Oh, Good Grief | The Podcast with Joy McMillan

In Part 2 of their conversation, Joy and Joe reflect on 23 years of marriage and the seasons that have tested, shaped, and deepened their relationship. From extending compassion when we're hurting to staying connected to Jesus and letting our people walk alongside us, they talk honestly about what it means to keep showing up when life doesn't go as planned.

This isn't a conversation from a couple who has it all figured out. It's about two people still learning, still growing, and still discovering the faithfulness of God in the middle of the mess.

Continuing to draw from the FLOURISH marriage retreat material they've developed together, they share another four of the practices that help couples grow together: Compassionate, Contemplate, Congregate, and Consecrate.

You don't have to build something beautiful overnight. Keep laying bricks. Keep planting seeds. Keep tending the soil, and trust God that it's growing.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman.

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Connect with Joy:

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Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

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Twenty-three years of marriage. A whole lot of laughter, a few unexpected turns, and plenty of growing along the way.

In Part 1 of this special anniversary episode, Joy is joined by her husband, Joe, for an honest, funny, faith-filled conversation about what it takes to build a marriage that flourishes. Drawing from the FLOURISH marriage retreat material they've developed together, they share four of the practices that help couples grow together: Captivate, Cultivate, Collaborate, and Celebrate.

From breaking unhealthy family patterns and tending to our own hearts to learning to work as a team, lean into community, and keep laughing through the hard seasons, Joy and Joe reflect on what 23 years have taught them about love, faith, and intentionality.

Because flourishing isn't about having a perfect marriage or a life without hardship. It's about continuing to show up, grow, and trust God in the middle of the mess.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Nothing New (I Do) by Brandon Lake.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

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You are loved.

What if, even when nothing seems to be changing, God is still moving - through the people He places around you, through unexpected moments of comfort, through strength you didn't know you had, and through a presence you may not recognize until you look back?

In this episode of Oh, Good Grief, I sit down with Angela Wojda, a wife, mom, daughter, sister, business owner, heart-transplant and kidney-transplant recipient, and woman who has spent much of her life learning what it means to trust God in the middle of circumstances she could not control.

If you're sitting in a waiting room of your own right now - waiting for healing, a relationship, a job, an answer, a diagnosis, reconciliation, or simply for the next thing to become clear - Angela's encouragement is simple:

Open your heart. Let God love you. Let Him comfort you.

And remember that whatever the next season holds, He will be there.

The waiting room is not empty.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Come to the Table by Sidewalk Prophets.

Scriptures: "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Referenced in this episode: The Chosen TV series, Pizza Sam's in Midland, Michigan

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Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

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Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

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What if the place you keep calling a detour is actually part of the story?

Paul was headed to Rome. He had a God-given destination, a divine assignment, and a promise that he would get there.

And then… a storm. And a shipwreck.

He lands on an island he never intended to visit.

Malta.

It wasn't Rome. It wasn't the destination. And it certainly wasn't part of Paul's plan.

But Paul didn't spend three months on Malta wishing he were somewhere else.

He made Malta matter.

And maybe that's our invitation, too.

Don't waste the waiting.
Don't waste the detour.
Don't waste the season you didn't choose.
Don't waste the place that feels like an interruption.

Because God is not only present at the destination.

He's very present on Malta, too.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: I Made It by Cain.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

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In this episode of Oh, Good Grief, we're picking up where we left off with Leah Harvey. This half of our conversation goes even deeper into what it means to live with unanswered prayer without allowing disappointment to have the final word.

We talk about the restoration of all things, the hope of eternity, and why some of our deepest longings may actually point us toward the One who made us.

This is a conversation about hope when the ending isn't known yet, learning to look for treasure in the middle of the journey, and trusting that God will be our future and our past.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Future/Past by John Mark McMillan.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

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In this first half of my conversation with the lovely Leah Harvey, she opens up about the long journey of infertility that she and her husband have walked through, and what it has meant to trust God when a prayer doesn't get answered the way you hoped it would.

We talk about grief, the church's sometimes uncomfortable relationship with suffering, the temptation to put a tidy Bible verse over an untidy wound, and the importance of being willing to ask honest questions of God.

Leah shares what it has looked like to surrender her desire for children - not as resignation, but as an ongoing choice to trust God with what she cannot control.

And perhaps most beautifully, she talks about learning to hold two things at the same time: God is good, and God doesn't always give us the good things we ask Him for.

This isn't a conversation about having all the answers.

It's about learning to trust the One who does.

Playlist:

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Defender.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠ code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

Subscribe + review to help others find this space.

You are loved.

What if the goal of the Enneagram isn't to become a different type, but to become more fully yourself?

As we close this Enneagram Summer Series, we take a step back and look at the bigger picture: the wounds we carry, the strategies we've developed to survive, and the lies we may have learned along the way.

The Enneagram can help us become more aware and compassionate, but it isn't the destination. It's a mirror. And the invitation of the Gospel is to move from self-awareness to surrender, allowing Jesus to meet us in the places we've learned to protect.

Because God doesn't discard our differences. He redeems them.

We don't need to become more like one another. We need to become more fully who God created us to be, and learn how our unique gifts become part of the beautiful, imperfect Body of Christ.

You are not your number.

You are not your trauma.

You are not your coping strategy.

You are a beloved child of God.

And wherever you are in the journey, the invitation remains:

Keep coming home.

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This series featured the Enneagram playlist by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sleeping at Last⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

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Email: [email protected]

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What if grace has been waiting for you where perfection never could take you?

Type Ones long for goodness, integrity, and a world made right. Their desire to improve what they touch is a gift—but when excellence becomes the measure of worth, striving quietly replaces peace.

In this final episode of the nine Enneagram types, we explore the beautiful heart of the Reformer, the burden of the inner critic, the impact of trauma on perfectionism, and the Gospel invitation to lay down striving and receive grace.

Because the journey doesn't end with understanding ourselves better.

It ends with discovering that we have been deeply loved all along.

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This series will feature the Enneagram playlist by⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sleeping at Last⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

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Connect with Joy:

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Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

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You are loved.

What if the peace you've been protecting has come at the cost of your own presence?

Enneagram Nines are compassionate, steady, and deeply attuned to the needs of others. They have a remarkable ability to bring calm into chaotic spaces and help people feel seen.

But beneath that gift can be a quiet question:

"Does my presence matter?"

In this episode, we explore how trauma can teach us to disappear, minimize our needs, or avoid conflict in order to preserve connection. Together, we'll discover that biblical peace isn't about avoiding hard things—it's about becoming whole enough to remain present in the middle of them.

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This series will feature the Enneagram playlist by⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sleeping at Last⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

• Enneagram resources: simplybloom.org/enneagram

• The code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

Subscribe + review to help others find this space.

You are loved.

What if your greatest strength was never meant to become your hiding place?

Enneagram Eights are courageous, protective, and deeply committed to justice. They instinctively stand between vulnerable people and harm, often carrying more responsibility than anyone realizes.

But beneath that strength can be a quieter belief:

"If I don't protect myself, who will?"

In this episode, we explore how trauma can shape the Eight's relationship with power, anger, vulnerability, and trust. Together we'll discover that healing isn't about becoming less strong—it's about allowing strength and tenderness to coexist.

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This series will feature the Enneagram playlist by⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sleeping at Last⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

• Enneagram resources: simplybloom.org/enneagram

• The code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST

Connect with Joy:

Website: simplybloom.org

Facebook: @simplybloom

Instagram: @simplybloomjoy

Email: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you:

Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.

Subscribe + review to help others find this space.

You are loved.