The Lydia Project's first book club episode is here! Listen in as Tori chats to Mark Vroegop - author of our first book club book, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy - about the devastating loss of his daughter to stillbirth and how he came to learn to embrace the grace of lament. 

In the book, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, Mark explains how lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting God’s goodness.

Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God—but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.

Exploring how the Bible—through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations—gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives.

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy is available online or in bookstores worldwide. In Australia, a 15% discount is available for all Lydia Project Book Club books through The Wandering Bookseller. Simply use the discount code LYDIA15 at the checkout. 

Bio:

Mark Vroegop is the lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis and the author of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, the ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year, and Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation. He’s married to Sarah, and they have four children and a daughter-in-law. 

Katie and her family have been living in Eastern Europe for nearly ten years as cross-cultural gospel workers.  In her chat with Tori Walker, she shares about life in a different culture, the different types of work that she and her husband have been involved in, as well as the ins and outs of being on a possibly extended home assignment.

EPISODE NOTES:

Katie and her family have been living in Eastern Europe for nearly ten years as cross-cultural gospel workers.  In her chat with Tori Walker, she shares about life in a different culture, the different types of work that she and her husband have been involved in, as well as the ins and outs of being on a possibly extended home assignment.

***

Katie loves Jesus and loves walking with people through the ups and downs of life .  She has lived in a culture different to her own for over ten years, with the hope of sharing Jesus with the people of that culture. She and her husband have 2 girls.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

“None Greater: The undomesticated attributes of God” - by Matthew Barrett 

John chapter 15:1-4

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“When I did make that decision to turn back to Christ, I did want to be all in.”

“I had bit of an idea in my mind that in order to do mission you had to sort of be something or have certain type of skill or profession, which I don’t now believe necessarily to be the case.” 

“A lot of overseas workers find home assignment quite stressful.”  

Things to pray for Cross-Cultural Workers on (possibly Covid-related extended) Home Assignment 

• For the stress of home assignment to not be too great (stress from busyness, oddness, speaking etc) 

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Do you ever find yourself wanting to read more edifying books that will help you grow in your Christian walk, but not quite getting around to it? Life is busy and sometimes good intentions get, well, as dusty as that book on the nightstand!

If that is you, you're not alone. In fact, Tori found that she was needing just that little extra motivation to include more good Christian books in her reading this year. Books that can challenge us, grow us and point us to Christ. And so, The Lydia Project Book Club edition was born! 

In this episode, Tori and Taryn introduce the book club: where it began, what books are planned for the year, where to source them, how a Book Club podcast will look (spoiler alert: the first one is an author interview that Tori can't wait to share with us all on May 10th) and, most importantly, how YOU the listener can join along with us. 

Mentioned in the episode are our sponsors, The Wandering Bookseller. They have generously agreed to a special Lydia Project 15% discount on all 5 of the book club books! This is a fantastic savings! 

The books for this year include:

1. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop - this one focuses on what Christian lament looks like. It's especially helpful for those who have experienced loss or pain of any kind as they seek God in the midst of heartache.

All these books can be found at The Wandering Bookseller or any physical or online bookstore that stocks Christian books. If listening to books is more along the lines of what you enjoy doing, many of these books can be found on Audible or Scribd*.

Scribd is a subscription-based library of audiobooks, ebooks and much more. For a small monthly fee, subscribers have access to limitless audiobooks within their library. Use this (affiliate) link to try it out - the first month is free. 

Not all cross-cultural workers can be where they want to be in this COVID-era.  Host Tori Walker chats with “Polly” about what it’s like living in limbo with her family, and what we can pray for her and other missionaries/cross-cultural workers like her at the moment.

EPISODE NOTES:

Not all cross-cultural workers can be where they want to be in this COVID-era.  Host Tori Walker chats with “Polly” about what it’s like living in limbo with her family, and what we can pray for her and other missionaries/cross-cultural workers like her at the moment.

***

Polly is a cross-cultural worker, who lives and works in the Silk Road. She is the wife to a teacher and a mother to two boys. One of her favourite things to do is to spend time walking in nature and/or to spend time with her family. At the moment, her favourite bible verses are Romans 8:1 and 2 Timothy 1:7. She says that they remind her of the freedom she has in Christ especially from her own fears and lies.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Bible Verses - Romans 8:1-2 

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“I think that the really big that happened during uni was a trust and a faith in the Bible and it’s reliability and that it’s something that I can stand on and something that I can really get to know  Jesus through.”

“Sometimes the M-word (missionary) carries a bit of baggage with it.”

“Do I want to willingly take my family into that?”

“It’s not so much what I’m doing as where do I belong?”

“I can let things be in my head quite nicely, but it doesn’t sink into my heart.” 

What can you pray for for cross-cultural workers who are not in their chosen country?

• For  Workers:

• Wisdom, clarity and trust in the heightened level of vagueness about the future

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For street evangelist, Rebekah Hemelaar, lockdown meant that opportunities to engage with people on the streets evaporated. But thanks to some out-of-the-box thinking, the evangelism team found a new and exciting way to share the gospel with others. In this episode, Rebekah talks to Taryn about how the team stumbled across online evangelism and how those initial conversations have grown into a thriving community of young converts and new trainees. Listen in as Rebekah shares some wonderful stories of people coming to faith online and gives advice on how to evangelise in different contexts. 

EPISODE NOTES:

Rebekah Hemelaar considered herself a Christian for most of her teens, but it was only when she was confronted with gospel questions -  while watching street evangelists strike up conversations with others - that she began to fully understand what Jesus did for her. Trusting in Jesus was her first step towards articulating the gospel well and sharing it with others. Today, Rebekah and her husband, Ryan, are a part of a gospel ministry team that focuses on sharing the good news of Jesus with people on the streets and, in the last year, online too. Ryan and Rebekah are a part of the Redlands Presbyterian Church family where Rebekah serves in youth and children’s ministry.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

NeedGod.net social media: 

Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Youtube

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“I realised, 'wow I had been sinning against God, I haven’t been a Christian this whole time.' I haven’t been trusting in Jesus to pay for my sins.”

“From him sharing the Gospel with other people, I heard it and I was able to come to believe.”

“The gospel brings light to his Word.”

“It is really wonderful that through COVID we’ve been able to share the gospel online.”

“They truly love each other, it’s a true body of Christ feel in this one community … It is a beautiful thing.”

“We keep each other accountable as a team so that we can be best able to preach the gospel when we have that time dedicated to that.”

“We share each other's burdens.”

“You can be a fly on the wall, learning while listening in on gospel conversations.”

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Marian Guthrie is both a mama to her three children,  and also a MAMA - a Mature Aged Ministry Apprentice.  In this conversation with host Tori Walker, Marian talks about what led her to being a MAMA and studying at Moore Theological College, the effects of feminism in her life, and ministry through COVID times.

EPISODE NOTES:

Marian Guthrie is both a mama to her three children,  and also a MAMA - a Mature Aged Ministry Apprentice.  In this conversation with host Tori Walker, Marian talks about what led her to being a MAMA and studying at Moore Theological College, the effects of feminism in her life, and ministry through COVID times.

***

I live in Sydney with my husband, Stephen, and have three adult children. Christ Church, Gladesville, has been my church for over thirty years and is where I'm currently working part-time as a Ministry Apprentice. I'm also a part-time student at Moore Theological College, enrolled in the Advanced Diploma of Bible, Mission and Ministry. Early morning walks are one of my favourite pastimes as well as pottering in the garden or reading a good novel. Since COVID I've also started jigsaw-puzzling and binge-watching. I enjoy catching up with women one to one, usually walking and talking, but I also enjoy gathering members of my church family to join us for breakfast before watching livestream church on Sunday mornings.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Katoomba Christian Conventions

Moore Theological College 

Marian’s TCGA articles

(book recommendation) Deeper Still by Linda Allcock

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“Maybe I’m just one of those stepping stones” (along the way to people coming to faith in Christ)

“I look back and I think, yep, God was at work even in those times before I became a Christian.”

“I think God's been doing a lot of work on me this year, in terms of the ways He has been teaching me.”

“I’ve had to learn (and still in the process of it) humility and being teachable.”

This episode also introduces a book club idea that we would love to share with you. Stay posted for more! 

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Patricia Weerakoon is podcast gold! Despite the distance and occasional poor sound quality of a zoom interview, Patricia’s infectious enthusiasm for sex and Jesus shines through in this conversation with Tori Walker. They talk about her conversion through British missionaries in Sri Lanka; her work as a doctor specialising in sexual health; and her more recent speciality of being Australia’s favourite Christian sexologist.  

EPISODE NOTES:

Patricia Weerakoon is an evangelical Christian medical doctor from Sri Lanka. She is also an academic, sexologist and writer. She retired in 2012 after a career as the director of an internationally renowned graduate program in sexual health at the University of Sydney to pursue her passion for writing and public speaking. Her writing and speaking brings together her enthusiasm for sex and her love for the glory of God. Her non-fiction books are gold-standard guides for good sex for all ages. She also writes romantic fiction with a social conscience, bringing together her international experience in sexual health and her passion for her homeland of Sri Lanka.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Website: Patricia Weerakoon 

Non-Fiction:

Teen Sex by the book

Growing up by the book 

Birds and Bees by the book 

The Best Sex for Life

Talking Sex By the Book

Novels: Patricia’s novels are in the genre of “faith inspired fiction”

(i) The Other Sister (2014)

(ii) Empires Children (2015)

(iii) Snowy Summer (2018)

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“We worship a God who created sex and He made it good and like all good things it comes with a purpose and a place where it gives the most pleasure.”

“Sex is more then what the World says it is because it is a good thing for a good place, but it is also far less than the World says it is because it is not your identity.”

“We are not our sexuality.”

“We are all precious in the eyes of God”

“We all are sinful people with desires and feelings.”

“We can love everybody as fellow sinners.”

“The 'don’t do it’s' actually have a basis of goodness.”

“Be out and proud for Jesus.”

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Alexa February is our guest today. She has her PhD in Education; she’s a teacher; a dancer; an advocate for healthy living and eating; a Hashimoto's survivor and a mum to three little boys. Tragically, she lost her first two sons at birth. The trauma and sadness of this has brought Alexa through the fire, so to speak. In this interview, Alexa shares the journey of her pain and how she came to trust and revere God more through it all. She also shares helpful insight into how to care for someone who is grieving in a way that allows them space to grieve naturally. It’s a tough one to listen to, especially if you’ve experienced similar loss, but her story is not without hope.

EPISODE NOTES:

Alexa February grew up in Cape Town in South Africa where she still lives with her husband, Craig and their little baby boy, Caleb. Together they are a part of the St James Church, Kenilworth church family. Alexa has a background in education and received her Doctor of Education qualification in December 2020. She has a passion for education, dance and teenagers. Combining all three as a dance teacher of high schoolers means that she gets to translate her passion into her everyday work. Alexa’s story is not without much pain and hardship. Before Caleb, Alexa and her husband, Craig, suffered the tragic loss of their first two sons at birth. Yet, both Alexa and Craig attest to God’s goodness even in their loss and grief. God’s hand in Alexa’s life and her grieving process.

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“It felt like the bottom had fallen out of the earth. But whilst I felt bitterly sad, and shocked and traumatised, I also felt a tremendous sense of peace and very sure understanding that this was God’s plan for my life.”

“I was prepared to submit to God’s plan for my life, as difficult as it might be.”

“The whole journey taught me to rely on God fully and not on myself.”

“In the darkest times, I had a real sense of God pulling me towards himself … he was actively seeking me.”

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Being shot at point-blank range in her stomach shortly after her wedding was not how Christina expected to start married life. But tragedy was not something that Christina was unfamiliar with. Nor was she unfamiliar with God’s incredible grace. Her story of coming to faith in Christ from a background of death, divorce and the traumatic stillbirth of her first child is one that highlights again and again God’s grace to us all. Listen to Christina and Taryn chat about Christina’s deep and joyful love of Christ and His work in and through her.

EPISODE NOTES:

***

Born in Germany, Christina grew up with Christian values, but lived a God-less life. The death of her father in 1996 started her search for the meaning of life and death. A divorce in 2001, and the still-birth of her baby in 2002 brought her to her knees, crying out to God. In His great mercy, God brought people across her path who began to share the gospel with her. Her newfound joy in Jesus drew her to YWAM and her journey found her in South Africa where she began to study theology through a reformed evangelical lens at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa, met and married her husband, Bruce and now, together they are adoptive parents to 14-year-old twin boys. Together they serve and are served in the Christ Church, Hermanus church family.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Arise - https://arisefamily.org/ 

Ywam - https://ywam.org/ 

Gwc - https://www.gwc.ac.za/ 

REACH SA - http://reachsa.org.za/ 

The Sandwich Guys, Hermanus - https://www.facebook.com/sandwichguyshermanus 

I am Second - https://www.iamsecond.com/ 

One for Israel - https://www.oneforisrael.org/

SHOW SNIPPETS:

"I saw this light and instantly my tears subsided, my fear was gone. I just had this overwhelming sense of peace and belonging."

"I really investigated hard to find answers and nothing could satisfy my thirst for this truth."

"Seeking truth, seeking answers to these big questions." 

"I knew my baby had died. It was such a desperate moment. I was completely empty. 11 June 2002, I delivered a dead baby. My life was shattered. "

"I went home without a baby. Such emptiness. Because all my hope was in this child." 

"My trust was in material things." 

"I cried out to God - I want to get to know you!"

"Share the hope that we have in Christ."

"When I was lying there waiting for the ambulance and the police, I just thought, you know Lord you have a plan because I’m still here."

"She taught me to not ask God why but to ask Him to teach me."

"Let’s be available."

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Where do unbelievers get their greatest source of information on Christians and Christianity from?  What are the main issue blockers stopping unbelievers from investigating having a faith in Christ?  How do unbelievers view the person of Jesus Christ?  Host Tori Walker  talks with Sophie Renton from McRindle Research about the work she did on the “Faith and Belief in Australia” study and the impact she hopes it will have for Christians today.

EPISODE NOTES:

Where do unbelievers get their greatest source of information on Christians and Christianity from?  What are the main issue blockers stopping unbelievers from investigating having a faith in Christ?  How do unbelievers view the person of Jesus Christ?  Host Tori Walker  talks with Sophie Renton from McRindle Research about the work she did on the “Faith and Belief in Australia” study and the impact she hopes it will have for Christians today.

***

Sophie Renton is a social researcher, trends analyst and Director of Research at the internationally recognised McCrindle. As an experienced researcher, Sophie understands how evidence-based insights can inform strategy and help organisations to thrive amidst change.

From her experience in leading the team at McCrindle, Sophie assists organisations by bringing a clearer picture to complex problems. Sophie is adept in sharing strategic insights that guide CEOs and executive teams in leading their organisations.

Beyond her commercial work Sophie is passionate about investing in Christian leaders, equipping them to understand the times so they can lead with wisdom and insight. Sophie was a youth pastor at Oxford Falls Grammar School for 7 and half years and now serves on the ministry team at C3 SYD Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

McCrindle -  McCrindle Faith and Belief Research

SHOW SNIPPETS:

“I remember feeling the most overwhelming joy and trust in God that I still cannot describe”

“In the census it’s one question.  Anyone with a faith knows that it’s a lot more than one question’s worth to explain that journey.”

“How do we stay true to what the truth is, but also present it in a way that draws people in, rather than puts walls up?” 

“One of the greatest attractors to investigating religion and spirituality is someone who is living out a genuine and authentic faith”

“We love to resource leaders, to help them make evidence-based decisions”  

“I think one of the challenges with Christians is that we can be very involved in our churches and almost get in a bubble from what reality is” 

(not Sophie saying this) “Negative feelings come from things that happen inside the church.  Maybe try to push the Jesus thing, rather than come to church to find out about Jesus.”  

“The same God of the mountain is the same God of the valley”

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