In this episode of The Spark, I’m sharing something God has been teaching me in real time: how to occupy the space I’m in.

Sometimes we become so focused on where we’re going and who we’re becoming that we miss what God is doing right here, right now. There is purpose in this season, even if it doesn’t look like the promise yet.

Maybe you don’t have to become her today. Maybe your assignment is simply to honor the woman God is developing today.

Slow down. Be present. Learn here. Grow here. Occupy this space. ✨

📖 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

What do you do when you have prayed, believed, hoped, and still find yourself standing in a place you never wanted to be?

In this deeply personal episode of The Spark Podcast, I share what God taught me while walking through one of the hardest seasons of my life: His peace is not limited by our circumstances.

At my cousin Sean’s bedside, I prayed for healing, restoration, strength, and a different report. And even while everything around me felt painful and uncertain, God reminded me of something I will never forget:

“I am here.”

That is the heart of this episode.

God is still present in the hospital room.
He is still present in the waiting.
He is still present in the grief.
He is still present when the answer does not look the way we hoped.

His healing power is still healing power.
His restoring power is still restoring power.
His comforting power is still comforting power.

And His promise to never leave us or forsake us is still true.

Even in this.

📖 Theme Scripture: Philippians 4:6–9

If you are walking through disappointment, grief, uncertainty, or a season where you simply do not know what to pray anymore, I pray this episode reminds you to take the next breath, pray the next prayer, and lean into the presence of God.

🌿 Keep becoming. Keep believing. Keep leaning into His presence.

#TheSparkPodcast #EvenInThis #ChristianPodcast #FaithThroughGrief #GodIsWithYou #Philippians4 #FaithOverFear #ChristianEncouragement

STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment | Part 4

What do you do when you've already prayed, already cried, and you've run out of words?

In this week's episode of The Spark, we're slowing down to discover something many of us overlook in the middle of disappointment: God's presence.

Sometimes we spend so much energy asking God to remove the valley that we miss the fact that He has already stepped into it with us.

In this deeply personal episode, Sandra shares how, in the middle of carrying heartbreaking news about a loved one, the Holy Spirit gently whispered, "I'm here." Those two words became an anchor, reminding her that peace isn't found in having all the answers. Peace is found in knowing that God is present, even when life feels uncertain.

We'll talk about why peace isn't the absence of bad news, but the evidence of God's presence in the middle of it. We'll be reminded that we don't have to carry tomorrow because God gives us grace for today. And we'll discover that sometimes the greatest act of faith isn't having the perfect prayer...it's simply leaning into His presence.

Main Scriptures:
📖 Philippians 4:6–7
📖 Psalm 23
📖 Isaiah 41:10

✨ Affirmation

God is with me in this moment. I do not have to carry tomorrow because God is giving me grace for today. His presence is my peace, His faithfulness is my anchor, and I will trust Him one moment at a time.

If you're carrying heavy news, waiting on an answer, or simply trying to find peace in the middle of uncertainty, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now and continue the journey with us as we learn to STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment.

🌿 Listen here:
https://www.beautyforashesco.co/podcast

STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment | Part 3

Disappointment is inevitable—but believing the lies that follow is not.

When life doesn't go the way we planned, our minds naturally begin searching for answers. Sometimes the answer is simple. Other times, we don't get one. And it's in that silence that disappointment starts whispering:

"Maybe I'm not enough."
"Maybe God doesn't care."
"Maybe I missed my purpose."
"Maybe this is all there is."

In Part 3 of our STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment series, we're uncovering the lies that disappointment tries to plant in our hearts and learning how to take every thought captive with the truth of God's Word.

Looking at the life of Job, we'll discover that even in his deepest pain, he brought his honest emotions to God without allowing his circumstances to redefine God's character.

If you've been wrestling with unanswered questions, closed doors, or trying to make sense of a painful season, this episode is for you.

Main Scriptures:
📖 2 Corinthians 10:5
📖 Job 16

✨ Affirmation
I reject every lie that disappointment has spoken over me. God is still good. God is still faithful. God is still working, even when I cannot see it. I choose truth over fear, faith over doubt, and hope over hopelessness. I will not allow my circumstances to rewrite who God is.

🎧 Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement, and continue the journey with us as we learn to STRIKE through disappointment.

🌿 Listen now:
https://www.beautyforashesco.co/podcast

What if your tears aren't a sign that your faith is failing?

What if they're the very seeds God is using to grow something beautiful?

In Part 2 of our STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment series, we're talking about what it means to keep praying when life doesn't go according to plan. Because not every prayer is prayed with confidence. Some are prayed through grief. Some through disappointment. Some through heartbreak.

In this episode, Sandra shares a deeply personal moment of wrestling with fear and finding unexpected hope in Ezra 3. Through the story of Israel rebuilding the altar while still afraid, we're reminded that God never asked us to wait until the fear was gone before we worshipped.

Sometimes the greatest act of faith isn't pretending we're okay.

It's bringing our tears to God and trusting that He can turn them into seeds of hope.

Main Scriptures:
📖 Psalm 126:5
📖 Ezra 3:3, 11
📖 Luke 18:1

✨ Affirmation
I do not have to hide my tears from God. My tears are seeds planted in faith. I can worship while I'm waiting, pray while I'm hurting, and trust God even when I don't understand. Fear does not have the final say. God is still good, God is still faithful, and He is working even through my tears.

🎧 If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs hope today.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes Co. and listen to more episodes at:
https://www.beautyforashesco.co/podcast

What do you do when disappointment makes you want to stop praying?

In the first episode of our new series, STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment, we're talking about what happens when life doesn't go the way we planned and how disappointment can quietly steal our expectation.

Looking at the story of King Joash in 2 Kings 13, we'll discover that he didn't stop striking because he ran out of arrows—he stopped because he lost expectation. The same can happen to us. We stop praying, believing, hoping, and asking—not because God has changed, but because disappointment convinces us it's no longer worth continuing.

If you've been carrying unanswered prayers, delayed promises, or simply feel spiritually exhausted, this episode is a reminder that your story isn't over.

Sometimes the greatest act of faith isn't seeing the breakthrough—it's choosing to pray again.

Main Scriptures:
📖 Luke 18:1
📖 2 Kings 13:18–19

✨ Affirmation
I will not allow disappointment to silence my faith. I will keep praying. I will keep believing. I will keep hoping. God has not forgotten me. My circumstances do not determine God's character. I choose to strike again because my God is still faithful.

🎧 Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement, and join us each week as we learn how to keep praying—even when life doesn't go as planned.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes Co. and upcoming events at:
www.beautyforashesco.co

Forgiveness Series | Part 4

Where do you run when life hurts?

When disappointment, betrayal, rejection, or grief find their way to your heart, it’s easy to seek refuge in isolation, anger, busyness, control, or even emotional distance. But none of those places were ever meant to carry what only God can heal.

In the final episode of our Forgiveness Series, we’re discovering what it truly means to make God our refuge. Healing isn’t pretending the wound never happened—it’s learning where to run with it.

Together, we’ll explore how God invites us to exchange our defense mechanisms for His presence, rebuild trust after disappointment, and find peace that isn’t dependent on our circumstances.

If you’ve been carrying pain, trying to protect your heart, or wondering how to move forward, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to carry it alone.

Main Scriptures:

📖 Psalm 46:1

📖 Psalm 61:2

✨ Affirmation

God is my refuge and my strength. I release fear, control, and old survival patterns. I choose to run to God’s presence instead of my own defense mechanisms. I am healing. I am growing. I am becoming. God is restoring every part of me.

Thank you for walking through this Forgiveness Series with me. My prayer is that you’ve experienced God’s healing, discovered freedom, and found the courage to release what has been weighing on your heart.

🎧 Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement, and continue growing with us each week on The Spark Podcast.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes Co., upcoming events, and resources at:

www.beautyforashesco.co

Forgiveness Series | Part 3

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves.

We can extend grace to others while secretly replaying our own mistakes, carrying shame, and punishing ourselves for seasons God has already forgiven.

In Part 3 of our Forgiveness Series, we're having an honest conversation about self-forgiveness. Together, we'll talk about regret, self-condemnation, feeling disqualified, and the burden of believing, "I should've known better."

Looking at the lives of David and Peter, we discover something beautiful: they both failed greatly, but they also surrendered greatly. Their mistakes didn't disqualify them, and yours don't either.

This episode is an invitation to release shame, stop replaying old chapters, and receive the mercy that God has already extended.

📖 Main Scriptures:
Psalm 51
John 21:15–17

✨ Affirmation:
I am not disqualified. I am not my worst mistake. God's mercy is greater than my regret, and His grace is greater than my shame. I release self-condemnation and receive His forgiveness. I am redeemed, restored, and God is still writing my story.

🎧 Subscribe, share, and join us as we continue our journey toward healing and freedom.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes and upcoming events:
www.beautyforashesco.co

Pain has a way of trying to rename us.

Rejection tells us we're not enough. Betrayal tells us we can't trust. Disappointment tells us not to hope. And before we know it, we're carrying labels God never gave us.

In Part 2 of our Forgiveness Series, we're having an honest conversation about how trauma, church hurt, abandonment, failure, rejection, and disappointment can challenge our identity and reshape the way we see ourselves.

Looking at the life of David, we'll discover how he endured rejection, betrayal, hiding, mistakes, and hardship, yet continually returned to God instead of allowing his pain to define him.

This episode is a reminder that what happened to you may be part of your story, but it is not your identity.

Main Scriptures:
📖 Psalm 27:1
📖 Romans 8:1

Affirmation:
✨ "I am not what happened to me. I am not my rejection, betrayal, disappointment, or failure. I am who God says I am. My pain will not define me, and my past will not rename me."

If you've been struggling with hurt, shame, disappointment, or trying to find yourself again after a painful season, this episode is for you.

🎧 Subscribe, share, and join us as we continue the journey toward healing and freedom.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes and upcoming events:
www.beautyforashesco.co

Forgiveness is one of the hardest conversations we can have because it forces us to confront the places that still hurt.

In Part 1 of our Forgiveness Series, we're defining what forgiveness actually is—and what it isn't. Together, we'll explore how unforgiveness keeps wounds active, why time alone doesn't heal, and how replaying offense can keep us emotionally trapped in moments God is trying to heal.

Sandra shares a personal story of navigating betrayal, disappointment, and painful misunderstandings after walking away from a season God had called her out of. Through therapy, prayer, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, she learned that healing isn't building walls around pain—it's allowing God access to the wound.

If you've ever struggled with bitterness, rejection, betrayal, or disappointment, this episode is for you.

Main Scriptures:
• Matthew 18:21–35
• Ephesians 4:31–32

Affirmation:
"I will not build walls around my pain anymore. I am healing, not hiding. What happened to me hurt, but it will not lead me. God is healing me from the inside out."

Join us as we begin the journey toward freedom, healing, and biblical forgiveness.

Subscribe, share, and leave a review if The Spark is encouraging your walk.

🌿 Learn more about Beauty for Ashes and upcoming events at:
www.beautyforashesco.co