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

My guest today is Tricia Wahr.

Tricia Wahr is a long-time friend, wife, and mom of 7 kids who works in the financial sector! She enjoys coffee, spending time with her family, and being on the worship team at her church.

Questions: 1. What do you believe about Jesus? 

I believe Jesus is the Son of God. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus. He is the reason I live, and I want to honor and glorify Him in all I do. He loves greater than anyone I've ever known, and all His ways are good. He's the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. He's all-knowing, all-powerful, the forever high priest who has taken away the world's sins for those who accept Him. He's even more than everything I just said.

2. How long have you been attending church? I've been attending church since I was an infant. I loved growing up in the church; I felt surrounded by love and beauty. But that changed for me in my adult years. And it's one of the reasons I pose this question today. Why do you go to church? I'm excited to hear everyone's answers who are willing to speak up. I've wanted to ask this for a long time because I believe there are many who show up to church out of habit but don't really have an intentional reason for being there.

3. Why do you go to church? I used to go to church because I loved the people, the music and the teachings. Now I go to church out of obedience. Yes, I'm being very candid here because this podcast is about authenticity. I believe Christians today are doing church wrong. They are not meeting with the intentions that God laid out for us in the New Testament. I believe God is using me to help the church return to its intended purpose.

4. Do you enjoy attending? I used to, and hopefully I will enjoy it again.

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Questions: 1. What do you believe about Jesus? 

I believe Jesus is the Son of God. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus. He is the reason I live, and I want to honor and glorify Him in all I do. He loves greater than anyone I've ever known, and all His ways are good. He's the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. He's all-knowing, all-powerful, the forever high priest who has taken away the world's sins for those who accept Him. He's even more than everything I just said.

2. How long have you been attending church? I've been attending church since I was an infant. I loved growing up in the church; I felt surrounded by love and beauty. But that changed for me in my adult years. And it's one of the reasons I pose this question today. Why do you go to church? I'm excited to hear everyone's answers who are willing to speak up. I've wanted to ask this for a long time because I believe there are many who show up to church out of habit but don't really have an intentional reason for being there.

3. Why do you go to church? I used to go to church because I loved the people, the music and the teachings. Now I go to church out of obedience. Yes, I'm being very candid here because this podcast is about authenticity. I believe Christians today are doing church wrong. They are not meeting with the intentions that God laid out for us in the New Testament. I believe God is using me to help the church return to its intended purpose.

4. Do you enjoy attending? I used to, and hopefully I will enjoy it again.

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Hey friends, so the You Don't Have to Be Perfect podcast is starting a brand new series called why do you go to church? I will be interviewing people from all over the globe to ask them why going to church is important to them. What are the reasons for showing up week after week, year after year, generation to generation?

I hope you'll tune into these episodes and glean a lot. Also, I would love to have you be a guest. Email me at [email protected] and say I'd like to be a guest in the new series. (Or drop a comment below)

<3 if you're excited about this series!

Inside today’s podcast I am thrilled to interview my favorite fiction author, Danielle Harrington. 

Danielle Harrington is a stay-at-home mom, award-winning author, and hardcore science nerd. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Biola University and taught high school chemistry for five years before becoming a full-time writer. Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of Quidditch, BookTok, Middle Earth, and the perfect hand-crafted chai tea latte.

Danielle lives in Idaho with her husband, daughter, and three cats. Her current mission: Give readers twists they don't see coming and imaginings that keep them thinking long after the story

ends.

Danielle, I am THRILLED to have you with me today. Thank you so much for agreeing to come back to the podcast.

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Pretend you are not about to read a chapter of one of the most famous Bible stories. I'm inviting you to read Chapter 5 with fresh eyes. As I read through the story again, I was amused. The words and actions of each person are so telling. If you get intentional, you can look at your life and plot in these characters.

Pharaoh- The threatened leader.

Moses- The obedient yet concerned servant.

Aaron- The helper.

Hebrew servants- The majority of the population.

God- The all-knowing, all-powerful being. 

Have you ever witnessed a threatened leader? I'm sure you have! Might you have one in your family or at your job? Maybe this character is in your church. At the very least, you've witnessed a threatened leader in a movie or television show. The threatened leader is motivated by fear. Everything they do directly responds to the fear of losing their power.

Do you have a Moses in your life? A person who is obedient to God but also gets confused and concerned when things don't seem to be going too well. Perhaps, in your story, you are Moses?

If you are Moses, who is your Aaron? Who is that person in your life that isn't perfect but does their best to have your back?

We are the Hebrew people/slaves/servants in this story. Believe it.

Most of our discontent with painful circumstances or unmet expectations involves timing. We view life much differently than God. He has the pleasure and the privilege to live outside of time while we don't. This truth has caused me to become angry more times than I can count, but the discrepancy between our timelines is an opportunity to grow in faith and trust Him.

Moses obeyed God even though he felt unqualified; what God asked of him was no small feat. God called Moses to deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt! Moses didn't go to school for this. He didn't study ancient texts and uncover some secret missions to carry out. He had run away from a murder he had committed and was content to live under the radar as a shepherd among the Midians.

God promised Moses that He would be with him, but Moses counted it a failure when Pharaoh increased the labor for the Hebrew people. He asked God, why did you do this to your people!? This a valid question and one I can relate to well. Here's what I noticed, though, in chapter 3, verse 12, God says, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

God's promise, in chapter 3, does not include multiple victories but one victory at the end. This means God will be with Moses throughout the entirety of the deliverance. God even told Moses precisely what would happen with Pharoah. Moses knew that Pharoah would not accept his terms immediately because God told him so in chapter 4, verses 21-23. But when the opposition took place, Moses freaked. To this, I reply, "Same."

Freaking out at the first site of opposition is my norm. You think I would have learned by now, but like Moses, I am drawn to ask God why?

Thoughtful Pause

Do you trust God even when things get scary? Spend time in prayer now and be honest with God about your insecurities.

God is trustworthy, and He’s also gracious with our insecurities. As you close this chapter today, remember all the ways that God has come through for you in His perfect timing and ask Him to help you remember those the next time things get scary.

You can use the Exodus story to help strengthen your faith. God does exactly what He promises to do every time.

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Inside today's podcast, we have Dawn Michelle Michals returning! Michelle and I have a deep Spirit-filled conversation.

Our chat was so long that I broke it up into two episodes, and I know you'll love them both. Today we cover what God does with our desires as well as Michelle's devotional of Matthew chapter 6. Grab your copy!

6 Days with Matthew 6: A six-day journey through Matthew 6 

The ebook is currently available. Please leave a review!

https://a.co/d/9mUypHp

Kindle Vella - The Secrets of Claymore Castle

Think Stranger Things meets Mission Impossible meets Odd Squad meets Indiana Jones.

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B098Q39DG5

My website and blog www.dawnmichellemichals.com

Sign up to be in my Friends Circle! https://dawnmichellemichals.activehosted.com/f/1

And I'm on Instagram @dmmwrites

www.instagram.com/dmmwrites

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Inside today’s podcast, I have with me Katie Ruga. Katie is a Christian wife and an elementary educator who turned homeschool mama to her 3 children. She’s passionate about encouraging other mamas to pursue biblical motherhood and is working on her own exciting project to accomplish just that.

Questions we discussed

What's the first step in trading toxic motherhood for biblical motherhood?

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Inside today's podcast, I have with me, Sarah Westfall. Sarah is a writer, speaker, podcast host, and community director for The Stories Between Us. Her writing explores the intersection of faith, community, and connection. At the end of the day, Sarah’s favorite place is with her people. She lives for slow Saturday mornings at home, sipping pour-over coffee with her husband Ben as their four sons play (very loudly). Sarah and her rowdy crew call Indiana home. You can connect with her on Instagram at @sarah_westfall or through her weekly letter Human Together at sarahewestfall.substack.com.

Join the conversation as we let go of perfect and embrace where we are choosing joy along the journey. It isn't easy to do, but we have help.

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education and a master’s in Student Development Counseling, which opened the door to vast experiences in the worlds of both publishing and higher education. Her previous roles include serving as a student life professional on college campuses, freelance writing and editing, and teaching at both the secondary and collegiate level—experiences that enriched and shaped her pursuit of belonging. More recently, her two work worlds have converged as she stepped into leadership roles as community director for online creative communities like hope*writers and The Stories Between Us.

My favorite takeaway from today's conversation: There’s a difference between isolation and solitude. Isolation is withdrawing or hiding; disconnecting ourselves from God and other people. Solitude is making space to connect with God and ourselves.

To connect with Sarah, join her substack! sarahewestfall.substack.com. She'll provide you with quality content.

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Other Resources:

You Don't Have To Be Perfect by Vanessa Luu

Truth and Tools Workbook by Vanessa Luu

The Relevant Old Testament by Vanessa Luu

To Support

Leave a review and help spread the word about this uplifting podcast. You can also support it financially here:

https://anchor.fm/vanessa-luu 

Inside today's podcast, I have, with me, Rebecca “Becky” Gonzalez. Becky is a writer and speaker. She is a recovering perfectionist and people-pleaser, a hopeful encourager and freedom fighter. She embraces the grit and grace of life, love, and faith, and uses her words to encourage others. Becky lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, three children, and their rescue dog, Riley. Connect with her online at beckygonzalez.substack.com and on Instagram @_beckygonzalez.

I knew I would love talking with Becky, and then I read the half-page summary of her brand new book, Glimpses of Love- The most excellent way of imperfection; I got even more excited!

Ways you can connect with Becky:

beckygonzalez.substack.com

On Instagram @_beckygonzalez www.instagram.com/_beckygonzalez

On Facebook Becky Gonzalez - Writer

You can find more details about her book here - Glimpses of Love: The Most Excellent Way of Imperfection