You Don't Have To Be Perfect Podcast with Vanessa Luu

Inside today’s Podcast, I have with me Richella Parham.  She is a wife, mother, writer, and author of the award-winning book, Mythical Me. I’m so blessed to have her here today because I know she has a lot of great encouragement and practical application for us on how to stop the habit of comparison. Comparison is usually a very big component of perfectionism. It’s that constant evaluation of ourselves against the standards of this world. Are we measuring up? Can we try harder? Will we ever be enough? Believe it or not, these thoughts and questions we ask ourselves hinder us in our God-given purpose. We live less than we were created for while attempting to be more.

I love this episode so much.  The conversation is rich with beauty and truth.

More about Richella:

Richella J. Parham is a speaker and author of the award-winning book Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Renovaré, a Christian spiritual formation ministry. With a birthmark covering more than a third of her body, Richella struggled from her earliest days with feeling that she never measured up. She now applies her experience and training to help others break free from the trap of constant comparison, clearing a path for struggling Christians to take hold of a life of confidence, compassion, and community.

Connect with her here!

richellajparham.com

@richellaparham

Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison (IVP)

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

website: bodysoulandmind.info

Inside today's podcast, I have with me, Rachel Pieh Jones. I am stoked for this interview today. Rachel and I have been in a hope circle for over a year now and I am blessed to know her and honored to speak with her today. She is an incredible writer who lives in Djibouti Africa! Her and her husband founded a school there and if I’m not mistaken have been living there for 17 years. Rachel is a runner and a mother of 3, and has recently taken on Grad school! Her most recent book, Stronger Than Death, is an intense and inspirational story about Annalena Tonelli and how she Defied Terror and Tuberculosis in the Horn of Africa.

In today's episode, we cover topics of:

-Comparison

-Rachel's call to Africa

-The struggle of holding on to encouragement and positive comments

-Annalena's life and inspiration

It's a fantastic episode filled with laughs. 

I highly recommend her book Stronger Than Death, and the direct link to purchase that book is in the paragraph below.  You will love it!  Here's an article I wrote on it: https://vanessa-luu-bsm.squarespace.com/loveandtruth/2020/1/21/stronger-that-death-a-review

A little bit about Rachel:

Rachel Pieh Jones writes about life at the crossroads of faith and culture for the New York Times, Christianity Today, Runners World, and more. Her work is influenced by living in the Horn of Africa, raising Third Culture Kids, and adventurous exploration of the natural world. She is the author of Stronger than Death: How Annalena Tonelli Defied Terror and Tuberculosis in the Horn of Africa. Visit her at www.rachelpiehjones.com Stay in touch with Rachel through Do Good Better, a Substack newsletter www.rachelpiehjones.substack.com

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

website: bodysoulandmind.info

As children of God shouldn’t we be a good example and hustle hard? I mean look at 1 Thessalonians 3:10, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

Are you a hustler?  Do you work hard for the things you want?  Tune in!

Our second season starts October 1st and I am THRILLED to start releasing these episodes.  I love ALL of my guests, I know that they have so much to offer.  You will be blessed for sure.  I also have some exciting new ideas brewing for this podcast!  If you'd like to stay updated and aren't already subscribed to my email list then head on over to my website, www.bodysoulandmind.info, and let's get connected!!

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

website: bodysoulandmind.info

The world will always tell us we need more. We need to have more. We need to be more. We need to achieve more. And if we don’t become more, we have failed. The church has told us that we need to be more too. We need to be like Jesus; perfect. "It's not possible but you have to try." We need to be righteous. We need to be different than we are now. And if we don't become like Jesus, most likely we'll be turned away at the gate. 

Starting September 18th you can even receive ADDED support to this journey of deepening your faith in practical ways.  So what do you think, are you in???  Cool, click the link in my bio and select truth and tools.  If you're the type of person where more details are better go ahead  click here www.bodysoulandmind.info

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

Inside today's podcast, I have with me Mabry Gardner.  It’s difficult and very stressful to live in a state where nothing is certain, when you don’t know whether to go left or right, up or down. My guest today shares some of her journey of graduating from college and having all her plans change in a matter of a few days.

I found such courage and inspiration from talking with Mabry.  She is proof that when you open yourself up to the Holy Spirit He moves.  If Mabry had stayed in her comfort zone she wouldn't be where she is today!

Mabry is a social worker and aspiring public speaker living in Northwest Arkansas with her 5 year old cat Ellis. She is passionate about building healthy community, celebrating small victories and trying to find a dance break in everyday. You can find her at www.mabrygardner.com or @mabrydoesthings on Instagram.

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

website: bodysoulandmind.info

Inside today’s Podcast I have with me Anna Grist. She is a Wife, Mother, and freelance graphic designer. She enjoys spending her “extra” time hiking, writing, reading, painting, and photography! I have almost all of that on my list of enjoyments as well!

Anna lives in a tiny hamlet in southern Alberta, right smack next to the Rockies, about an hour west of Calgary. Most of her life she’s expressed herself through visual art, but has renewed her love of the written word and is learning how to take captive the scattered thoughts that she lets slip too many times and put them down on a page instead. 

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

Welcome to Bonus Episode #1-Lies from the world

When referencing the world I don’t actually mean God’s creation, I mean it like Paul meant it in Romans 12:2. The World was created by God, and it was perfect, but then sin entered it and it’s never been the same. So to get the context correct the world could be synonymous with “the flesh” or just plain sin.

Galatians 5:17 says, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” ESV

This is the struggle we feel when we know Jesus. Make no mistake, whether you know Jesus or not you will struggle in this life, but when you choose to follow Him you begin to see these struggles in black and white, in flesh and in spirit.

The world; the flesh; sin, lies to us to keep us in it. The flesh wants us to live from the flesh because the flesh is also of the enemy. Romans 8:7-8 says, “Because the mindset on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” NASB

To give you a real-life relatable example let’s talk about the phrase, You do You, which is very current in our culture today. I like it, honestly, but without the truth backing it up it just doesn’t work.

The lie around this statement, you do you, is that we can somehow manage everyone’s feelings and personalities so that we are all at peace. This won’t ever work. I wish people would figure this out and stop wasting their energy.

“Well, what are you saying Vanessa? Are we not supposed to not care, not even try?” I’m so glad you asked. ☺️

Find your identity in Christ alone and then abide with Him every day. This way you get to be exactly who you were made to be AND if people don’t like you that’s okay, because your creator LOVES you. He cherishes you, He is delighted by you.

Sounds amazing right? So is it really that easy? Yes and no. Yes because when you rest in your identity in Christ you are home and you are living in truth. No, because you actually still live in the earth and so you’ll have to bat away lies like this for the rest of your life. 🤷‍♀️. Is it worth it??

Yes. Living in Truth is 1,000x’s better than going along with the deception that the world has to offer.

Romans says, 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Recognizing the lies of the flesh is so important because if you don’t recognize the lies your reality consists of living in them! I might not know you personally but I can guess that you’d rather actually live in truth than just simulate your life here on earth.

Here’s the good news, you don’t have to figure this all out on your own! God wants to work it out with you! He wants to guide you and Keep you in his care!

If this all sounds great but you’re not really sure how to work things out with God then I want to help. In section 2 of my Truth and Tools workbook I share practical application steps to help you draw near to God and I’m actually going to share the full section with you right now! So grab a pen and a piece of paper (or open up a fresh word document and lets do this!)

Your sample today was from Section 2 of the Truth and Tools Workbook: Don't Let Fear Stop You

Every section in this workbook was created to get you closer to God and provides practical application steps in each section. What you can expect as you go through this workbook is more time in God’s Word as you gain more understanding and clarity for the plans He has created for you. You can get your own PDF copy of this full workbook on my website. bodysoulandmind.info.

Inside today’s Podcast, I have with me, Clarissa Moll. She is a mother to 4 children and works towards rebuilding her career after the death of her husband while learning to let go of what she can’t control.

Clarissa Moll (MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the young widow of author Rob Moll and the mother of their four children. After making her career in fundraising and marketing for small nonprofits, Clarissa now writes to accompany those walking a grief journey. Her writing has appeared in Modern Loss, Grief Digest, The Gospel Coalition, and Christianity Today.

Find Clarissa at www.clarissamoll.com

Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook and support group.

website: bodysoulandmind.info