The Good Day

Maybe this Summer, foreign is exactly what you need. But no bags need to be packed. Not a single one. No airline reservations need to be made. You see, praise in times of plenty, that's easy. It's natural. But praise in want, it's never easy. It's unnatural. Foreign may be an even better word. It feels strange, unfamiliar, unsettling.

That's because it is. Praise and rejoicing in things go well is proof of citizenship on earth, meaning everyone is capable of this. Praise and rejoicing, gratitude and proclaiming God's greatness and goodness, when things don't go as well as we hoped or expect - it's proof of citizenship in heaven. Only those filled with the power of the Holy Spirit are equipped to do such an unearthly thing.

Today, Sarah Freymuth is sharing her reflection of Psalm 79 with us and helping us remember to proclaim God's praise, and live as foreigners of this earth, in those times when we feel the rug has slid out from under us.

Sarah Freymuth describes herself as a writer and dreamer who finds God's goodness in the everyday, upside-down, and in-between moments that make this life real, relatable and beautiful. Professionally, Sarah serves as the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a global sports ministry, where she gets to tell the story of what God is doing around the world through coaches and athletes – guiding them in going deeper in their faith. She also writes for different places, sharing about God's goodness where it isn't easily seen.

You can find her living a simple Midwest life with her husband, visiting Lake Michigan and Washington Island as often as life allows.

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

My good friend, Sarah Philpott, shares her reflection of Psalm 72 with us today and the gentle redirection meant for all us - who are we worshipping? In whom or what have we put our hope?

Sarah Philpott, PhD lives on a cattle farm in the south. She is the mother of four young children and wife to one hard workin’ farmer (who has been her sweetheart since high school). Sarah is the award-winning author of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss. She's also the author of the brand new board book: Wake, Up Little Seed; Moo, Moo Nap, Nap; and The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions.

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

I want us to embrace a moment of nothingness, as hard as it may be for us. Keep the TV off, put the phone away. If not for a whole summer, how about today? How about for five minutes? For, it's only when we're bored that we start to ask ourselves the question: "What sounds fun?"

We need more fun! This life is a gift and God intends for us to enjoy it. To have fun. If our days have become so busy and demanding that it requires get to a place of boredom before we ask ourselves, "What sounds fun?" then boredom it is! Almighty God, grant us boredom so that we might enjoy this gift and reflect more on the gifts and promises You've so generously given us.

Today, we start our sixth summer in the Psalms together (feel free to review posts and episodes from summers past), and we're opening to Psalm 65 to remind ourselves more of our abundantly generous God.

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

As we begin our Summer in the Psalms series this Summer, we're getting to hear from my friend, Cole Feix, as he helps us understand the Psalms as "the nervous system of the Bible."

Cole Feix is the Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma, the founder of So We Speak Media, and a director of the Library Co. He has a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University. He lives in southeast Oklahoma with his wife and three daughters. 

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

This message today is for parents who are feeling overwhelmed and craving peace. To help us experience more of Eden, the promise of heaven on earth, my good friend, Nichole Suvar is joining us.

Nichole Suvar loves helping others overcome the anxiety that tries to take us out and learn how to live with purpose and intention, one small moment at a time. She has thirty years of experience living with anxiety - as a teen, a young wife, a mother of littles, and now she’s learning to move through it as a mom of teens nearing the empty nest years. I know how it feels to be labeled as the “worry wart” of the family. I know what it’s like when anxiety is pervasive – can’t get it off my back – and the weight of shame attached to it. As someone with both personally lived-out and professionally researched mental health experience, Nichole loves coming alongside women in the thick of their struggles. 

As the author of I Don’t Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling Overwhelmed, she desires for others to know that they are created for a purpose and that even anxiety can be a tool to help point us to our Savior and live a life that brings Him glory. Her intentional living approach has helped countless women unlock greater peace and purpose in their lives, one moment at a time. You can connect with her at LiveWithIntent.org

Today, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in the noise and waves of motherhood
• Returning to Eden when we feel the pressure of having to hold it all together
• Truth for our anxiety and mental health

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

We’re talking about the pressure parents feel to “have it all together.” But, inevitably life happens. Curve balls come. For my new friend, Kim Harms, she had 2 back-to-back curve balls in the form of cancer - both coming to her attention on Jan 20, just 7 years apart. She’s joining to help us experience more of God’s strength in these desperate times of our lives.

Kim Harms is a two-time breast cancer survivor and the author of Carried Through Cancer: 70 Days of Spiritual Strength from Cancer Fighters, Survivors and Caregivers, and Life Reconstructed: Navigating the World of Mastectomies and Breast Reconstruction.  She has a degree in English from Iowa State University and more than two decades of professional writing experience for a wide variety of publications. Married to Corey for 27 years, the two have three sons and one English Springer Spaniel who thinks he’s the fourth child. Kim offers support and resources for cancer fighters on her website. She can also be found on Instagram  @kimharmsauthor and Facebook at KimHarmsAuthor. 

Today, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in the unexpected gifts in grief
• How to lean on God's strength to uphold you
• God's promise to be with us through the ugly and hard parts of life - why this is enough

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

In honor of Mother’s Day last Sunday, we are taking some time to celebrating mommas. Today, this message is for moms of littles as my friend and fellow Okie, Alexandra Jensen, is joining us today. 

Alexandra Jensen—Alex, as her friends call her—resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, Dave, and their three beautiful, energetic kids: Emma (6), Josiah (4) and Madison (2). She loves the Lord and studying His Word daily and has developed deeply rooted friendships during her time as a member and Steering team leader of MomCo. Alex also enjoys reading, blogging, antiquing, jogging, jewelry making, spending time at the beach, eating queso, lingering over a good Starbucks and engaging in all things fun. Author of Daily Grace for Moms of Littles: 50 Days of Knowing God More Fully and Mothering Confidently for the King, she writes, “…being a mom is an Apollo mission. It requires all of us - all of our heart, soul and strength.”

Moms, we want you to know you’re not alone on this Apollo Mission of motherhood. Specifically, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in our relationships
• The sneaky forms of idolatry in motherhood
• Releasing our children to God’s care and releasing our worries

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

As we engage our sense of touch, we want to feel God’s love for us through our closest relationships. Mother’s Day is coming up, but we’re first taking a moment to talk about Dads. To help us more clearly see the role of a Father as God intended and to help us help the men in our lives feel more seen themselves, good friends you’ll recognize from previous episodes are back again - Blythe Daniel with her son, William Daniel and her mom, Helen McIntosh. What a joy to have three generations speaking on this very important topic supported by their book, I Love You Dad!: Words to Honor and Humor You.

Blythe Daniel is the co-author of I Love You, Mom! and Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters with her mother, Dr. Helen McIntosh. Blythe and her daughter Calyn co-wrote Let’s Be Friends: A Tween Devotional on Finding and Keeping Strong Friendships. She worked for Harper Collins Christian Publishing in marketing and publicity, and is a literary agent. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three teens, including her author son William Daniel. 

Helen McIntosh, EdD, Counseling Psychology, is a counselor, educator, and co-author of I Love You, Mom! and Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters with her daughter Blythe Daniel. Helen authored Messages to Myself and her work has appeared in Guideposts and HomeLife magazines. She resides in Georgia with her husband Jim. They have two children and five grandchildren. 

William Daniel is a middle schooler, competitive gymnast and author of You’re Joking Me: Jokes for Kids by a Kid. He enjoys telling jokes and making his family and friends laugh. He plays saxophone and wants to be a pilot. He has an older sister, Maris, and a twin sister, Calyn. William lives in Colorado with his family. 

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

Last Sunday was the OKC Memorial Marathon, so it’s fitting to have a good friend of mine and ‘Dubya’s join us today to talk about his experience running the marathon after enduring months of bedrest from a terrible car accident. Plus, what did he learn through this trial to help propel him forward as a new Dad? 

If you are a dad or one day hope to be, this episode is for you. If you know a dad, this episode is for you, too. If you have experienced a strained relationship with your father or as a father you wish to have a closer relationship with your child(ren), we want you to know their is hope! May this conversation lift your head and your spirit to stand back up and run the race to which you have been called!

Travon Smith is the Young Adult Men's Director at Crossings Community Church and has been on staff since fall 2021. Travon studied Business Marketing at Oklahoma City University while competing on the Men’s Wrestling Team. After a brief stint as assistant Coach at Oklahoma City University and working in the business field, Travon went into full time ministry with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 2017. Eventually, he transitioned full time to Crossings. In his personal time, Travon enjoys physical activity, traveling, and hanging out with friends, and most of all enjoying time with Wife(Shelby) and two kids.

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

As we continue thinking about how we can experience God's presence through our five senses, we are going to focus on feeling God's embrace through our closest relationships - family. It may be a parent or grandparent, a sibling or neighbor, or someone else who has served in a nurturing or mentoring role for you. God is so very faithful to bring the family of God around us to help us feel His embrace.

God is very serious and cares deeply about family. So much so, the command to honor your father and mother is the fifth of the Ten Commandments and is linked to a long and prosperous life. Interestingly, He doesn't add, "...if they are honorable." It is a command without condition. Honor your father and mother.

So what does this mean in practice?

C A N D A C E  C O F E R

author + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠