Mile Marker Miracles

As people who have faith, should loss affect us with the same magnitude or heaviness?

A few months after my mom passed away, I did an online search for “books on faith and grief”. When Kate J. Meyer’s book “Faith Doesn’t Erase Grief” came up, I found myself clicking to buy it immediately. As I read even the first few pages of the book, not only did I know I needed to have Kate on the podcast, but it truly changed my grief journey for the better.

This conversation with Kate about the intersection of faith and grief was beautifully important and honest. Some of the questions we talk about are…

• How we can wrestle with God about the pain of loss while also still having great hope
• How we can be better in talking about the impact grief has on those who remain
• How people can integrate their grief with everyday life as more time passes
• How to anticipate grief in a healthy way
• How someone can support a grieving friend
• How to express emotion in a way that isn’t awkward or uncomfortable

This conversation truly matters for those who are walking through grief and those who haven’t had to yet. 

I also can’t recommend Kate’s book highly enough. You can get your copy HERE.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

It feels like the understatement of the century to say that a lot has happened in our world in the last 3 years, let alone the last 3 weeks.

Between a global pandemic, war in Ukraine, war in Israel and Gaza, racism, antisemitism, hurricanes and floods, wildfires, school shootings, and too many tragedies and conflicts, we have experienced a lot of collective grief. It is an awful breeding ground for increased anxiety, depression, suicide, fear, anger, loneliness, hopelessness, and division.

So how do we navigate and process this collective grief in a healthy way that does not allow us to be overtaken by it?

In this episode, we talk about 3 important practices to implement in the midst of collective grief and why they matter. These ways have been researched and chronicled by trusted psychology and grief recovery centers, and can be put into practice in each of our lives.

I will never forget the conversation where Garry, a new friend at that point, mentioned in passing “I was supposed to spend life in prison but the Lord saved me”. My whole brain froze and I immediately knew this full story needed to be recorded for the podcast. 

… and it did NOT disappoint. 

If you want a story about incredible redemption and the Lord reaching someone who others may write off as too far gone, THIS is it.

Garry so honestly shares his story about:

• growing up in the hood
• being involved with gangs and violence
• the crimes that got him sent out of state
• meeting the Lord for the first time
• facing natural life in prison
• being saved out of jail by the Lord
• reaching out to the “young Garry” with law enforcement in a full circle way now

And by the way, I’m hearing this story for the first time along with all of you. It’s mind-blowing.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

I was recently having a conversation with a friend where she said "I just feel like I'm going throughhhhh it in every area of my life and it's so hard feel like I can actually laugh or smile". I'd imagine so many of us have been in a similar place where every area of our lives feel overloaded and like too much is happening.

Especially when those things go past simple busyness and enter in the realm of heaviness, challenges, grief, or personal or spiritual attacks, how on earth are we supposed to truly find joy?

How can we make it through each day without wanting to completely crumble by 10AM?

How do we navigate the loneliness that comes in navigating a unique loss or a unique hardship?

How can we honor a loved one in our grief?

This is an episode not just for grievers, but for anyone who feels like they just are having a difficult time knowing how to navigate a particularly difficult season. I look forward to hearing what you take out of it.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

Have you ever noticed that we don't really know how to approach talking about grief ESPECIALLY in the faith world and believer circles? We often end up sharing seemingly helpful thoughts like "well at least they aren't in pain anymore" or "we believed for healing... but she wasn't healed" or "he's serving in his highest calling as an angel now" which can often do more harm than help.

Ever since my mom passed away, I've been faced with how to bring believing in a God who heals and does miracles together with the reality that there is death and unanswered prayers in our world.

How do we continue to believe in healing when our prayers for healing weren't answered like we thought?

How the God see death?

How do we as believers get grief right... and get grief wrong?

Does death mean we weren't spiritual enough or didn't have enough faith?

How can we wrestle with God about grief?

These are just a few of the questions that I was honored to navigate in this message I gave at a conference a few months back. It was such an incredible time that I knew I needed to release the recording here for the podcast.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

This episode is a bit of a longer one however it's SO worth it! My dad has been one of the (if not THE) most requested guests to return, and this episode did not disappoint. We cover all of your questions on all of the things... and unexpectedly are left in complete hysterics toward the end!

Some of the topics we talk about are:

• how he and my mom met (and the story of the non-proposal)
• what his grief process is in mourning her death
• what the most surprising part of grief has been
• how he became an architect (and if he enjoys it)
• how to know if you've found "the one" and seeking God's will in that
• what it's like for us to live together AND work together
• what he's learned having a son with Down Syndrome

If you want more with Steve, you can listen to him on episode 4 and episode 14.

* Spoiler Alert * Rocky came out before my mom and dad's first date (if you listen, you'll know)

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

You can take the girl out of the teacher, but you can't take the teacher out of the girl. So let's take it back to the classroom (figuratively) and go through a few grief lessons.

One of the most important parts of grief for me over the last two years has been giving a full picture to others who haven't yet walked through grief about what it's like in the day to day and how they can support their grieving friends with care and intention. That's why one of the four main pillars of this podcast is "supporting your people well".

In this episode, we'll talk about:

• How to talk about grief without getting all up in your feelings
• Why grief is the best place to start processing your thoughts about life
• How to get through the future experiences that you're currently dreading
• Why the phrase "they’re always with you" is fully accurate and wildly inaccurate all at once
• How to super practically use discernment to help instead of hurt

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

How do you get yourself to a place of rest and peace that overrides the stress and trials... even when the stress and trials don't go away?

When you're in deep grief, how can you find gratitude?

When you're battling depression, is it possible to walk in joy?

Does thinking positively actually make a difference?

What does stress add to your life?

Should you rely on counselors or therapists?

That's what this episode is all about.

In this episode, I share 5 super applicable steps for you can walk in goodness even as you're deep in a valley.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

I'd put this episode in my top 3 most important episodes that I've ever recorded.

When our mom passed away in June 2021 from cancer, it became on my deepest priorities to care for my brother Josh as he grieved.

- How could I keep our mom's legacy and memory tangible and alive in him?

- What did he need as an outlet for his grief given his unique way of thinking?

- Would his Down Syndrome diagnosis make his grief different from the rest of us?

- How could I as his sister jump into the role of caretaker?

I'm so grateful that we've landed in a really good rhythm and I hope that, if you're in a similar situation in any sense, you'll be able to gleam some encouragement and inspiration from our story.

Some topics that I talk about are:

- finding a counselor who works with adults with disabilities

- involving our mom in our everyday

- keeping routines the same

- providing a maternal warmth and emotional care

- being a point of contact for conversation

- showing up and letting him know he's loved

- beginning a year of fun and excitement

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK

Vanessa and I had a conversation so good that it couldn't be cut down just to one episode. In this part 2, she chronicles the crisis she and her husband navigated as they watched the health of their much-awaited newborn baby take a turn into a life or death situation, and all that happened before and after. Whether or not you are a parent or can relate to a similar situation, she shares so much for all of us about processing trauma, supporting others in their time of need, and walking in spiritual authority.

Our conversation includes:

• The emotional roller-coaster and isolation in having a miscarriage
• Fielding hurtful comments from other people who don’t know what you’re walking through
• Going through the pregnancy journey at the height of the pandemic
• Minimizing your loss or grief because you assume someone else’s situation is worse
• Walking through a life or death health crisis as an immigrant
• Aligning yourself with the Holy Spirit and taking spiritual authority over a situation
• Fostering a healthy relationship with your spouse for balance and support through trauma
• Unknowingly holding onto the heaviness, grief, and “what ifs” within your body

If you haven't yet listened to our part 1 in episode 45, I encourage you to listen before coming back to this episode.

P.S. while you're excitedly waiting for the next episode, here's some things you can do...

- Purchase my BOOK

- Shop JANE.COM

- Join my podcast EMAIL GROUP

- Check out my podcast WEBSITE

- Follow the pod on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK