Midlife Repurposed

There is so much we can learn from someone else’s story! I’m excited to introduce a new project featuring the stories of 34 amazing women who have seen God at work in their lives. Hear the introduction to the book Life, Repurposed in this podcast episode.

 

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

When life feels like a crisis overload, God is still there. That’s what Grace Fox has learned from her years of trusting God through hardships. In this episode, we talked about where God has been faithful, and she shares about her new book, Finding Hope in Crisis.

In this episode, Grace Fox shared about where her second child was born while she and her husband were missionaries in Nepal. Her daughter was born with hydrocephalus and the doctors there told them they had to return to the US immediately so she could have life-saving surgery. Grace had to remain behind because the airlines refused to issue her a ticket because she was considered a medical high-risk. Imagine watching your husband board a plane with your newborn baby! 

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

Do you ever feel spiritually numb, as if you’re overloaded on crisis and you’re done with it? Does it feel as though the darkness is too much, and self-preservation is your only hope? This week, I want to talk about how we might be faith sleepwalkers when life stresses us out. Let’s flip on the light and wake up to what we might be missing.

The podcast episode began with one of my sleepwalking stories, so you’ll want to tune in on the audio to get the full effect.  

My troubles with sleepwalking and talking in my sleep started when I was a child. As an adult, the trouble shows up whenever I am under a lot of stress or when I’m wrestling with a big decision.  

Have you ever had a similar hazy feeling to sleepwalking? Not in the sense of actual sleepwalking—although you may be a kindred sleepwalker—but a spiritual sense. Have you felt as though you were groping in confusion hoping someone would turn on a light? 

When the everyday stuff consumes us and zaps our spiritual and physical energy, we become spiritually narcoleptic, dozing off without noticing exactly when it was that God faded into the background. Our conscience numbs.  

I’ve had some sleepwalking seasons spiritually. I talk about that in chapter 14 of The Repurposed and Upcycled Life if you want to read the rest of that story (see link in show notes) 

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

This week’s guest, Eric Nevins, talked about how God used his time in a call center to give him the skills he would eventually need for podcasting. He was miserable and never thought anything but a paycheck would come from that season of his life. But God had other plans.  

Eric says one thing leads to another. Each step takes us closer to where God is leading. Taking the leap from the call center to a calling was terrifying. He wondered if anyone would listen to the show. There were so many uncertainties.   

Eric said, “I did all this work. I went to school. I thought that was where you were leading me God and then nothing happened. It didn’t matter how many resumes I sent out or where I sent them. Nothing worked. I look at that now, and think that that was probably God’s provision. 

“I wrote in my journal that I thought God might have an unconventional ministry for me. And then I spent the next 15 years trying to have a what I thought was a conventional church-style ministry…He was leading me there that whole time.” 

Eric shared a quote from Biz Stone, one of the founders of Twitter. “Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.” 

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

What if saying no more often isn’t the answer? Maybe we just need a better yes. If you’re ready to say no to things that someone needs FROM you and yes to better opportunities FOR you, this is episode is for you. Stop closing the wrong doors and discover a more hopeful future.

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

Could you use a little more kindness on social media? Would you appreciate less arguing and more objectivity? Daniel Darling talks this week about how we use our words in the digital space and how we can change our own behavior to make a difference.

Dan and I talked about the biggest traps we can fall into on social media these days and how we can avoid them. We discussed navigating the digital world with grace and what that looks like in real life. We discussed the idea of sharing truth in the way that isn’t destructive or attacking.  

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

In this episode, we explore ways to change from being highly reactive into people who can cope using emotional maturity and self-control.  

I was recently watching my granddaughter as her mommy and daddy played with her. How quickly her face could change from a lit-up smile combined with a belly laugh to a pout and a whimper. It took literally seconds for her to react and change from happy to sad.

With her immature emotions, she’s naturally affected by what goes on in the room. If the adults sound happy, she plays happily on the floor, but if our tone escalates in a serious conversation her reaction, reflects that tone. Because she’s emotionally immature, she’s highly sensitive to being reactive.

While some of our responses are rooted in past emotional pain that could require the help of a therapist, I think some is just because we chose to be emotionally immature. So, let’s talk about how we can get in a better place.  

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

Kevin White found himself in a performance trap in bondage to the fear of failure. Fired from the ministry, this painful experience afforded him the freedom to live generously. He asked God to give his family food so that others could eat. In one year, they went from a family needing food to sharing food with over 500 families per month.

Has comparison kept you from fulfilling the purpose God intended for you? Do you experience highs and lows in your positive outlook based on appearance or body or image? This week, we continue from last week with talking about how to break the chains of unhealthy comparison and experience God’s best for us.

Last week, I talked with Heather Creekmore about comparison and about how she overcame a constant struggle with body image. This week, let’s continue that conversation with some thoughts about how comparison affects everyday life and how we can change our mindset.

I’m not sure we ever really get over comparison. But I’m in a better place than I was at one point. I want to share some of the dangers that I talked about in the opening chapters of my book, The Repurposed and Upcycled Life.

The dangers come when our mindset centers around our physical appearance or even our body health and not the other way around.

1. If I believe that I can only smile if I am thin, or if I have lost my joy, what happens if my body changes?


2. When I think other people have something that God forgot to give me, comparison has gone awry.


3. If I lose weight and people tell me I look great and then I gain some, or all of it, back, what do I now believe about myself? See episode 8  where I talked about how we can start to make this part of our self-worth.


4. When I long for someone else’s life, body, job, talents, success, etc. and I don’t see what I already have, this is dangerous.


5. If my insecurity about my body, my image, abilities, or anything else causes me to withdraw from participating in life or from volunteering or serving, comparison has frozen me.

Let’s look for some ways we can move past comparison to a healthy place of living out what God has designed for each of us.

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

Get to know Heather Creekmore, a writer, podcaster, and former contestant on the Netflix show Nailed It! Heather shared about how she overcame her own struggles and now encourages other women as they wrestle with body image and comparison. 

Heather Creekmore is known for being bad at decorating cakes—at least from her TV appearance on Nailed It! But she is no failure when it comes to real life. We had a conversation about how she turned body image into an idol and how she broke that down through the power of understanding who God created her to be.

 

Show notes and resources

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com