The Saltworks

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Today’s guest is just a delight! Jan Lee, aka “Parker’s mom” is on the podcast today, and you are going to just love her. Her story has had many twists and turns including a divorce at 23, navigating life as a single mom, and then following her second husband into ministry. What I love so much about this episode is the beautiful ways the Lord pursued a young girl and a young mom that didn’t necessarily have a Godly community to pour into her. But we serve a creative God that will chase us down by any means—even TV and radio shows! Nothing can stop the Lord. Because of her background, you will hear the importance and weight that she attributes to the Word of God. It was such a needed reminder for me, and I know it will be for you too! Lastly, you will hear Jan’s heart for foster care and the beautiful work she and her husband have been able to do. What you may not know is how her own story connects her to the children’s pain and brings the compassion we all see in her. You will love today’s episode and Jan Lee! 

Disclaimer! This week’s audio was a challenge, because we’ve recently moved to new equipment so bear with us as we work through the kinks! 

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I canNOT believe it!! Today on the Saltworks, we have our FIFTIETH episode, and our very FIRST video recording in the new studio. It's a day of many celebrations! But, it's also a day of figuring out new things, so bear with us as the audio quality suffers slightly from the changes. We will fix it soon! 

But we figured for the first video and the 50th episode, what better to talk about than how the Saltworks began, why we chose that name, what it's looked like to step out in faith, and what our vision is for going forward. It has been a learning curve for nearly 2 years now, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. I can't wait to see what the Lord has for the Saltworks, and I can't wait for you to listen in today! 

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Let me tell you something. You aren't ready. You aren't. ready. I first got to know Mrs. Carol about 6 or 7 years ago when I was placed in a group intended for the older women to disciple and pour into the younger women. I was a young mom of a toddler and a newborn, and as I sat there in her kitchen and living room, I distinctly remember thinking, "this is holy places." It's Mrs. Carol's faith, joy, contentment, servant's heart, and the incredible endurance she's had to have to overcome hardship. Yet she would welcome younger women into her home and pour into us, cooking for us, and sharing her wisdom-- it's just holy work of a resilient woman who walks closely with the Lord. So I can't tell you the honor it was for me to sit once again at her kitchen table and get to share her story with you. Before we recorded, I was telling her about my busy day and all the new in our lives. She immediately asked if I'd eaten and fed me, because she just sees people. Of course afterwards she sent me home with bags full of homemade cookies. We laughed and we cried, and before I left I told her I was nervous about something. I started to step out of the front door, and she called out again, "Hallie, just enjoy tonight. Just enjoy it." And I teared up, because she didn't know that's my word of the year, but the Lord did. He knew that's the reminder I needed to just rest in the work he's ALREADY doing. But that's just who Mrs. Carol is. And once again, I left thinking, "this is holy places." And so today, I just feel really honored and humbled to share these holy places of surrender through Mrs. Carol's story with you. 

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This week we are diving into God's Word together into the book of Acts. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch are both men who sought God in different ways and whose stories collided by God's sovereignty. We will take a look at what it looks like to have blind obedience, how it might feel, and what's actually necessary to give our "yes" in faithfulness. Looking at life through the lens of Philip's mission is both convicting and inspiring, because he didn't always know how or when or why, but he always knew who he was following. You will love the beautiful salvation story for the Ethiopian eunuch if you've never heard it or haven't read it in a while. Although not our usual format, I truly do love these weeks to dive into these stories and put ourselves in their shoes.

Order your Saltworks sweatshirt here!!

Also, this week only, we have a preorder for our new official Saltworks Podcast sweatshirts!!! We are obsessed-- Lindsay and I where ours all the time. It's so comfortable and I love the collegiate design. We have to say thank you to Eric at Dead On Signs and Graphics who was so great to work with and did a wonderful job. So, make sure you grab your sweatshirt to rep the Saltworks wherever you are in your own corner of the Saltworks, and once the preorder is closed, it will ship straight to the address you provide in the link! 

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Welcome back to our newest segment-- Topic Tuesday! Back on the podcast today is your new favorite co-host, Lindsay Stagg. Today we are talking all things weariness, loneliness, vulnerability, and friendship. What we always want y'all to know is we aren't so much trying to bring answers as we are trying to bring perspectives and questions to initiate these conversations. Our goal with each of these is to point things back to the One who holds it all-- including these feelings and situations we'll talk about! So today as we go through each one, we look at what has brought us here, what may be underneath the feelings, and ultimately, what we can do with those. I can't wait for you to listen in-- and we can't wait to hear YOUR thoughts! I hope you enjoy it and have a happy Tuesday, friends!

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Our friend Erik Hsu is on the podcast today, and you do not want to miss it! He has an incredible story of a kid with lots of inconsistent pieces that formed his childhood. Yet, you will hear in that same story, a God who consistently chased him down and brought people alongside him no matter where life took him. A big thing for Erik is the evidence of God because his story is full of exactly that. At a young age with divorced parents, Erik went from no routine to rigid structure and then continued to make multiple moves. He tells about his season of rebellion against pressure and expectations and how that same spirit led him to want to master golf. Having grown up in poverty, you can see his wisdom as a current financial advisor and the balanced perspective he brings to each one of his clients. He also shares how he's learned to combat perfectionism and reframe his mindset. There is so much more wisdom, and I cannot wait for you to see the evidence of God in his story today.

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This one is a definite notetaker, parents!! In today's episode, Jayme Stokes will offer parenting advice right alongside much-needed grace and permission for your heart. While she encourages parents today that even in our mistakes, we aren't failing, she also gives so much wisdom on how we might set them up for a good relationship with the Lord. We covered so many questions such as: how we can present the gospel in day-to-day life, what are realistic expectations for ourselves, and how the Lord gave us these specific children for a reason. Diving deep into practical tips, we also cover the importance of outside play, some unsupervised time, sensory needs our children have, and even how to validate their emotions without letting them rule. I promise you do NOT want to miss this one, friends! The balance of how-to and compassion is just so needed in today's world, and you will absolutely love it.

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On the podcast today is the sweetest soul Jamie Halley. She is down-to-earth, loyal, and so kind. Once a shy girl, she loves to share all who will listen about Jesus. Her story has not been an easy one, though. While we didn't get into some other seasons of her story that I would have loved to, today we camped out on her and Jonathon's marriage testimony. Though they both have walked through many trials and times of darkness, they have been incredibly brave and courageous to share their story to help and protect other couples. Today we will talk about spiritual darkness, the need for security, marriage, infidelity, and what marriage reconciliation can look like only through the Lord. You will love this girl's heart and appreciate her honest vulnerability. I can't say thank you enough to both her and Jonathon for graciously and boldly sharing what so many need to hear, and I can't wait for yall to listen!

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Today we are trying something new, and my longtime best friend and NOW co-worker Lindsay Stagg is on the podcast to cover some hard but necessary topics. Don't worry, the stories you and I love so much are not disappearing, but this will allow us to go into depth on some of the issues we touch on. Today, we are covering why boundaries are needed, how to gauge if we need them, and how they are both biblical and personal. We also talk about making hard decisions for our family, the feeling of being misunderstood, and what we can do when that happens. Ultimately, all of these tie in closely with our want to people-please. What is people-pleasing? How do we know we are driven by this, and what does the gospel have to say about it? No matter where we fall on these issues, Jesus can change it if we let him. I hope you enjoy this episode, and I pray it glorifies the Lord and is thought-provoking.

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Jamie Owen is on the podcast today, and you're going to love her! Sometimes, we're looking at the faithfulness of God unfolding before us, and other times, like much of Jamie's life, we are looking back at all the times He was there protecting us when we didn't even see it. Today we talk about Jamie's story of slowly getting to know Jesus over the course of her life. Through growing up with grandparents, tumultuous relationships with her own parents, a divorce, and a season of loneliness, Jamie looks back and paints a picture for us of a Shepherd who was there pursuing and leading her to where she is today. Jamie's story highlights both the lies we can sometimes believe about feeling uninvited or unequipped and also the powerful life-change we can be a part of when we simply show others the Christ in us. What I love so much about Jamie's story is the bold faith He's instilled in her today! It's infectious and inspiring, and you're just going to love it!