Have you ever thought: Why should I pray if God's going to do what He wants anyway? If so, this episode - Praying Like Jesus - is for you! Today we discuss some gems found in Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that give us insight into how to pray honestly and confidently.

Some insights from Jesus' Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane we discuss in this episode:

• When God doesn't answer prayers the way I had hoped
• How we often play "steal the bacon" with God in prayer
• Why Mark 14:35-36 gives us a new model for praying like Jesus

I share why I quit treating “not my will, but yours” as a type of loophole for God’s actions. Listen in for a new practical model of prayer with the easy acronym, ABC!

Grab the free printable download that goes along with today’s episode here!

Check out Episode #42 (mentioned in today's episode) where we discussed many of the names of God used throughout Scripture...

Find more on this topic below…
Episode #13: When God Doesn't Provide What I Need
While Waiting on God, a blog post by Shelly Snead

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*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

If you have experienced marriage problems, you are not alone! While studies show that almost half of American couples struggle, they also report that commitment in relationship is the tool most people use to overcome them. In this episode of Fridays With Friends, we dive deep into the real and often unspoken struggles that couples face in their marriages. And we find hope in avoiding our natural bent to self-centeredness and our goal of growing together. Listen in...
Join us as we discuss:

• The Impact of Selfishness: Discover how personal habits and self-focus can create hurdles in a marriage, and why recognizing this is crucial for growth.
• The Commitment Factor: Explore the idea of commitment in marriage and how understanding and prioritizing your partner's needs can strengthen your bond.
• Marriage as a Mirror: Hear personal reflections on how spouses can serve as mirrors, revealing our selfish tendencies and prompting personal growth.
• Finding Strength in Difficult Times: Listen to heartfelt stories of perseverance, faith, and the importance of sticking it out during tough periods in marriage.
• Recognizing and Appreciating Differences: We discuss how appreciating your spouse's strengths, even if they initially seem like weaknesses, can lead to deeper understanding and connection.

This episode is perfect for couples seeking to strengthen their relationship and individuals navigating the complexities of marriage. Tune in for insightful discussions, practical advice, and a reminder that growth often comes through challenges. And be prepared to laugh amid our transparency!

"And the two shall become one..." Mark 10:8-10

Check out the following related episodes and blog posts on marriage and relationships:

Marriage, More Than A Hashtag
Episode #33 Hidden Relationship Wreckers

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

"Smile, Jesus Loves You!" seems like a platitude when life is hard. But is it? Today we uncover how the love of God encourages us in suffering. Catch last week's episode - part one of this 2-part series -  here. Episode #62 focused on the verses leading up to verse 28, reminding us that suffering is crucial to how God works things together for our good. This week we discuss how the Hesed love of God encourages us in suffering.

Truths we unpack in this episode:

• what it means to no longer live under condemnation
• how the God of love makes us more than conquerors
• why God's Hesed love is very different from human love
• how God's active love makes a difference in my suffering

Verses mentioned while uncovering how the love of God encourages us in suffering:

• Romans 8:28-39
• Matthew 6:8
• 2 Peter 1:3
• Exodus 34:6

Grab the free downloadable printable and a Spotify playlist that pairs with today's episode here.

Check out Embracing UnPerfect - A 7-Day Dive to Living Fully the Life You Were Dealt.

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Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

Welcome to Friday With Friends! The Friday episode of Unperfect where I get to pick the brains of some amazing new and old friends here on the podcast.

In Today's episode, we continue our conversation with Sandy Cooper from The Balanced MomCast and Writing off Social, completing this two-part series on An Honest Conversation About Social Media. This episode explores alternative ways to connect with others and stay in the know without being on social media.

(Catch the first half in Episode #61 here).

In this episode Sandy shares:

• more tips to connect with others without social media
• tips to stay in the know, getting all the information you need in alternative, healthier ways
• one of the tech-science behind how social media algorithms work
• life-giving benefits of being off social media

Connect With Sandy here.

Books and Resouces mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathon Haidt
• The Pour Over (for emails filled with unbiased news each week)
• Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, by Adam Alter

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Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

Do you ever feel frustrated trying to make sense of Romans 8:28 in light of the broken world we call home? Today we'll unpack the passage leading up to this oft-quoted verse. The context gives us a backdrop for living in surrender to the sovereignty of God.

Grab the free printable download that accompanies this episode here.

Other podcasts mentioned in this episode that give feet to our faith and enable us to live in surrender to God's Sovereignty are:

Episode #45 - How to Read the Bible In Fresh Way
Episode #60 - 8 Ways to Quiet Our Minds and Hear God's Voice: minimizing the information overload, busyness, and noise that prevent communion with God

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Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

In this episode of Fridays With Friends, I'll be talking with Sandy Cooper (from Writing Off Social and The Balanced Momcast) about her gradual exit from social media.

She shares her concerns about staying connected and informed, and how she learned new ways to meet both needs as she moved off social media. Upon hearing her story, we are challenged to contemplate the following:

- What would we do with two extra hours in our day?
- Is some of the anxiety we experience due to expectations of social media?
- Do I feel trapped? (I'd love to leave social media behind, but I would miss out on _____________.)
- Is there anything God is calling us to do but we feel we don't have time for?
- What fears do we have about taking a break from or eventually leaving social media?

Hear the rest of my interview with Sandy in episode #63.

Hear and read more from Sandy at her website, www.thescooponbalance.com.

First time here? Grab some free resources here!

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Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

In Episode #60 of the UnPerfect Podcast, I’m talking about my aha moment this summer when I began to seek a slower, quieter life to free up my mind space to better commune with God. I'm sharing 8 practical things I’ve put into place to help quiet my mind and hear God's voice.

In today's episode, we'll discuss the following and how they impact our ability to meet with Jesus without mental distractions and worries:

• information overload
• digital bondage
• overcrowding of schedules
• the problem with filling up on good things

Scriptures mentioned in the episode:

•  Luke 10:38-42
•  Luke 2:8-16
• Matthew 18:12
• Psalm 46:10
• IIsaiah 30:15

Books/Resources mentioned in today's podcast:
* Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day
* Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul
* Domestic Monastery: Creating A Spiritual Life At Home
* Practicing the Way Curriculum for Small Groups


Order my favorite pens and highlighters that WON'T bleed through the thin pages of your Bible

Support the show

Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

Why do we make the gospel so complicated and sharing it so difficult? In Episode #59, you'll hear about one woman's journey from atheism to faith in Jesus.

In this edition of "Fridays With Friends," I interview author, Ericka Clay on her incredible journey to following Jesus. Ericka is a published novelist and poet. As a former atheist turned believer, she seeks to write raw, real, relatable literature. She's been awarded several times by Writer's Digest for her short fiction pieces and just released her latest novel, A Bird Alone, in January of this year.

In today's episode, we discuss:

• Ericka's journey from atheism to surrendering her life to Jesus
• The creativity of a God who chases us uniquely
• Ways we tend to confuse witnessing with discipleship and how to know the difference
• How following the example of the life of Jesus is the best way to share the gospel
• Ericka's writing journey as a believer and as her own expression of worship

Scripture mentioned in today's episode:

Psalm 73:26

Hosea 10:12

See and hear more from Ericka at www.erickaclay.com. Subscribe to get her newsletters and access her free e-books!

Check out Ericka's other books here!

More UnPerfect Episodes on the Power of Sharing Our Story:
Episode #28: How To Know Your Story Matters
Episode #51: Can God Really Use A Woman Like Me?

Support the show

Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

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Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

Ever feel like you're living in a perpetual waiting room? Waiting for the next season to get here or for the dream to be realized? What if I told you God's call on your life begins RIGHT NOW - right where you are? It's true!

In episode #58 I'm discussing 3 ways we can be content in our callings - in the moments and seasons God has put us in.

I also give you two practical things you can do TODAY to help you out of the waiting room and into a purpose-filled season of life.

Grab your free Gratefufness/Remembrance download mentioned in the podcast here! (It includes the scriptures quoted in this episode and some prompts for a week of remembering gratefulness for God's past activity in our lives).

Other episodes I refer to in this one:
Episode #36 - While Waiting: How to Make the Most of Waiting Through "Slower" Moments
Episode #55 - The Only Thing That Matters: Making Jesus Our Life's Priority

Feeling like life did not turn out the way you planned? Or worse – the way the Bible promised? We can learn to live well in the tension of the “now and the not-yet” of our UN-perfect lives. Embracing UN-Perfect is a journey to get you started - a 7-day dive to living fully the life you’ve been dealt. Grab it here.

Support the show

Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

Join my newsletter and never miss an episode or update!

Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!

Today's guest on Fridays With Friends is here to offer hope to women who are silently asking the tough question: My husband is addicted to pornography - now what?

In Episode #57 of the UnPerfect Podcast, Jody Allen offers heartfelt and practical answers to this question that well over 50% of women ask. She shares the following insights for women who have loved ones addicted to pornography:

• her personal story of heartache, healing, and hope
• signs that someone you love may be addicted to pornography
• Wisdom she learned about marriage, divorce, her Savior, and herself along the journey
• Practical steps women can take to find courage, hope, and healing from the effects of a husband's addiction to pornography

Grab Jody's free resource - 15 Ways to Brave here.

Head over to www.jodyallenwrites.com to get on her email list so you can order her book, Hidden Heartache: Finding Courage When Your Husband Struggles With Pornography when it releases later this month!

Want to hear more on similar topics? Check out:
* Episode #19 Reframing Rejection
* Episode #32 Finding Jesus In the Land of My Captivity

Support the show

Loved this episode?! Leave a 5-star rating (and review)! Instructions here for the technologically challenged.

Join my newsletter and never miss an episode or update!

Claim your free UnPerfect printable download, The UnPerfect Promises of God: Five Biblical Affirmations for Living in the Now and the Not Yet

I’d love to speak at your women’s event or retreat - check out my website!

*As an Amazon Associate, I make a few cents if you buy one of the books I've linked to above. Enjoy!