It’s interesting to consider what makes a bad day, bad. What makes a good day, good. To mark the circumstances that contribute to what we would consider a good or bad life. It’s also interesting to consider how often I equate the state of my circumstances with the presence and love of God. If things are good, God must be present and active in my life, right? And if things are bad, well, the opposite must be true. Sound familiar?

Today, we're exploring what Jesus might have to say by digging a little bit deeper into the Beatitudes. Listen in!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

remind{h}er 140: Remember the Blessed {Matthew 5:1-11}

God's Ferris Wheel by Barbara Brown Taylor from Home By Another Way

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Today, as we slowly begin to settle into new routines after perhaps a slower, more spacious summer, I’m offering a simple reading of the Beatitudes, found at the very beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As I read it, you’re invited to listen and notice what you notice. Once the reading is through, I’ll offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminders God might have for you in this passage. 

I believe wholeheartedly that while these words were inspired and written a couple thousand years ago, God’s Spirit is still inspiring us as its readers today. Feel free to pause, rewind, or revisit as you see fit. As always, I hope it serves you well. 

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I've been reminded recently that natural light makes a difference. Sunlight aids growth. It improves mental and physical health. It enhances overall well-being. Good, natural light helps us flourish. 

In a similar way, the light and presence of God offers hope, endurance, compassion, peace, joy, and love. It is bold without being flashy. It is soft, though not insignificant. It sees the overlooked and notices the unnoticed. It reminds us all that we matter; we belong; and we are never alone. In the middle of the dim and dreary, God’s light makes a difference. 

So what might it look like to let that light in? Listen in!

Iona Abbey in Scotland

Jan Richardson

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One thing I’m discovering these days is how necessary it is for me to remember God’s goodness. When the turmoil and chaos and bad news swirl, the goodness of God holds me steady and keeps me sane. Not in a way that ignores the needs and hardships around me, but in a way that inspires me to be who I am and do what I can to help make it right. 

With that in mind, I’d like to offer a reading today of Psalm 103—a passage that recounts the goodness of God. After I read it through, I’ll also offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminder God might have for you today through this passage. Feel free to pause, rewind or even revisit this episode as you see fit. As always, I hope it serves you well.

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There is much in our world and in our lives that can feel like damaged goods—broken hearts, broken people, broken relationships, systems, and communities. And amid those broken realities, it can be easy to lose hope.

That is our tendency. I’m learning, though, that our tendency is not always how God prefers to work. What if, in God's hands and through God's love, we are never beyond repair? 

If brokenness feels up close and personal right now, I hope you'll listen in.

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The Repair Shop

Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright

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Today, I am offering a simple reading of a familiar passage. It’s a passage often read at weddings; but at its core, it’s really a reminder of what matters most, in the middle of it all. I find I need to be reminded of what matters most over and over again these days. Maybe you can relate? 

There is also some space toward the end for you to consider several reflection questions. Feel free to pause, rewind, replay—whatever you need to do as you engage this passage. As always, I hope it serves you well!

Listen in :)

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Alright, friends, today we are finally marking five years of the remind{h}er podcast. On April 1, 2020, the very first episode released into the world, and even though it’s a few weeks late, I’m excited to celebrate with you today. Several weeks ago, I began to collect some of your questions for this very episode and now, I’ll share my responses. I’m so grateful to those who contributed questions and to each of you who continue to listen in all these years later. What a gift.

We have five questions to celebrate five years. Listen in!

• What is your favorite and least favorite part of hosting the podcast?

• If you could own a house in three cities in America, with money not being an object, where would you choose?

• What book do you find yourself going back to again and again?

• What are your thoughts about church family? In my experience, church should feel like family. But my new and current church really only feels like a place of worship with opportunities to serve and do ministry. Is that okay?

• What do you think contributes to living a flourishing life?

In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

Soulful Spirituality by David Benner

Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright

The Book of Forgiving by Desmond and Mpho Tutu

Spiritual Theology by Simon Chan

remind{h}er 73: A Faith That Flows

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If you are listening in real time, next week is Holy Week, a week when we remember, observe, and follow Jesus’ journey to the cross before we celebrate the good news of Easter.

With that in mind, today, I’d like to offer a simple reading from the gospel of Matthew, from one of the many passages that gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ experience in the last days of his pre-resurrection ministry. After reading it through, I’ll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God’s Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words today. Feel free to pause, to rewind, to experience this passage in whatever way you need in the coming days.

As always, I hope it serves you well :)

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In her book, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, author and poet Maggie Smith writes,

“How I picture it: We are all nesting dolls, carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside. We carry the past inside us. We take ourselves—all of our selves—wherever we go.” 

That’s how I’m learning to picture it, too. 

From the tiniest, earliest version of me, all the way to the person I am today, and even beyond to the person still to come, I’m finding each iteration belongs. Each iteration is connected. And each iteration matters. 

So here’s how I see it: in order to be who we are, we need to remember who we’ve been. What might that look like? Listen in. 

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A reset can be helpful in lots of different circumstances, and a reset can look lots of different ways. For some of us, it looks like tidying up a living space or cleaning out a closet. Sometimes it looks like returning to a familiar routine or a ritual we know well. Sometimes it looks like an apology or like offering forgiveness. Sometimes it looks like breathing in some fresh air or getting a good night’s sleep. 

Today, though, I want to extend an invitation to reset in a very simple, particular way, in a way that has been helpful and grounding in my own life recently. And in a world that continues to swirl, I wonder if it could be a helpful way for you to reset, too.

 Listen in.

Submit a question HERE for our upcoming Q+A episode celebrating FIVE years of the remind{h}er podcast!

Emily P. Freeman

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