Katie is back with a bonus solo episode announcing big changes in the podcast next season. She processes through the obstacles we face while trying to make memories, and find peace, in the madness of December.

If someone asked you if your faith lives in your head or in your heart, how would you respond? Have you ever thought about who God is to you? Is he a judge in the sky? A genie granting wishes? A pupeteer pulling the strings? Your dad!? We tend to personify what we cannot understand.

Katie and Mandy sit down with guest Ally Ley to get real about deconstruction in the church, the problems with a "house of cards" style faith, and the importance of exploring and understanding who God is to you. They also discuss the sacred feminine traits of God that we often look past. Could he be more than the box we keep him in?

Ally is a graduate of the Chistian Spiritual Formation and Soul Care Masters program at Denver Seminary. As a trained Spiritaul Director who owns her own practice, she is dedicated to creating space for individuals and groups to encounter God in transformative ways. She companions women on the journey of wholeness, specializing in female faith leaders and mothers. She delights in walking with women as they examine everything from perfectionism, to shame, to taking up their space as leaders, to integrating the various parts of themselves and their stories as they are unleashed more fully into the freedom of who God has created them to be. 

Show notes:

Searchable directory for Christian Spiritual Directors:

https://www.graftedlife.org/

https://anamcara.com/

Mandy and Katie open up about the feeling of being taken for granted by their spouse in parenting and marriage responsibilities, and how good it feels to point the finger at their husbands shortcomings. But they eventually unfold the layer beneath that, where their role of loving well, appreciating what their spouse does offer, and owning their own shortcomings might just be worthy of discussion. They challenge each other to self reflect and shift their posture of critical correction to a posture of accountability and gratitude. 

Shownotes:

Weekly Spouse Check-In Questions:

1. This week I am thankful that you...
2. What did I do this week that made you feel loved and honored?
3. Is there anywhere in our marriage where God is missing
4. Is there anything you need that I haven't been giving you?
5. Is there anything that I've done that hurt you?
6. Is there something that I used to do that you wish I would restart?
7. How do you feel about our split of responsibilities
8. What do you think about our sex life?
9. What's coming up next week?
10. How can I pray for you?

ReEngage Marriage Courses Near You:

https://www.reengage.org/

Katie and Mandy talk with Author and Board-Certified Coach, Chris Janssen, MA, BCC, about what it means to coach and how we can apply the framework from her latest book "Living All In". 

"Living All In" gives you the tools to tap into your resourcefulness, embrace an empowering mindset, and move to action. Chris shares what she's learned, personally and from her clients, then places the keys to a life you love in your hands.

In "Living All In" you will learn to think thoughts that serve you and dump those that don't, because you are magnificent and you deserve the right to decide how you feel and show up for the life you want.

In this tranformative guide you will discover:

• Strategies to identify and overcome unhelpful narratives you may tell yourself.
• Techniques and tools to cultivare a positive mindset.
• Inspiring success stories that showcase the healing power of embracing change.

Chris Janssen is a Board-Certified Life Coach with a Masters in Counseling Psychology who has helped hundreds of clients, successfully and sustainably, move forward with a mindset that serves them. In 2021 and 2023, Brainz Magazine named Chris on of the Global Top 500 Influential Leaders for her accomplishments in mental health and dedication to helping others.

For more information visit: www.chrisjanssencoaching.com 

You never quite know what lies behind someone's facade. It can be extremely tempting to take people at face value but everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. Katie and Mandy talk about how hard it is to override our humanity with compassion and empathy but agree that we have a shared responsibility to work on ourselves, let down our walls of self preservation and walk alongside people through this one life. Love God and Love Others is not just something we recite but something we need to practice.

Blessing others with our gifts is an amazing way to show someone love. It can be anything from a simple act of kindess such as a compliment to a more significant gesture such as donating to a charity or volunteering at a local shelter.

Katie and Mandy have guest Sarah Gillis on for a rich discussion about what a life of serving can look like, and how to start a legacy of serving as a family. They talk about how to find ways to serve that align with our natural giftings. Sarah grew up watching her mother volunteer and it grew a strong internal desire to serve with her family and a hope to instill the heart of a servant in her children.

Together they talk about everything from serving in the classroom and coaching soccer to local ministry and global outreach. Everyone possesses unique talents and giftings to give back which is part of the beauty of how we were designed. The hope is to encourage everyone to take a step forward in giving back.

Love Outsourced is bringing joy, one laugh at a time and is on mission to spread laughter and lighten hearts through an incredibly quick, convenient and personalized card service. You have to hear Katie and Mandy break down Mandy's new venture that will become an empire and change the world.

Katie and Mandy process having unrealistic expectations of others, themselves and God. They speak of the challenges they face when reality does not match expectation. They talk about the natural and cultural inclination to bail, suffer and wrestle when your expectations are not met and how accepting your own humanity, showing grace to others and allowing God to be God can help. They work through what it looks like to set realistic expectations and how that can help yield stronger relationships personally, intimately and spirtitually.

Prayer can be intimidating! Mandy and Katie talk all things prayer, the awkwardness, the importance, the simplicity of it. The greatest part about praying is knowing God wants to hear from you.  Once you start the conversation, God responds.

When our faith feels ungrounded, something we are certain of begins to feel uncertain, or someone we hold in high regard lets us down, we experience pain. We begin to lose hope. This is where disillusionment begins. Katie and Mandy sit down with Dr. Alicia Britt Chole to discuss her life's work poured into her newly released book, "The Night is Normal: A Guide Through Spiritual Pain." Alicia describes how even though faith shines best in full sun, it grows depth in the dark. That the roots―and fruits―of spiritual pain are actually an invitation to deep love. She explains "night faith" and how the night is not our enemy, but in fact―the night is necessary.

Dr. ABC, a former atheist, an award-winning author and international speaker has messages that have been featured on TBN, Daystar, Propel, Christianity Today, Guideposts, FaithGateway, and "Chicken Soup for the Soul." Often described as a captivating communicator, Alicia speaks, writes, mentors and serves as the founding director of Leadership Investment Intensives, Inc., a non-profit devoted to providing personal soul-care to leaders in the marketplace and church. Her book, "Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years and Yours," is highly regarded by leaders and learners around the globe. She holds a doctorate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation (George Fox Evangelical Seminary). With her husband Dr. Barry Jay Chole) of 27 years, she joyfully parents their three extraordinary children in a country home off of a dirt road surrounded by loads of laundry, laughter, and love. 

To learn more about Alicia, visit her website at www.aliciachole.com , on Instagram @aliciabrittchole or on twitter @aliciachole.