Sacred Collaboration | living the life you were created to live

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Welcome to the Susan Beth Podcast - a sanctuary dedicated to fostering a purposeful life through faith. This evocative episode draws you into an intimate conversation with Susan and her daughter Alexis. Listen as they delve into Alexis' profound journey through multiple pregnancy losses and a quest for faith and resilience amidst life’s turbulent seasons.

This conversation highlights the importance of holding steadfast faith while navigating through life’s chaotic twists and turns. Discover Susan's 'She Is Awakening' journal, a wellness initiative curated to guide and support you during life's uncertain seasons. Join in this emotionally charged dialogue about female strength, faith, and motherhood, and find solace knowing that you are never alone in your struggles.

In this poignant episode, the transformational power of faith and resilience amidst heartbreak are beautifully explored. Through her own experiences, Alexis Campbell recounts how she found strength and a deeper connection with God amidst wavering seasons of life. It goes to show that despite our circumstances, we each have the power to control our responses and grow spiritually through our struggles.

The concept of expressing gratitude amidst difficulties is another powerful lesson discussed in this episode. It shows how affirming 'thank you' amid adversity can stir unexpected joy and peace, reaffirming the power of God's grace, that can truly enrich your life.

This episode culminates in an inspirational message of hope, illustrating how each challenging aspect of life fosters inevitable growth and awakening within. As you listen, draw strength from Susan and Alexis’ resilience, realizing that God's remarkable power exists even in our most challenging seasons. Whether you are currently in a bitter or abundant season of life, this episode stands as a beacon of faith, resilience, and gratitude, shedding light on the strength of the human spirit.

 

Winter Journal: - https://amzn.to/48baCCC

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Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - License Free 

Background Music Credit: Alexander Bluhttps://www.facebook.com/AlexanderBluMusic/

Get The FREE Seasonal Journal Week PDF:  https://susanbeth.com/winter-journal-freebie

 

In this episode, we delve into the concept of being "rooted." Like the root systems that provide nourishment and stability to plants, our spiritual roots play an essential role in sustaining our lives, providing nourishment, stability, and a connection to something greater.

Just as the roots of a tree delve deep into the soil, we can establish spiritual roots to ground ourselves in times of uncertainty and challenge. This spiritual foundation serves as a source of strength and resilience, nourishing our souls in times of adversity.

Drawing parallels with root systems of trees, we take a look at how spiritual roots offer anchoring and stability against life's challenges. As a tree's roots provide it stability against external forces such as wind and storms, strong spiritual roots help us navigate the storms of life with resilience.

Just like trees utilize their roots for absorbing essential nutrients and water, facilitating growth and health, our spiritual roots serve as sources of nourishment for our souls. They facilitate spiritual growth, and resilience and offer a deep, enriching experience of connection with the divine.

We also discuss how a spiritual journey marked by resilience, compassion, and purpose can emerge from being rooted. Even though such progress often goes unseen, like roots working from unseen depths, it doesn't diminish its importance.

This opens up probing questions. What is your root source? Is it life-giving and sustaining? How can you be more intentional about your spiritual roots, nurturing growth in your life? Listen on to seek answers and attain a resilient, rooted spiritual life.

Share this episode with a friend who might resonate with this message and keep showing up in the world as God purposed you also because you being you is exactly what we all need.

 

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Intro & Outro Music Credit:

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - License Free 

Background Music Credit: Alexander Bluhttps://www.facebook.com/AlexanderBluMusic/

Ending Prayer Music: Licensor's Username:https://pixabay.com/users/music_for_videos-26992513/

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Audio File Title:Relaxing

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Audio File ID:145038

Get The FREE Seasonal Journal Week PDF:  https://susanbeth.com/winter-journal-freebie

 

In this episode of the Susan Beth podcast, Susan explores a concept she calls 'holy discontent.' She invites listeners to interpret those nagging feelings of desiring something more as divine nudges, inviting them to a richer, more purposeful life. From the monotony of January to the joys of February, Susan encourages you to experience every facet of your journey deliberately. She underscores the importance of being present in every season of life and transforming unfulfilled desires into spirit-guided action.

Susan aims to debunk the misconception that we lack resources or capabilities, sharing instead that we possess everything we need to realize the lives we were designed to live. Framing signs of discontent as divine, she guides listeners toward the pursuit of a higher purpose

Exploring the connection between personal discontentment and divine calling, she takes inspiration from biblical narratives that depict temporal suffering and eternal reward, emphasizing that circumstances don't define God's power. She encourages listeners to surrender control and let God manifest the desired transformation in their lives.

Susan's ultimate objective is to create a communal space that inspires listeners to embrace and navigate their seasons of life with gracious faith and divine trust. The result is a journey that aligns hearts and minds to see heaven's traces in daily life.

 

Intro & Outro Music Credit:

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - License Free 

Background Music Credit: Alexander Bluhttps://www.facebook.com/AlexanderBluMusic/

 

Ending Prayer Music: 

Written & Produced by:Ron MorrisAmplify Life Media

Treat yourself to a free peek into the Winter Journal through a link provided in our show notes:

FREE PDF Winter Seasonal Journal

 

Welcome to the Susan Beth Podcast, a restorative space for intentional living where we unearth the divine desires and purposes within us. Listen to the frequent reminders of your purpose and engage in enriching conversations about trust, faith, and the whispers of the Divine.

In today's episode, we're examining the severe trials of the wintery, harsh seasons of our lives and how they can lead us to depth, growth, and change. Winter seasons might sometimes make us feel exposed and desolate, but these are valuable opportunities for us to find the healing and wholeness that emanates from humility and surrender.

Walk through the weekly Journal prompts around our vulnerability, pride, and the desire to mask our pains and weaknesses. With questions aimed at being vulnerable with God and those closest to you. Engage in the healing process that leads to the ultimate freedom of being naked and not ashamed, as reflected in Psalm 51:17.

We close with a heart-warming prayer that acknowledges the beauty and strength that comes from walking through winter seasons hand in hand with God.

Finding this episode enriching? Share the love by forwarding it to a friend. Keep showing up and being yourself, because that's exactly what the world needs more of.

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In the last episode which was our Sunday episode that runs parallel with the weekly focus from the She is Awakening Seasonal Journal the weekly focus was Solitude. And I mentioned wanting to continue some of the thoughts started there in this week's episode that you are listening to now :)

 

In case you haven’t listened to that episode yet I’ll recap on a few things but you can go back and listen to that episode later.

 

Solitude can be an intimidating even scary word for some of us.

 

But as complicated as the word might sound to us…

 solitude is simply where we show up with God simply as ourselves

 

That’s it. Pure and simple.

A sacred space for us and our God

 

I shared how I think solitude has become a foreign and intimidating idea for us because we live in a culture that is addicted to noise. Our lives are filled with one distraction after another.  We have the world in our fingerprints. At any moment we can reach out to a friend across the world or be made aware of the latest news of the moment.

 

It’s a gift AND it’s a lot!!!

 

It’s a gift in that we can stay connected to people in a way that was never possible before, but it’s a lot in that we weren’t designed to have constant stimulation and dopamine hits… and it’s addicting. It literally changes our brains.

 

Because of the opportunity we all have for constant distractions, we are the ones who have to be intentional about how we want to live.  

How many of you have found yourself opening apps on your phone without any known thought that you want to once again check any email updates or see any latest posts on social? We mindlessly do these things because we’ve done it so often that it's a natural impulse and response within us.  It’s scary but no one is going to take our phones from our hands. It’s something we must intentionally make a choice to do. And when I started trying to intentionally not be so connected to a device in my hand. I found I had to take baby steps… walk downstairs and leave my phone upstairs.

 

This past week I shared a screenshot in my stories of my “weekly report” that pops up on my phone each week informing me of the hours spent on this little device. It informed me that my screen time was down 53% in the past week. So I was asking if anyone else feels like they’ve failed when they get the message of a lower percentage for the week haha I think it’s just how it’s worded that it always makes me feel like it is a negative which is really funny since it’s actually a positive and usually intentional.

 

But it doesn’t just happen…we have to be intentional about changing our relationship with our phones or continue being led by its influence and impact in our lives and the way we think.

our instinct is to reach out to someone …something … 

to ease our discomfort of being alone or give us the answer to the question

 

when I think we all know the real answer to that scenario

 

anything we reach for to ease any pain or discomfort in our lives is only a temporary fix

 

this looks different for each of us…

it can be shopping, pornography, or a bag of cookies… it looks different, but the roots are all the same. 

 

we do the same with people and there’s nothing wrong with processing but even with that, I think we can push it just like sharing personal details about someone else life in the name of concern or we need to be praying for them.

 

How about we use the oxygen and energy we just used to personally do just that?

 

Because here’s what I’ve found when I do that FIRST, I don’t find the need to share it with someone else!

 

We all have this desire to connect and express our needs and desires 

we just need to keep that in order

 

And sometimes we do need to have a conversation with someone else about I’ve found that after ‘processing it with Holy Spir

Winter Journal: - https://amzn.to/48baCCC

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This week’s focus from the Winter Journal is SOLITUDE.

 

Solitude can be an intimidating even scary word for some of us.  I will admit for many years solitude was definitely not something I ran towards.

 

What comes to your mind when you hear the word solitude?

 

Are they words or thoughts that sound inviting to you or dreadful??

 

I think deep inside each of us we actually crave and long for solitude. It’s woven into the fabric of who we are. 

 

As complicated as the word might feel to us…

Simply put, solitude is where we show with God simply as ourselves

 

That’s it. Pure and simple.

A sacred space for us and our God

 

I think solitude has become a foreign and intimidating idea for us because we live in a culture that is addicted to noise. Our lives are filled with one distraction after another.  We have the world in our fingerprints. At any moment we can reach out to a friend across the world or be made aware of the latest news of the moment.

 

It’s a gift AND it’s a lot!!!

 

It’s a gift in that we can stay connected to people in a way that was never possible before, but it’s a lot in that we weren’t designed to have constant stimulation and dopamine hits… and it’s addicting. It literally changes our brains.

 

I talk more about this in this week’s episode that comes out Thursday but I want to keep the Sunday episodes shorter with eyes and hearts on the Weekly focus from the seasonal journal.

 

Because of the opportunity we all have for constant distractions, we are the ones who have to be intentional about how we want to live.  

 

Are we going to be intentional about creating space for connection with God or are we doing to as I mentioned in the last episode stay on the endless illusion of “one day”  one day when things slow down

 

Scripture pretty much gives us the instruction on this idea of “one day”

 

And says to us…Choose today who you are going to surrender your life to..(my paraphrase ;)

 

I’ve lived and still am so believe me I get that it’s a daily practice of getting comfortable with BEING instead of DOING.

 

And I honestly don’t know how you do it without this special gift of Solitude.

 

This sacred space is where our spirit and God’s spirit dwell together. A space where we not only come to experience and know God on a deeper level but know ourselves on a deeper level as well.

 

Our true selves. Not the doing self that was only comfortable and worthy when doing something but the self that experienced perfect love in being who our God created and uniquely designed us to be.

 

Solitude is an invitation to stop all the doing and just be…

Be in God’s presence

Being still and knowing he is God.

 

I pray you say yes 

Happy new week friend!

 

Credits

 

Intro & Outro Music Credit:

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - License Free 

Background Music Credit: Alexander Bluhttps://www.facebook.com/AlexanderBluMusic/

Ending Prayer Music: Licensor's Username:https://pixabay.com/users/music_for_videos-26992513/

Licensee:amplifylifemedia

Audio File Title:Relaxing

Audio File URL:https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-relaxing-145038/

Audio File ID:145038

Episode Links

 

Winter Journal: - https://amzn.to/48baCCC

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Here we are halfway through the first month of the new year.

 

For a long time movement and moving forward has been applauded in Western Culture.  Bigger faster better has been a common goal for many. But for many, the tide is shifting. The lure of bigger faster better is being replaced with deeper, slower, and purer. 

 

We have seen evidence over and over again that bigger isn’t always better.

Often in our mindset shifting around something we can swing to the other extreme and pick which side we are on. Are we team hustle and achievement or team minimalist and chill?

 

Personally, I’m a both and girl.  I’ve def always been passionate about the things I care deeply about which leads me to action but through the years I’ve grown and I’m continuing to grow in confident action that comes from surrendered stillness.

 

That’s me… and I know we are all wired differently so how you live might and should look like you.

 

Even you getting still… The outflow of our connection and relationship with God will look different. As well as how the connection takes place. The important thing is that you and I do connect with our Creator.

 

I would love to invite you today to let go of any preconceived ideas you have about what that should look like. And I know that’s hard because you can’t unload years of programming in an instant. But I would love for you to just open your heart and mind to the possibility that there might be ways God wants to connect and speak to you that you have yet to discover.

 

God is God and can and does speak to us however and whenever he chooses. We get a glimpse of a multitude of ways as we read through scripture. We see God speak through dreams and burning bushes... evidence that he will meet us where we are. 

 

In each and every season of our lives. God is at work in and around us. 

 

I think in some seasons we put God on hold. I mean we might not come right out and say that but our actions say that. We might be in a busy season so we keep running full steam ahead thinking one day… when things slow down I’ll spend more time with God. Or we might be in a really hard demanding season that is sucking the life out of us and we feel depleted and don’t feel like we have the energy for relationships… including God so we think of a future season where we envision easier days to be more intentionally in our relationship with God.

 

I get it. Life can keep us feeling like we are on an endless loop, and we can fall for the lie that we don’t have time now and the illusion of “one day”

 

So how do you get still when nothing is still around you?

 

Different seasons demand different things from us. AND different seasons gift different graces to us. 

 

I can remember being at home all day with young children and my soul desperately longing for connection with God and another adult ha! And I would experience many moments of frustration trying to navigate what I felt I desired and how to make that work. I finally realized life had changed for me and I was in a different season so things that had previously worked probably weren’t going to work in the same way and would probably look different. 

 

When I quit trying to force something to look like it had looked in previous years, maybe I wouldn’t have long stretches to read or talk in person with a friend over coffee. But I could grab moments all throughout the day to fill my spirit and soul with what I was longing for.

 

I had to let go of the idea that spending time with God had to look a certain way. That the spirit of God could speak to me as powerfully while I’m working through a sink full of dishes as he could at a church altar. 

Don’t allow your circumstances to lie to you and convince you that God can’t meet you right where you are.

 

Maybe you are in a seas

Hey Hey, thanks for being here. I mean that from my heart.  I never want to take for granted you being here. It’s truly a gift in my life so I continue to be sincerely grateful that you continue to show up here each week. I wanted to catch you up on a few things… The start of a new year has brought some changes for the podcast. Firstly, we’ve decided to make a change to the podcast name. Depending on what platform you listen on you might have noticed that instead of saying the She Is Podcast with Susan Beth it just says the Susan Beth Podcast. Apple typically takes a while to update and last time I checked it was still showing the previous title cover. But it had been brought to my attention that my calling the podcast SHE IS could be limiting to men who have tuned in and enjoyed the podcast and to those who wouldn’t ever listen because of the name of the podcast and assume it only applies to women. Obviously, I'm going to speak and attract more of who I am but I listen to as many men as I do women and I know I’m going to want to include men as well as women as guests on the show as well. I will continue using She Is as I have been for almost a decade for many of the other products and projects.  And we’ll see how the podcast name change feels and either stay with it …or change it back 😀

 

Secondly, we will start back with our monthly conversation with a quest next month as I wanted to use these next few weeks to process the start of a new calendar year together as we walk through Winter.

 

I was having a conversation with my husband Ron a few days ago and we were talking about pivots in life and I so much related to what he was sharing and how much freedom I found when I realized there would be layers of iteration as I put my hands to what is in my heart.  Even though I’ve always been open to change and moving towards new things there was still a twinge of how the change would be received by others. Would they love or hate the change… would they perceive the change of direction as a failure?  And after hearing a few people talk about this concept of iteration years ago I could see clearly that’s what was happening in my life and that it was part of the process. And for me not to continually tweak and make changes would keep me stuck and not only would I be stuck but I would be stuck inside something that didn’t fit anymore. 

And I’ve talked about this before but sometimes you don’t even know what fits or doesn’t until you try it. I mean how many of you have seen a particular style of clothing or even a hairstyle that you love and you try it and you’re like NOPE not me… but you had to try it on to get that information and come to that realization.

 

I mentioned to Ron in that same conversation how looking back on different things I’ve done Podcasting would not be the thing that I would have thought I would still be doing all these years later.  I only started recording short audios for a membership community I had started years ago. Over time I realized without a team to help with all the tech involved with not only creating the content but transferring it to a platform which almost a decade ago was a lot more difficult than it is today. Was stifling the natural flow of creativity as I was spending a lot of time figuring systems out and recruiting help from others in between their work responsibilities. 

 

But through creating the membership I realized the parts of it that were important to me that felt important to continue to put my hand to and time into.

 

and I will admit it would have been easy for me to have continued with the membership in many ways but I’ve learned as much as it is about stepping out and trying it’s also a balance of not holding on to what is not for you.

 

A lot of the energy around heading into a new year is found in goal setting and taking on new challenges to check off. Which isn’t necessarily the spirit we find in a Winter season.  A winter season invites us to slower, more reflective

Happy 1st Sunday of 2024 friend!  I hope you have been easing back into whatever normal life looks like for you this past week. And if you're still “easing” that’s perfectly fine too.

 

The weekly focus from the Winter Journal that we are going looking at this week is called “when it all falls away”

 

This focus isn’t completely new to this season as allowing things to fall away in our lives was a foundational focus as we walked through the season of Autumn. 

 

But the twist is a little different as we process the reality of what this means as we walk through a Winter season.

 

The falling away of things in our life can look different for each of us. For some, the falling away has been relational. For some, it has been vocations that involved where you lived life.  Each of us has walked and maybe even currently walking through change and loss.

 

As much as we would love to avoid this process it is part of living in this world. 

 

The natural falling away process in an Autumn season of our lives can leave us feeling vulnerable and uncovered as we enter a Winter season.

And that vulnerability may cause us to feel hidden in plain sight. Meaning we have experienced change. Some of that change is obvious the majority not so much. So we can stand in a crowded room full of people who assume to know us well and not truly be seen.

 

And in a Winter season that is ok and to be expected. Winters are a sacred time to go deep into healing. An invitation to being securely seen. Held and healed.

 

I love these words found in Psalm 34:18 “If your heart is broken you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.”

 

There are moments when everything around you has fallen away. And the sting of winter is cold. That words and opinions of those around you as well intentioned as they might be cannot heal your heart.

 

Those around us can be a help and blessing but they can’t ultimately help us catch our breath because they aren’t the one that is the originator of our breath.

 

That’s the hidden beauty of a winter season…the life-giving breath breathed into us by God as we allow him to cover and shield us from the brutality of the season.

 

I would love to remind you today that you aren’t defined by a Winter season. We are refined.

 

When we are kicked in the gut or everything has fallen away it isn’t the end….it’s the beginning of another layer in our lives.

Have a beautiful week friend.

 

*****Credit*****

Winter Journal: - https://amzn.to/48baCCC

Instagram: https://bit.ly/SusanBethInstagram

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/SusanBethPinterest

The SHE IS Podcast: https://susanbeth.com/thesheispodcast

 

 

Intro & Outro Music Credit:

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com - License Free 

Background Music Credit: Alexander Bluhttps://www.facebook.com/AlexanderBluMusic/

Ending Prayer Music: Licensor's Username:https://pixabay.com/users/music_for_videos-26992513/

Licensee:amplifylifemedia

Audio File Title:Relaxing

Audio File URL:https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-relaxing-145038/

Audio File ID:145038

Happy New Year. It’s our first episode in the new year and I’m so grateful you are here.

 

A few months ago I did an episode talking about some things we could be intentional about as we headed into a season filled with extra activities and celebrations. Lots of expectations and traditions wrapped up in the middle of it all and it can be a lot. I’m pretty sure the intention I started out with in that episode was expectations and emphasized the importance of holding our expectations loosely. Keeping our focus on what really matters and being flexible with everything else.

 

Have I ( as I’m sure many of you have as well) had the opportunity to stand in this intention and choice? I was getting ready to give some specific plans that got changed but then realized I didn’t know that there wasn’t anything that didn’t get changed in the past 6 weeks or so. 

And yet because I continued to surrender my expectations and plans God’s peace surrounded my heart and mind. I saw God’s hand bring comfort healing and laughter in walking through unexpected changes of plans and extended ICU stays of close family members.

 

Another reminder is that the highlights on social don’t always convey the whole story.  It’s not being fake or trying to hide anything. Sometimes posts or podcast episodes are made and then things change and sometimes you hold close the photos of those you love in hospital gowns and feel protective of sharing in-the-moment details to anyone and everyone who follows you. 

Hopefully, today that family member is leaving the lengthy ICU stay and heading to a rehabilitation center where the supernatural healing will continue. 

Plans can be canceled and plans can be rescheduled. And love and faithfulness can be walked out through it all.

 

I had several thoughts in my mind the last week as we were walking out of a calendar year and into a new one.

 

And the past few years I have noticed how differently I move into a new year. I still feel the excitement of welcoming a new year … but I don’t feel the pressure or urge to goal set and plan. And again I love those things. But I find myself not hurrying to take down the Christmas decorations and I’m finding so much joy in lingering in season.

So even though I have seen this change and recognized it in me it wasn’t until the end of this year that I think I know what shifted the experience for me.

I’ll share more about that in a minute but I first wanted to share an experience I had the morning of the last day of the year.

 

You know I love seeing the sunrise in the morning.  And this is something I do most mornings. And maybe once a week or so I will go to a favorite spot to take it in. I especially like to do this on special days. I typically drive out to the beach on my birthday. Even though I’m not what they would call a beach bum and don’t go that often to the beach during the day. I was born in July in South Florida and so something about watching the sunrise at the beach with my feet in the sand feels right to me. And I’m not driving to Miami where I was born for those of you listening who don’t know I live in North Florida and get to beach access within 20 minutes. So that’s handy HA!

 

So a few days ago instead of walking outside of my house or down the street, I decided I would go to one of my favorite spots Which happens to overlook the St Johns River that runs through our city to watch the sun rise on the last day of the year.

 

Watching the sunrise has become something I absolutely love and long for these days

 

This is why something I noticed within me surprised me and caused me to ask myself some questions…

 

You might already know this but it’s something I wasn’t aware of until I started walking or watching the sunrise.  The sky appears lighter as it is rising but it is still some time before you can actually witness the light breaking through and fully appearing. I mean I”m sure I learned that at some point but yet another thing I didn’t retain ;)

 

The reason I’