Today’s episode is for all those craving deep, authentic friendships but instead find themselves in the spiral of people pleasing, overthinking, and questioning why you weren’t invited to the girls’ night out last weekend.  (Been there, done that ✔️) 

 

Amy Weatherly is an author, speaker, and hilariously real advocate of deep, authentic friendships no matter the phase of life you’re walking. She chats with us about creating friendships that celebrate others, while recognizing that not every person is “your person,” and that’s totally okay.

 

I especially love her thoughts on evangelizing through queso and Diet Dr. Pepper, and ways to help our kids navigate challenging friendships. 

 

Oh, and If you aren’t following Amy Weatherly online—you’re missing out! She somehow articulates everything we’ve been feeling in a way that is hilarious, real, and vulnerable. I can’t wait for you to hear this fun and important discussion on friendships. 

 

All things Cynthia 

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What comes to mind when someone asks your feelings about church? 

• I feel like an outsider

• Life has gotten busy, and it’s hard to make time

• It’s full of hypocrisy that is sometimes hard to stomach

• Church people have hurt me more than anyone else

• I experience church at places that don’t have a big building and fancy landscapes 

• Sometimes I feel overlooked and undervalued at church

 

It doesn’t matter which answer(s) you picked, I echo your response with a heartfelt “me too.” 

 

That being said, I’m a HUGE advocate of the local church, and I can’t imagine my life without it. Every single one of those thoughts (and more) have threatened to keep me from going to the very place where I find the deepest community with other believers, and I’m encouraged to live fearlessly for Jesus. 

 

I love today’s conversation with Natalie Runion about the hard places in church that we don’t often discuss. She shares her deepest church hurt and how God keeps pursuing her with reminders to stay engaged because he redeems the hard places.  

 

Take a few minutes to listen today and then share this with anyone who needs a reminder of why church matters—even when it’s hard. 

 

P.S. - I kick off today’s show talking about the heat in Texas and my inability to “pretty sweat.” It’s really something that needs to be processed. . . so please don’t miss it.

 

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It’s summer and let’s be honest . . . . someone needs to start doing a little better job raising the kids in our house. (Or maybe that’s just the current situation in my house 😂). At some point over here we decided a swim in the pool constitutes bathing, and slushies are a food group. An intervention probably needs to be staged. 

 

Either way, in honor of the dog-days of summer parenting we’re hitting some important topics today with the much-loved Dr. Ken Wilgus. 

 

For over 30 years Dr. Ken has helped parents prepare and launch their kids into adulthood. And today we’re talking about current trends in parenting, good parenting vs. Christian parenting, and even the changing nature of our relationship with our kids as they grow up. 

 

I especially appreciate his thoughts on must-have summer conversations with our kids, and hills to die on in parenting (and the things we really need to let go). 

 

Oh, and an effort to be full-service on MESSmerized, I kick-off today’s show by breaking down some of the words you’re probably hearing in your kids’ vocabulary (and you have no idea what they mean). For example, “ris” “cap” “bussin” . . . . you get the point. 

 

All things Cynthia Yanof

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There’s some exciting news around here I’ve been waiting to share! 

 

My dear friend Heather MacFadyen and host of the very popular Don’t Mom Alone podcast has asked me to be on her show for the next six weeks. We’re doing a summer of mentorship series and the first episode is out now. We’re covering all kinds of parenting tips as well as “important topics” like the time my son put a cherry bomb exhaust system on his truck and even Heather’s texting habit that needs an intervention. Don’t miss it this summer. 

 

In honor of this fun announcement I’ve invited Heather to join us on MESSmerized today. We’re taking a deeper look at how to know if you’re in the space God has for you and how to occupy it well. Heather has a great word for us when it comes to dealing with comparison struggles, hearing God’s voice in our lives, and recognizing (and encouraging) our kids’ giftings from the earliest age. Right Where You Belong is her new book out on this topic and a must-read. 

 

I’m so grateful to each of you who listen each week. I would be grateful if you would share MESSmerized with your people. 

 

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In honor of Father’s Day, we’re talking about all things related to fathers, and we have none other than Louie Giglio joining us! 

 

If you’ve listened to me speak much over the years, you know the impact Pastor Louie has had on my faith-walk. I had the opportunity to study the Bible under him in college, and then—full circle all these years later—I've been privileged to podcast him many times. 

 

I could say so much more, but instead I’ll just give you a few of the topics you don’t want to miss from our conversation today:

• Chasing after dreams that don’t seem to make sense 

• Trusting God because he sees the entire picture (and not just today)

• Why our father’s approval is critical

• When earthly fathers disappoint, God doesn’t 

• How God continually reveals himself to us

• The most important thing about you is how you see God

 

I can’t wait for you to hear from Pastor Louie and, if I might be presumptuous, this is a great episode to share with your spouse and friends! 

 

Links:

Seeing God as a Perfect Father by Louie Giglio 

Louie’s Passion + Purpose podcast 

 All thing Cynthia Yanof and MESSmerized 

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I just got back from a mission trip with my son, and there’s a few stories that need to be told. So we’re kicking off today’s show with a few things that made me laugh, as well as things that made me think from our trip. (And if you think my take-away is going to be uber-Spiritual, sadly it’s not. But it is funny and hopefully makes your summer feel a lot more normal after hearing what’s going on with ours.)

Also, I’m sharing a few thoughts on the subculture of our family and how my husband used a tripod to kick my kids’ attitudes into high gear. 

I’m also super excited about our conversation with comedian Dustin Nickerson today.

Dustin has been on all kinds of impressive platforms as a comedian, not the least of which is being a two-time guest on James Corden. And have we talked about how much I love James Corden’s carpool karaoke? But I digress . . . 

Dustin is talking with us about growing up a redneck, raising teen boys, church subculture, and marriage. And he’s articulating everything we’re thinking, which is super funny and a much needed laugh in these dog days of summer.

Thanks for being here and I hope you’ll share MESSmerized with your friends!

 

Dustin Nickerson’s YouTube Special

All things Cynthia Yanof 

 

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Callie Nixon is with us today, and you’re going to love her. She’s a sought after speaker, vocalist, and integral part of Jennie Allen’s IF:Gathering. But even more than that, she’s just one of us. 

 

Callie is no stranger to walking the hard places in faith. And when I tell you the Lord put her in my life at the most unbelievably important time, well, it’s true. Today is a great conversation about how to hear God’s voice. 

 

We also have a very practical discussion on dipping our toes into the next steps God has for our lives (even when past struggles make us feel not “good enough”). 

I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am that you’re a part of this new adventure with MESSmerized. I would be SO grateful if you would share this show with your friends.

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Have you ever heard a story that not only captivated you, but also changed your entire philosophy on how to live this life? 

 

Other than the Bible, I had never experienced something like that until I met Darin Kinder. 

 

Darin is a Secret Service Agent for the United States who has helped protect our last five presidents. He routinely works in over 38 countries and has more stories than the hours we have in the day. But he’s also a survivor of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center where he earned a Medal of Valor for his heroic actions. 

 

I’ve had the incredible opportunity to interview hundreds of people through the years, but Darin Kinder’s account of 9/11 has single-handedly impacted me the most—which is why I knew from the second I started this podcast he HAD to be my first guest. 

 

Please trust me when I say that you don’t want to miss this conversation. I promise you’ll be challenged to do the hard things in life even when everything in you wants to back down, give-up, or walk away. His story is MESSmerizing, but more importantly, so is his God.

Links:

Darin Kinder’s Ministry

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Welcome to our first season of MESSmerized!

 

We’re kicking off this shiny new podcast with a real and humorous conversation around the ways God unsettles us in order to gently move (or shove) us into new seasons. 

 

The definition of mesmerized is “to hold the attention of someone to the exclusion of all else.”  So how do we focus on something more than our everyday struggles with approval, busyness, achievement, image, and everything else that so easily captures our hearts? 

 

That’s exactly where we are headed with today’s show and I promise you don’t want to miss it. 

 

One of my favorite quotes is by Louie Giglio: 

 

“Faith thrives in holy discontent. The greatest moments in life can often result from some of the most uncomfortable decisions. Nothing worth having comes without a cost.”

 

What uncomfortable decision is God asking you to make? 

 

Why do we say “yes” in the face of the unknown?

 

How do we stop weighing the costs and take that first step of obedience? 

 

If you’re anything like me, you’ve felt an unsettling in life that’s getting louder and louder. Let’s break it down together. 

 

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Welcome to Cynthia Yanof’s newest podcast, MESSmerized. 

 

Each week you’ll hear funny, authentic, and vulnerable conversations around everyday life, parenting, and following Jesus. A variety of guests will challenge us to pursue a life filled with the things that really do matter.

 

Cynthia Yanof is the host as well as an author, speaker, wife, and mother. She’s relatable, funny, and dead-set on never taking herself too seriously. Whatever mess you’re walking through, odds are she’s right there with you. 

 

Don’t miss a week as we dive headfirst into faith, family, and everyday ways to be MESSmerized by Jesus. 

 

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