Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever Hebrews 13:8

Happy Advent!

 In today’s episode we’re talking about what it might look like to prepare our hearts for Him, to take some moments during this season to purposefully incline ourselves toward the things of God. I’ll share with you three things that I’ve been pondering as I lean into the cadence of this season with hope and expectancy.  (There’s also a great prayer at the end my Henri Nouwen that felt like such great preparation for me that you won’t want to miss!)

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 The Message

Of course I’m talking about gratitude in this episode before Thanksgiving. I hope that our time together makes room for you to notice whats in your life that you’ve overlooked and want to note your gratitude for. AND, I think you’ll be surprised at a story I share at the end and how I found deep gratitude in the middle of BIG fear. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Homer says, “The journey is the thing.”

I’m sure many of you can relate to life in the middle space. I'm talking about that place of process where we are trying to figure things out and we often find ourselves without a handle to grab hold of. It can feel so disregulating at times. Join me as I share what its been like for me and as we look back at some others in history who also found themselves in the middle of process. We’ll ask the questions, “What if this season, is actually a gift to us?” ….”what if this is a place that God is generously offering us?”

I’m pondering the idea that this very season could be the exact thing that God wants to use to answer some of my own specific requests of him. Join me ask we talk this through today and hopefully you can find some handles for yourself as you navigate your own middle places.

Purpose in life is far more than property or possessions. Having more to live with is no substitute for having more to live for.   Nicky Gumbel

This worked out so great—-my friend Laurine (who has her own podcast) asked me to come and record (while I was in Seattle, in September) and I enjoyed our conversation so much I thought I’d share it here on the spacious place. We talk all about purpose, sharing some of our own thoughts around it from our own lives. Think you’re gonna like it! 

“In the face of God’s glorious creation and his perfect law, we are called to both revel and to repent. God’s glory and perfection, like the majestic sun, call us to Himself.”

—She Reads Truth Bible notes

Today’s conversation comes out of some time spent in Psalm 19. This psalm is packed with descriptives about what God is like as well as invitation to commune with Him. As I read it I was deeply motivated and encouraged by God’s generous pursuit, even through creation—-longing for all to know of His goodness. I hope after listening today, you experience some of the same things!

“Uncorking my thoughts and naming them gives me the ability to receive.”

Sara Hagerty, The Gift of Limitations

Are you struggling because of some limit your facing right now? What does life look like for you when you find yourself bound by some kind of limitation? I can tell you that for me, I’m often not proud in hindsight about how well I’ve handled said limitation. I constantly need reminding that God is at work and that my limitations don’t limit Him from accomplishing what He has planned to do. I get so forgetful!

Today I’ll share some of the places in my own life that feel like they could leave me hopeless, and I’ll also share some of the ways I’m practicing some rhythms that are more helpful than the run of the mill, anger, frustration or pit of despair, that feels most familiar.

"In the Kingdom of God, weakness is a superpower because in God’s Kingdom strength and weakness are not opposites, they’re synchronistic with the rule and reign of Christ."

Ruth Chou Simons

When Paul talks about freedom in Galatians, I think it can feel defeating at times when our lives don’t feel like we’re necessarily walking in freedom. In this episode I’m sharing some thoughts about what freedom is and what it isn’t. 

(**Spoiler alert…freedom isn’t something we can maintain on our own, and we will never do it perfectly. That’s really good news!!! Its not all on us, and perfection isn’t the goal.)

I’ll also share what it looks like for me and the things I begin to notice that have shifted in my heart and mind and my way of being. So join me and lets talk together about how to get back to the free space Jesus made possible for us!

See what’s there, not what you expect to see. See what is really present in your life. See yourself, see each other.       Frederick Buechner

In today’s episode I’m sharing an experience I had as I sat quietly at my dining room table, early in the morning. As I looked out the window at a bird, God invited me to watch and listen and it took me to a deeper place that I decided to share with you! I’ll also share some of the thoughts I struggle with at times and the ways I’m combating them. I’ve also got an announcement at the end of the episode, so be sure to stay til the end!

Isaiah 49:14-15

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Waiting is just hard and it can get real messy in our heads the longer it takes for whatever it is we are waiting for. In today’s episode we’re taking a short peek back at the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus from John 11 and taking note of something new and different that I hadn’t noticed before. But we will also look at my own seasons of waiting and how messy they get. I’ll share what they are as well as some of the new things I feel like God is inviting me into that I may have missed out on that, have become a surprise gift to me. 

To be human is to live in the space between our expectations and reality. Katherine Wolf

This is the second part of our time around Mary and Martha. I finished the last one and felt like I’d left some things unsaid. I thought I’d just re-reocrd it, but decided on a part 2 instead. So here we are! In this episode we’re taking note of some things around the story of the loss of Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus—-their grief and their disappointment in God and his timing. 

But not only must we entrust all of ourselves to Him, but I think you’ll see, with me, that He welcomes our thoughts around our confusion and even frustration around what we can’t see. I hope you’ll see with me that our God is not far off and in fact, He sees all of your circumstances, especially those that are troubling you, and enters into it with you!

Join me for a listen and as always, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts about how the Spacious Place impacts you!