Still hammering out how to get my podcasts recorded while working full time and doing all the family things. This episode didn't turn out too bad as far as sound. I do apologize for a few background noises! 

Also I'm trying out a new format and I think it's going to work well. Episodes that follow this format will include 1-3 parts that reflect on

1) Vocation Thoughts

2) Learning Something

3) Clinging to Scripture 

I say 1-3 because sometimes I might do an entire episode on just one of those ideas. But generally I think this approach will help me get focused and streamline things a bit (if I'm capable of such a thing).

This week...

Vocation 

What is TOO MUCH for one's schedule? What is best for my kids' schedules? Does anyone agree on this? lol I reflect. 

Learning

Reminder: You can put down some of the plates! I ran into this video the other day - LINK HERE - and she points out it's better to not try to balance all the plates but just to put some down. Smart woman! We should be encouraging each other to do this.

also

Being Lutheran podcast is my current favorite and they said something super profound the other day that I unpack in this episode. "The Christian life is assurance of salvation and the doctrine of vocation..." I love it. Find out why. 

Scripture 

Psalm 145:4-5

One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.

Wonderous works! You know like when your teenager talks to you! It's a miracle! ;) 

***

To continue the conversation: find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

*This is definitely a gender-neutral episode!*

(also, I'm back to my prior graphic; which do you like better?)

Recording a podcast in my car! You do what you have to do. The more I do this the better it will get, I promise! #soundquality 

This episode was born when I was speaking at a MOPS group recently. We started talking about how hard it is to ask for help and I realized how much this has been my experience. Then I had a lightbulb moment where I realized God made us that way on purpose. Which is not what I would have done if I were him. Actual thought:

"Wouldn't it be great if things were the way I wanted and I could do it all alone?"

Of course this is not a great idea, and so I had to do a podcast where we break this down some and look at the various aspects of asking for help and how/why it is so hard:

• Accepting help
• Prayer
• Processing aloud
• Allowing others to serve us
• Complimentary talents mean we need each other

*****

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Also if you or someone you know is a Lutheran Mom, you might be interested in finding out more about my Lutheran Moms Facebook Group! Do a search on Facebook or find out more at She Finds Truth! 

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

First podcast episode back after way too long of a break! It takes me a few minutes to get back into the swing of things (and I have to apologize for the pops and sub-par sound quality!), but eventually I find my groove. 

Catching you up to speed on why I've been gone so long and then I start in on all this grace I've found. It's been such a pleasant surprise and it really has me thinking a lot about how grace functions in this world and why. 

Links include:

• My blog post by the title "A Whole Lotta Grace." The content overlaps a little, but the podcast is a different take on things.
• Interview with author Trillia Newbell about her book God's Very Good Idea
• the magazine Fathom

Thanks so much for checking out the podcast. I am excited to be back! 

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

This week I get to share my interview with Pastor Jordan Cooper about his book Baptized Into Christ! He shares insight on a number of things including intimacy with Christ, Jesus as the example, and being holy and sinful at the same time! It's a great chat that is sure to be encouraging. 

Click here for the complete show notes at SheFindsTruth.com including where you can find the book and more details about the show. 

Thanks for listening! 

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Is theology relevant to everyday life? Of course! That's why I'm here. She Finds Truth is all about finding the truth of how Scripture applies to our lives. 

The Bible is a story about who God is and about how He created man and then man abused the order of things God had set up, but God was merciful and full of compassion and love THE ENTIRE JOURNEY. From the very beginning, He had a plan in mind for how man would be able to experience His gifts including the reason they were created which was for fellowship with GOD.

The best scenario for our lives is to have fellowship with God. And even though we are not worthy and we have repeatedly messed up this relationship from the beginning, God has pursued us through it all. He has time and time again created ways and opportunities for us to have fellowship with Him despite our sinful selves …. And that all culminates in the death and resurrection of His son who is sent to crush the head of Satan and fulfill the intentions God had from the very beginning for us.

Today when I was stressing about life, I knew I needed to rest in His Word. So I flipped through the Psalms and I landed at Psalm 61...

Psalm 61

Psalm 63

What is it I'm seeking refuge from? What is it God is offering refuge from? 

Scripture does not reveal a God who swoops in and takes away all the bad things. It shows us a God who swoops in and offers rest and protection in the midst of the battle. It shows us a God who empowers us to love and forgive others. It reveals a God whose mercy never runs out. 

What does the Christian life look like when we realize we are putting our trust in something other than God? Is this normal? Yep. I contend none of us are doing it right all the time. Most of us are doing it wrong most of the time. So we need to repent. We need to go to Scripture, prayer, and find Godly counsel. He provides us with the resources we need. Plus He just keeps on forgiving us. 

The Gospel includes all sorts of things that we don't expect. And it makes way more sense than all the things we thought we wanted. 

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

You don't have to listen to 46: My Christ and My Chaos episode before you listen to this one, but this show technically is a response to that episode. Seriously it's won't ruin the experience, but I thought I should mention it. 

The Mess

In that show, I talk about "the mess" and how it seems like a popular topic. That we are all "a mess." There's like a hot-mess spectrum now. Are you on it? I think we probably all feel like we are on it at least some of the time. But after talking about that in episode 46, I got a lot of responses and so it seemed worth re-visiting. As a listener pointed out, God isn't all about leaving messes in the world. He's about restoration and healing! 

So I talk through questions that have arisen about authenticity, problem-solving, and the specifics of what it means to be "a mess." Personally,  I find it helpful to get into the weeds and the details. I need perspective and help processing so I do benefit from talking through things. 

Even so, we have to guard against getting stuck wallowing around in the mess. What ABOUT the restoration? Is that even a part of God's promises?

The Solutions

It IS important for us to talk solutions. How are people working through their messes? What does that look like? I suspect one reason this doesn't get as much attention is because the healing process can be long and gradual and there are fewer fireworks usually. 

And how are Lutherans approaching all this? Are they looking for healing? What does Scripture say about healing and solutions in this lifetime?

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:4

Romans 12

Colossians (the whole book!)

I think there is lots of Scriptural proof that God is here all along the way - changing us on the ground in the trenches. We should be looking for restoration and healing around us. It's there. It's happening. It's real. 

The Gospel is multifaceted. But the bottom line is that the Gospel isn't dependent on our own faithfulness. It's a gift from God. 

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

Welcome to the fall 2017 season of She Finds Truth! Calling this a "season" plus I'm giving it a theme! I know. It's so much excitement. ;)

I'm going with the theme Here I Stand, which I know is kindof cliche but I can't resist. It's too appropriate for life right now. 

For those of you who don't know, 2017 is the 500 year anniversary of Luther's 99 Theses. In the show I give a brief and amateur summary of the start of the Reformation and Luther supposedly saying "Here I Stand." (He might not have actually said those words!) 

Anyway, after gushing over Luther, I bring it back to current day. It's fair to say that our world is in a time of uncertainty. Plus lots of us are carrying heavy burdens, and we need to keep grounded in the coming weeks and months. 

It’s so good to be back but honestly I have found myself putting this off. I’m not sure why but I think it’s because I wasn’t feeling like I had a good theme or something really powerful to come back with. As I say at the start of my newsletter - this is just me trying to figure things out. I don’t have many crazy awesome epiphanies. I don’t have the newest latest stunning idea that’s going to change the way Christians think about their daily lives. I don’t have all the answers. If anything I’m more aware every day of what I do not know.

But I am here. Here I stand. Because I’ve been convinced by my friends and my God and the voices in my head and my longing to connect with you, that I have a role to play. A small role, maybe just barely a role, but a role nonetheless. We all have people in our lives we are here to serve. That’s why God put us here. To serve one another. So I'll do what I can. 

In the show I share some of the shows I'm planning for this season, including an interview with Pastor Cooper about his book "Baptized Into Christ," and an in-depth look at our liturgy and why church is the way it is. I'm going to do a show about imperfect marriage, life after abuse, and then a few shows that just look at my usual struggle to stay focused on the finished work of Christ instead of myself and my failure to be faithful. 

The second half of the show is reflecting on something a friend said a while back. A few years back someone posted something about how so many people seem surprised when things in life goes wrong. But really, if we were rational and realistic, we would expect life to be hard. Scripture says life will be hard.

Do you ever find yourself caught in a pattern of thinking like this one?: "Things are going way too good these days… what is going to fall apart next?" I don't think that's a healthy or accurate view of how the universe works. I don't believe there is a formula dolling out tragedy to all of us equally. The rain falls and the sun shines on good and evil alike. We don't understand why or when. 

But we do know that God is going to work in our lives, in the midst of rain or sunshine. That He will be there in our uncertainty and our crisis. And through it all, He will hold us up. 

Here I Stand. 

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

Things are going good! 

It's weird! lol 

I talk about a blog post I published this week where I process why things are going good. There's less chaos in my head and it's somewhat confusing! Is it imposter syndrome? Is it denial? Hey! Maybe it's my antidepressants!

I have a new job and some details are shared and then I launch into the main topic which is why bloggers so often talk about how messy their lives are. What is the deal with this? Is it necessary? 

I have some theories. 

After exploring my theory, I talk about how realizing our differences and similarities is super helpful in having a healthy self-concept. Talking about the mess is part of the process. 

Also it's part of having a better understanding of our neighbors which I think is an important element to our lives. 

The HOT-MESS SPECTRUM. Does this have anything to do with personality types? I don't know but there is definitely a spectrum. What about culture? Tell me if you are more open about your life in your culture, or less open! 

The issue of sin is a part of this too, at least it is for me. 

I'm pretty sinful. We should be taking note of the sin in our lives. 

For me this means identifying my mess. 

The thing is, we are not enough (podcast link to related show on that topic), and God DID come to help the helpless (blog post link to related post). So when I talk about the chaos, I talk about my Christ. 

What about Luther's ""sin boldly" quote? Yeah he said that but the point was (I believe) how much we should be boldly trusting in Christ for the salvation of ourselves from our sin. Our God is bigger than our sin! 

See what you think and get back to me. Email, twitter, Facebook - the links are below. I'll probably keep talking about messy lives. :) 

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

Turns out the world does not revolve around me. I am not at the center of the universe. 

This is just one of the many realizations I have in this episode as I process my thoughts on potential employment and God's involvement in this realm of our lives. I went looking for some peace of mind in Colossians and I found it when I started sifting through all the promises and gifts that reflect "the reward of your inheritance." 

In this episode I answer all of the following questions:

• Will I be able to maintain employment after 10 years of not having a "real" job?!
• What am I "supposed" to be doing?
• What does God allow fabulous opportunities to cross our path and but stay out of reach?
• Is it ok to take a job outside of one's field of education?
• What if I get the job? What if I don't?!
• What the heck does "the reward of our inheritance" mean?

Listen now to find out the answers to this and more. You may think you can answer all these questions, but they won't all be the same answers I come up with! Leave a comment and tell me what you think and maybe even head to itunes to leave a review to make it easier for other listeners to find our show! 

Thanks so much!

 ***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

Things I'm thinking about this week...

• Mother's Day can be hard. 
• Some parents are toxic.

So I talk about both of these things. Why we should consider being sensitive about Mother's Day, in case you are oblivious that reality exists for some. It would be easy for me to be clueless about it as a mom and someone who still has her mom. But I have friends who really struggle!

Also something that has been on my radar lately is adults who are really struggling with their own parents. Why is this such a place of contention for so many people?! I guess it shouldn't be a mystery, but I break down some of the reasons it's a tough issue and also talk about what we can possibly do about it. 

Links include:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/109435-9-signs-you-have-a-toxic-parent

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-create-a-healthy-adult-relationship-with-mom-and-dad/ 

and Bonus Link I didn't talk about, but that made me really think, as a parent myself - 

6 things you shouldn't say to your kids - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/adult-children-parenting_n_1916536.html 

God is a God of comfort and refers to himself as a Father frequently in Scripture. A few verses that I note can be helpful as we wrestle with all this:

Isaiah 64:8

Psalm 68:5

James 1:17

***

To continue the conversation, find me on TWITTER, go to the facebook page, or email me! - [email protected].

Check out blog posts on www.shefindstruth.com!

Production Notes · music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine · Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark ·  Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer