://www.jodieniznik.com/

Follow me on Instagram @jodieniznik

Follow me on Facebook @JodieGNiznik

Learn more about Scripture meditation and download a FREE Guided Scripture Meditation Journal here.

Join my Monday email newsletter here, where I send links to the newest meditation every Monday morning.

Find out more about my partner, Life Audio, at lifeaudio.com.

Download FREE sample chapters from my Bible studies here.

Meditation Passage:

John 3:16–18, The Message Translation
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

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In a world where certainty, hot takes, and strong opinions dominate, what if curiosity and humility were actually the more faithful way of following Jesus?

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan talks with pastor, theologian, and professor A. J. Swoboda about his new book, A Teachable Spirit. Together, they explore what it means to cultivate intellectual humility as a spiritual discipline and to rediscover the joy of learning—even from unexpected places and people.

You’ll learn:

• Why being teachable is central to spiritual formation.

• How to learn from unlikely voices—children, strangers, enemies, and even the dead.

• Practices for slowing down and resisting the culture of distraction and quick answers.

• How curiosity creates deeper wisdom, peace, and more gracious leadership.

Guest Bio:
A. J. Swoboda, PhD, is a pastor, theologian, and professor at Bushnell University in Eugene, Oregon, where he teaches Bible, theology, and Christian history. He is the author of several books, including Subversive Sabbath and After Doubt. He also co-hosts the “Slow Theology” podcast and is a sought-after voice on spiritual formation, rest, and resilience in today’s culture.

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. 

Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care

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Sign up for the September 40 Day Fast HERE!

In Week 5 of our 6-part Monday series walking through Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast, we're diving into Days 28–34—and this episode is full of aha moments, empowering truths, and vulnerable conversations to support your sober journey.

Whether you’re navigating emotional ups and downs, feeling disconnected from your values, or questioning what fun looks like without alcohol—this episode will meet you there.

This week covers:

‍♀️ Day 28: Renewing Your Confidence
Why alcohol isn’t the confidence booster we think it is—and how to build real confidence that sticks.

⚠️ Day 29: The Hidden Dangers of Alcohol
We unpack the truth about alcohol’s effects on the body, brain, gut, and heart—plus how knowledge leads to freedom.

Day 30: The Myth of Clean Wine
Spoiler alert: there’s no such thing. Clean wine is clever marketing, not truth.

Day 31: Redefining Fun
When chaos isn’t fun anymore—how to rediscover joy, spontaneity, and peace on your own terms.

Day 32: Filling the Gap & Embracing Emotion
Learning to sit in discomfort, feel feelings, and meet God right in the middle of it.

Day 33: Reclaiming Your Values
What matters most to you? And how has alcohol pulled you away from it? This is your call to realign.

Day 34: Rediscovering True Connection
How sobriety deepens your relationships—with God, your people, and your purpose.

Resources & Links:

Join the September 40 Day Fast
Registration is open now for the next live-coached 40 Day Alcohol Fast starting September 8! Walk through the fast in real time with coaching, community, and the support you need to finish strong.
Sign up here: https://butjesusdrankwine.myflodesk.com/septemberfast

️Past episodes mentioned:

10 Reasons Living Alcohol-Free Has Made Us More Confident

Realigning with Your Core Values with Pastor David

Order your copy of Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind

Join our community: https://butjesusdrankwine.com/community

Connect on Instagram: @butjesusdrankwine

We’re on YouTube too—come hang out!

The creators, hosts, and producers of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, psychological or professional advice nor do they intend for the podcast, any communication on behalf of BJDW or otherwise to be a substitute for such. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in any mention of and/or linked resources are those of the authors/owners of those resources and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast team or guests of the show.

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A few years back, we decided to make some updates in our kitchen.  After replacing the cabinets, floors, and appliances, it was time to paint and decorate the walls.  For a little while, we weren’t sure how we wanted the decorations to look, but then I suggested an idea to my wife that we both were in favor of.  I suggested placing a verse from Scripture on the wall that we face while we’re at the table eating.  I wanted the verse to be a powerful reminder of God’s nature, as well as His love for us and presence with us.  We agreed that Zephaniah 3:17 would be a great verse to begin and end our days reading, and that verse has been featured prominently on our kitchen wall ever since.

Zephaniah 3:17 is an encouraging verse that shines with warmth and tenderness, speaking of a God who is not distant, not indifferent, but present, mighty, and filled with joy over His redeemed people.

It’s also a verse of contrasts. Just a few lines earlier, Zephaniah was pronouncing judgment on nations steeped in rebellion. But then here, we find a picture of intimacy and delight.  We’re reminded of a God who saves, rejoices, loves, and sings. It’s a reminder that judgment is not God’s final word for His people. Redemption is.

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Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here:  https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to [email protected].

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