Latest / Arise Women of God / Rising from the Rubble: Marj Empire's Journey of Faith and Resilience

Transcript

Rising from the Rubble: Marj Empire's Journey of Faith and Resilience · Arise Women of God

• 0:00
  You know, I used to have words in my mind that says, well, nobody's going to pay attention to you.
• 0:04
  You, you're from Haiti, you have an accent.
• 0:06
  You, you're black, you're a woman, you live in Utah, nobody cares.
• 0:12
  You know, everybody else is already doing all the big things.
• 0:16
  And that was always the voices in my head that were contradicting to what God keep telling me personally.
• 0:24
  And I just find a way to make the voice, the positive voice, louder than the other voice.
• 0:33
  Are you a woman who knows God is calling you to something more, but you're unsure where to start or how to grow it into something impactful?
• 0:41
  You are not alone and you're in the right place.
• 0:45
  Welcome to the Arise Women of God podcast, a show for Christian women who feel called to shine his light and step into their divine purpose.
• 0:55
  Each week you'll hear stories of faithful women, both from the Bible and today, who heard God's voice and chose to say yes even when it felt uncomfortable or uncertain to step with faith into the unknown.
• 1:09
  You'll walk away with encouragement, spiritual insight and practical steps to follow those holy promptings in your own life.
• 1:19
  So let's arise together as women warriors of light.
• 1:22
  Let's do it God's way.
• 1:24
  God strong.
• 1:30
  Welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
• 1:35
  I'm your host, Tamara K.
• 1:36
  Anderson and I am so excited to have an amazing woman on as our Woman Warrior Spotlight today.
• 1:44
  And she's a woman I recently met at a retreat and I thought I have got to have her on my show and so let me introduce her to you really quick.
• 1:55
  Marj Empire is a faith filled mother, spirit speaker, author and entrepreneur.
• 2:01
  Born in the Caribbean, now based In Utah since 2012, she is the founder of Blooming Biz and Mind and Baziness where she empowers people to build something meaningful with their lives.
• 2:16
  She teaches women and youth to rise above trauma and reclaim their divine purpose.
• 2:22
  A TEDx speaker and artist, Marj hosts retreats, organizes viral events and uses her voice literally and spiritually to ignite courage and healing and prosperity.
• 2:36
  She has spoken on global stages, led humanitarian efforts and helped thousands of people build businesses rooted in faith and impact.
• 2:45
  I am pleased to present Marj Empire.
• 2:48
  Thanks for joining me today.
• 2:49
  Marj.
• 2:50
  Hello Tamara.
• 2:52
  You are so sweet.
• 2:55
  How are you?
• 2:57
  I am doing fantastic.
• 3:00
  And you know what, as I have thought about Marj and kind of looked at her story, the phrase that just keeps repeating through my mind is rising from the ashes.
• 3:13
  Seriously.
• 3:14
  And so I would love it if you would take me back briefly and kind of talk me through some of the scenarios where God place you in some situations that were probably very difficult, but that you were able
• 3:28
  to rise from that and become better and stronger.
• 3:33
  Yeah, rising from the ashes is like a perfect example.
• 3:37
  Even if we want to go as far as the 2010 earthquake that happened in Haiti, I'm a survivor of that.
• 3:47
  Literally rise from the rubbles and, and getting out of a building I was going to school and, and was covered and, and light dust and realizing some of my classmates were gone and teachers and look around and the
• 4:08
  building doesn't.
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  Wasn't standing anymore.
• 4:11
  So surviving.
• 4:12
  That was huge wake up call for me of knowing why I.
• 4:21
  Why was I saved.
• 4:22
  You know, there's nothing, I don't think there's nothing special about me.
• 4:27
  And you know, one funny thing is I.
• 4:29
  I know I'm not here to talk religion to anyone, but my personal faith is lds and I was like freshly a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
• 4:46
  And I remember during that seven seconds and I wrote about it, I have a whole talk about it on Hopeworks for with the LDS Church on YouTube.
• 4:55
  And I remember one thing that I said during the shaking, which is very short.
• 4:59
  Like 7 seconds is not that long.
• 5:01
  But trust me, if it's seven seconds of an earthquake, it's very long.
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  You want it to stop.
• 5:07
  Okay.
• 5:08
  And I remember during that time I said a very quick and short prayer and promise.
• 5:15
  Have you ever said a prayer with a promise?
• 5:18
  So I remember that little prayer and promise and it said something like, it's.
• 5:24
  It's not my time.
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  I need.
• 5:27
  And I remember specifically saying I need to go to the temple.
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  That's crazy.
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  And I got out.
• 5:39
  I got out.
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  I still cannot describe how I got out, but I was out of the building.
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  I was even scared to be out.
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  When I was looking around, I was like, it's raining dust here.
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  I need to get back in.
• 5:49
  I was like, okay, but back in where?
• 5:51
  There's no in at that point.
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  So it was kind of like a foggy.
• 5:55
  Definitely a miracle, but like a foggy situation I still can't even explain.
• 6:01
  And so after that experience, I got devoted my life to what is my purpose?
• 6:08
  What is that thing?
• 6:09
  Why was it not that time, you know, in 2010?
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  Why, you know, right now?
• 6:16
  I had like 15 more more years of chances, right?
• 6:21
  Why was I given that much time?
• 6:24
  And every year, every six months, I write in my journal, I recircle, I go back to my goals, I go back.
• 6:31
  I'm like, okay, what am I.
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  What's the purpose?
• 6:34
  Did I accomplish enough if that was like my last 15 years?
• 6:38
  Extra change of life.
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  So I always go back into what.
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  What is zit?
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  And then the answer always come to one thing.
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  I'm just here because he wants me to continue his work.
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  He wants me to continue having experiences for me to be able to help, you know, be a little tiny bit of the change that he expect on this earth.
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  Even if it's one person, it'll make a difference with that one person, one woman, one man at a time, in any way possible, you know, so from that experience, I have not been afraid anymore to be myself.
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  You know, I wake up with a song in my head.
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  I'm like, okay, I'm gonna record it and put it out.
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  You know, I wake up with an idea.
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  I'm like, okay, let me just put that out there.
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  I don't care if it's perfect or not.
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  I don't care who judge me.
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  You know, I used to have words in my mind that says, well, nobody's gonna pay attention to you.
• 7:42
  You, you're from Haiti.
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  You have an accent.
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  You.
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  You're black.
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  You're a woman.
• 7:47
  You live in Utah.
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  Nobody cares.
• 7:49
  You know, everybody else is already doing all the big things.
• 7:53
  And that was always the voices in my head that were contradicting to what God keep telling me personally.
• 8:02
  And I just find a way to make the voice, the positive voice, louder than the other voice.
• 8:08
  The other voice won't complete disappear, but when you overpower it, it just a little whispered as, like, yeah, whatever.
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  I can hear you, but I'm not gonna listen.
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  And so that's what I learned to do the past, you know, since 2010.
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  I moved here in Utah in 2012, and I just been doing everything that God put me on the path, everything that.
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  Every goals that I wrote in my life, every idea he gave me, and I turn it into a goal, and I just get up and do it.
• 8:38
  Things that I've thought of when I was a kid, I would always be like, oh, I want to sing in big stadiums and stuff.
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  And I've done it.
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  I've seen the national anthem for the Jazz.
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  I've worked with Gladys Knight.
• 8:48
  I've.
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  You've done albums with Alex Boyer.
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  I've seen for the CEO of Apple.
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  I've done all the big things.
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  And I'm like, it's just so simple.
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  God just whispered something in my mind or an opportunity or sometimes I'm just saying.
• 9:02
  And God is like, you need to become friends with this Woman named Tamara, you need to talk to her.
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  And I'm like, okay, I'm just going to go and talk to her.
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  You know, I put this person on your path for a reason.
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  So I'm very attentive, very much more attentive now to what I hear, to the spirit.
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  I go by energy, I go by what my heart is telling me I am.
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  I used to be a rebellious child of God.
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  I'm no longer that from my experience.
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  And it cost me a lot.
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  When I didn't listen, I saw how much it cost me.
• 9:39
  So I went from like surviving that and then surviving a relationship and having the spiritual warfare, you know, trusting somebody that was, you know, high school sweetheart, married and, and cheating, you know, while being in a bishopric with
• 9:55
  the primary president.
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  So I've got so many crazy experience.
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  I'm like, God, like, why is this happening to me?
• 10:02
  You know, why did you put me on that path?
• 10:06
  And then separation, abuse and all sorts of abuse you can think of.
• 10:11
  And got to a point where I was really mad at God.
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  You know, a lot of you can relate those prayers.
• 10:19
  You're like, why, why, why?
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  And you're mad.
• 10:21
  This shouldn't be happening to me.
• 10:22
  I'm trying to do everything right and you're making this and that happen.
• 10:27
  But at the end of the day, I think he just choose some of his strongest warriors.
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  And sometimes we're mad at it and we're like, I need a break.
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  I don't want to be on your strongest soldiers team.
• 10:39
  But at the end of the day, he knows, he knows us than we know ourselves and we are more powerful than we think we are at the end of the day.
• 10:48
  And so that is one of the reason why, you know, I feel you and I, anyone listening, you will continue feeling unfulfilled, empty.
• 11:03
  If you keep running away from what God put you out here to be, from the lessons that he gave you to learn, and if you keep running away from it, you will not feel that fulfillment you're seeking.
• 11:17
  You have to face who you truly are, who God meant for you to be.
• 11:23
  And you have to start learning that those stuff happening to you were part of the plan.
• 11:30
  I love so much of what you've shared here.
• 11:35
  A couple of follow up questions.
• 11:37
  First of all, you talk about how God speaks these things into your heart.
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  Where do you find that he speaks to you most clearly?
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  Like, is it a certain time of day?
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  Is it while you're reading your scriptures and you say you write them down, talk me through that process because I think it's important we record what God tells us and not doubt it.
• 11:59
  Right, but how does that look for you?
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  You know, it's very simple.
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  You know, a lot of us have different experience.
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  Some of us can hear voices, some of us, it's just so different, very diverse on how God operates with specific of one of us.
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  But for me, it could be anywhere.
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  Could be anywhere.
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  It could be during that conversation with you and something like a big light bulb moment happened while you say something.
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  And then it makes sense with.
• 12:28
  With so many pe.
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  It's like a little piece of the puzzle.
• 12:32
  I think heaven is so much closer to us when we're willing to listen and put our ego down.
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  It could be from my kids asking me a question.
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  It could be while on my walk.
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  It could be anything.
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  It could be while I'm listening to a song.
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  It could be very much anything.
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  But we have to have that.
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  We have to ask.
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  Ask and you shall receive, right?
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  So I'm always asking.
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  I'm always so curious about anything.
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  I'm always saying God.
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  But even anything, anything.
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  I trust God with anything.
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  What, how do I do this?
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  You know, it could be something about my kids.
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  God, please show me, show me, give me something.
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  How do I really.
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  And genuinely asking, how do I do this?
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  Right?
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  It could be a bill that you have to pay.
• 13:32
  It could be just trust, trust God.
• 13:37
  And one of the things that I truly feel from personal experience, we are all assigned specific angels, and they are with us 100 of the time.
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  They are with us.
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  They are direct advisors of God, right?
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  Because he has like gazillion billions of us to take care of, right?
• 14:01
  So he has to delegate.
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  It could be a family member that love you so much, and he's like, you would be good for her.
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  And sometimes if you really, truly listen and let it be, it doesn't matter what else happened.
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  It doesn't have to be perfect.
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  You will feel them.
• 14:19
  You will get answers from strangers.
• 14:22
  I got so many answers from becoming Bonnie's friend, where we met, just from her.
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  And it was the first week I met her.
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  I got so many answers from her.
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  And it could be from a stranger coming to you and say, you know what?
• 14:34
  I don't know why I felt like telling you this, but this, this, this, you're like, there it is, there, there is that.
• 14:42
  It could be while you on a walk, and then you were asking for a sign, and then there's a butterfly that just comes in and lay right on your nose.
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  There is your sign, right?
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  So paying attention, because Sometimes that's all I do.
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  I pay attention, I ask.
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  I constantly ask.
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  I act like a child, a very humble one.
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  I used to run life as if I know it all.
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  I know everything.
• 15:10
  Yeah, I already have the answer to that.
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  I know what I'm going to do.
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  But God is like, yeah, sure, whatever, but this is what you should be doing.
• 15:17
  You just don't know that yet.
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  But you're about to find out.
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  He's really good at getting our attention, isn't he?
• 15:27
  Exactly.
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  So ask.
• 15:30
  Take the time to ask and pray.
• 15:34
  You won't be able to get on your knees all the time, but when you can just do that, it could be while you drive.
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  It could be while you are sitting in the bathroom.
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  Right?
• 15:46
  That's when we have a lot of time to think if we're not on our phone.
• 15:50
  Right.
• 15:50
  I have an ADD brain prayer.
• 15:53
  So that's why I speak to God as if it's like one of my best friends that I'm telling something that I'm talking to that I'm honoring, that I'm showing gratitude to, because that's how he sees us.
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  Like, you are my child.
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  I want you to be my best friend.
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  And you, you.
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  You matter to me.
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  I see you, I hear you.
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  I know your heart.
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  I know what you want.
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  But listen to me.
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  Pay more attention to me.
• 16:22
  Don't get too distracted with the craziness with the world, with the phone, with all the stuff.
• 16:29
  Give me some times, spend some times with me, and you will feel me on your shoulders.
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  The people and the angels that I sent to give you guidance, I'll send you answer.
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  Just listen.
• 16:41
  Oh, I love that so much.
• 16:44
  And what I also loved about what you said was that you don't just listen, you write it down.
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  But then you also talked about an.
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  An important thing that I.
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  Happens to all of us.
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  Anytime God whispers something, it's those.
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  The adversary doesn't want us to make progress.
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  He doesn't want us to make a difference in the world.
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  And so he immediately starts attacking us.
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  Oh, you can't do.
• 17:13
  You're not strong enough.
• 17:14
  You're not smart enough.
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  You don't have the skills you need.
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  And so talk me through how you've learned to combat that and replace.
• 17:24
  You talked about replacing it with the positive thoughts, but.
• 17:27
  But you've obviously had to gain the skills.
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  And I think it's especially.
• 17:33
  It hits us harder when he asks us to do something we don't know how to do yet, you know, and you're like, I really don't know how to do this, God.
• 17:44
  So talk me through that.
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  And it is not just you.
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  Don't know.
• 17:48
  You will have all these don't, don't know how to do it.
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  Don't have the resources, don't have the money, don't have the connection, don't have the skills, whatever, right?
• 17:58
  And there is something that you have to believe in.
• 18:02
  There will always be provision.
• 18:06
  The it's our human nature to want to know all the answers now, because our mind and our brain is naturally going to want to protect us.
• 18:19
  The moment we see fire, we will run the other way.
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  The moment something is falling, we'll run away.
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  So it doesn't hit us.
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  That's just our brain have, like this fast reaction to protect, protect, protect yourself.
• 18:31
  But that doesn't mean that it's just physically.
• 18:35
  Even when there is no fire, there is nobody pulling a weapon.
• 18:38
  There is nothing wrong going on physically to hurt us.
• 18:42
  But if it's emotionally, we want to run too, right?
• 18:46
  If I'm like, tamara, guess what?
• 18:48
  I just assign you to be the main messenger of the whole latent cd.
• 18:54
  And it's a spiritual journey where you're gonna have to wake up every morning, grab a big microphone and motivate everybody around town to have a great day.
• 19:03
  You will automatically freak out, like, whoa.
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  Even you know you can do it.
• 19:07
  You're like, yeah, I love people.
• 19:08
  I love talking.
• 19:09
  We be like, wait, how do I do that?
• 19:10
  What if people.
• 19:11
  What if.
• 19:12
  What if they hate me?
• 19:13
  What if they start, like, coming after me?
• 19:14
  You know what I mean?
• 19:15
  You would be automatically want to protect yourself, right?
• 19:19
  So that's what we do to God when he's like, okay, well, you should do this.
• 19:24
  Hey, here's a song that I give you tonight.
• 19:28
  And usually I'm like, okay, well, I don't know how I'm going to record it.
• 19:32
  It costs a lot of money.
• 19:33
  I remember when the Be still album came to me, I was like, that's gonna cost me about, like, 1500 to record all of these songs and do music videos and stuff.
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  And.
• 19:45
  And I was in Bali, Indonesia, when this came to me.
• 19:51
  And guess what I did on the trip?
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  I had my driver take a picture of the COVID Just like I was.
• 19:59
  Felt like it was supposed to be on the beach on a sunrise.
• 20:04
  That's the cheapest cover album that you can ever think of.
• 20:08
  And people always tell me, like, my gosh, this is so beautiful.
• 20:11
  Is this you?
• 20:12
  I'm like, yeah, it must have been like, this huge trip to Bali to take a photo Shoot.
• 20:18
  I'm like, no, it was just came to me, and it was my phone that.
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  A picture of my phone.
• 20:23
  My beautiful, humble driver took it on the beach.
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  I did not spend one dime on that photo.
• 20:33
  So God works quick.
• 20:37
  The messages come quick.
• 20:40
  And sometimes we lose opportunities because we want to think, so we can think, so we can get ready later, and then we can get ready the next week and the next month.
• 20:53
  Right?
• 20:54
  So sometimes you have to work fast.
• 20:56
  If something comes in and God tell you, like, hey, you know what?
• 21:00
  Just write that down.
• 21:01
  Write it down.
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  You don't have to wait.
• 21:04
  Oh, well, I'll wait until I'm on my computer.
• 21:06
  Now.
• 21:06
  Everybody has a phone.
• 21:07
  You can just grab your phone and do something.
• 21:09
  It could be, why don't you talk to this random lady that you met that one time and maybe she might guide you.
• 21:18
  God knows why that idea is in your mind.
• 21:21
  Why are you waiting until.
• 21:22
  Okay, I'll email her next week.
• 21:24
  Or you put it on your calendar for another.
• 21:26
  Sometimes I call it the no calendar action.
• 21:30
  There are certain things I don't put in my calendar.
• 21:31
  I'm like, by the time I'm writing it in my calendar, I should just get it done, like, right now.
• 21:38
  Again, we have phones.
• 21:40
  We could just get on our phone and get something done so fast.
• 21:44
  And now that we have AI that we can put to good use, that can help us do things even faster.
• 21:50
  Sometimes when I'm thinking about doing something and I'm thinking about, okay, let me put it in my calendar.
• 21:54
  If it's something that I have to meet with somebody, it's already planned.
• 21:57
  Yes, on my calendar.
• 21:59
  But why am I putting in my calendar?
• 22:01
  Hey, September 3rd, write this song that God inspired me.
• 22:08
  No, it's not gonna happen in September 3rd.
• 22:10
  I can just get inspired, like, right.
• 22:13
  I'm on it right now.
• 22:14
  So that's what I did.
• 22:16
  I took action right away.
• 22:18
  Because I was sitting.
• 22:19
  I was doing a meditation.
• 22:20
  It was the sunrise.
• 22:21
  And then it just came to me.
• 22:22
  I'm like, I need to do it right now.
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  So be fast.
• 22:27
  Because blessings and spiritual gifts are given so fast, and we're so busy.
• 22:34
  Such perfectionists we are.
• 22:36
  Our ego is so big, and we lose so many great spiritual opportunity and it.
• 22:42
  And at the end of the day, when it keeps happening over and over and over again, we just become so much death, we can't hear anymore.
• 22:51
  That doesn't mean God stopped giving us.
• 22:52
  We just don't even hear them anymore because our ego is too loud and our perfectionism is too loud.
• 22:59
  And And I, I am saying these things because of my own experience.
• 23:05
  And I know, like, some of us do that a lot, so sometimes we have to shut up a little bit, quiet our mind and do it right now.
• 23:18
  Let go of the need for perfection all the time.
• 23:24
  I love that so much because I think sometimes, well, especially in today's society where so much of what we see on social media and things people are putting in there do look so perfect that especially when you're starting
• 23:40
  off there is that intimidation factor.
• 23:42
  Well, I can't do it, like, so and so out there.
• 23:46
  Right.
• 23:47
  Or if you try and it's terrible, you're like, oh, that didn't work, you know, but the point is, keep trying.
• 23:55
  You know, if I, if I look back on myself as a young podcaster and was I a great podcaster?
• 24:04
  No.
• 24:05
  But I started and I'm not going to go back and rerecord those episodes.
• 24:09
  It's part of my journey.
• 24:10
  Right, Exactly.
• 24:12
  I did the same thing.
• 24:13
  There was so many old videos that are so cringy, like, oh, my gosh, I don't know what I was doing, but I'm like, I did not delete them.
• 24:19
  I'm like, it's part of my story and my growth.
• 24:23
  And I love what you just said, is how we look at other people and how we think that the longer we take the.
• 24:30
  The more perfect.
• 24:31
  I'm going to give you an example.
• 24:34
  When I was in marketing school, we were given a lot of content creation homework and assignments.
• 24:42
  And I remembered I used to spend so much money and time or like, have somebody pay somebody to record things and make some things perfect.
• 24:50
  And then I would put it online and it got like, you know, just a couple of views.
• 24:54
  And I would be like, okay, great.
• 24:56
  And I kid you not, the contents that got to me and I just took my phone and did raw creation with were the ones with like 50,000 views over, like almost 100,000 views.
• 25:13
  So much engagement and all of that.
• 25:16
  So we have to remember we are not perfect.
• 25:20
  Being okay, only God is perfect.
• 25:24
  We're not.
• 25:25
  We have to go through whatever we have to go through with the imperfection.
• 25:31
  Even if it's a startup or anything like that, it's great to get to a point where you're like, okay, I've done so many mediocre things.
• 25:39
  Like, now I have enough time to do nice things.
• 25:44
  It's nice.
• 25:44
  I've got a lot of great things.
• 25:47
  But a lot of my stuff that I've done that were so raw and real, they got More attention because people connect more with it.
• 25:56
  We do not have this connection of too perfect.
• 26:01
  We.
• 26:01
  We can't.
• 26:03
  We can't do that.
• 26:04
  I.
• 26:04
  And that just remind me, when I go on my walk, I like to pick some sunflowers.
• 26:11
  I usually call them my reward for walking three miles or early in the morning.
• 26:16
  Then I go with my little bag and that has a little clipper, and I take some sunflowers.
• 26:21
  I remember bringing some the other day and put them in, like, vase and make sure that I put some solutions and stuff in the water so they can stay a little longer.
• 26:30
  And I remember my daughter, who's 8 years old, said, that looks fake.
• 26:35
  It's so beautiful.
• 26:36
  It doesn't even look real.
• 26:39
  And then my son.
• 26:40
  And then they both went.
• 26:41
  The two days, they kind of, like, fade a little bit.
• 26:44
  They're like, oh, now they look like real sunflowers.
• 26:47
  And I'm like, sometimes something looks too perfect.
• 26:49
  It doesn't even look real.
• 26:53
  And.
• 26:54
  And I was like, that is a good lesson.
• 26:57
  It's okay to don't.
• 26:58
  To not look too perfect all the time.
• 27:02
  Absolutely.
• 27:04
  Absolutely.
• 27:05
  What do you think God has taught you about yourself from the many obstacles that you faced, growing and.
• 27:17
  And becoming who he wants you to be?
• 27:20
  What are some lessons you've learned that you could share with perhaps somebody who's in that hard time right now?
• 27:28
  Yeah.
• 27:29
  One thing that's always in my heart is you are more powerful than you think.
• 27:34
  We are looking at ourselves in what we're sitting on right now.
• 27:40
  We are judging ourselves based on this circumstance.
• 27:45
  And we have that eyes.
• 27:46
  We're looking from that lens of weakness.
• 27:51
  But that's not true.
• 27:52
  It's not who you really are.
• 27:54
  Now, if you.
• 27:56
  If I am looking at you, I don't have the same lens that you have that you're judging yourself with that you really are like you sitting.
• 28:09
  It's like that whole idea.
• 28:11
  God told me every.
• 28:12
  And he told me that not just for myself, it's for everybody.
• 28:15
  Everybody.
• 28:17
  The moment you go through trauma, the moment you go through a very difficult situation in your life, you crumble down and sit on your power, and you can't see it.
• 28:30
  There's no way you're gonna see how powerful you are.
• 28:32
  The moment is now.
• 28:34
  I'm feeling it.
• 28:35
  I'm crying.
• 28:36
  I am crumbling.
• 28:37
  I am devastated.
• 28:41
  I don't have any words.
• 28:42
  I don't have anything left in me.
• 28:45
  So that doesn't mean automatically who you are.
• 28:48
  Your real power disappear.
• 28:49
  It doesn't disappear.
• 28:50
  It just shrinks down because your Pain is overpowering it.
• 28:55
  And so that's one of the thing that I want everybody to remember.
• 29:00
  That's what I know for myself, that we are all more powerful than we think we are.
• 29:07
  And another lesson is pain is just part of the plan.
• 29:13
  You are a very special warrior.
• 29:15
  You're very special if you're going through something very difficult and very, you know, I remember talking to an attorney that told me this.
• 29:27
  He's spiritual.
• 29:28
  And he said, huh, God must have something so big in store for you to be able to choose you to go through that kind of pain.
• 29:38
  Wow.
• 29:38
  He was impressed.
• 29:40
  He was like, you are very special child of God.
• 29:44
  And I was like, that is so weird.
• 29:47
  I want to be protected.
• 29:48
  I want to feel like the princess.
• 29:49
  I want to feel so good.
• 29:50
  I want to be baby that want to be like, you know what I mean?
• 29:55
  That's how I want to be.
• 29:56
  If I'm a very special channel.
• 29:59
  Yeah, no, I, I.
• 30:01
  And I think that's the hard thing about going through difficult scenarios is it's like the adversary wants to take those chunks out of our worth.
• 30:10
  He's like, oh, you went through this hard things and you do.
• 30:13
  You feel very small during it.
• 30:16
  But it doesn't change our worth, you know, that we're still daughters of God, that we're still warriors.
• 30:24
  But I think God can use those hard times to help us be authentic.
• 30:31
  And like you were saying earlier when you spoke directly on social media and recorded raw video footage that speaks more loudly to people because often people go to the Internet and they see perfect people.
• 30:46
  But what helps them connect is when people are really being authentic.
• 30:52
  Hey, I'm in a really hard top place right now.
• 30:55
  And, and you do that.
• 30:57
  And so I think that is why people feel such connection to you is because you're not afraid to be real.
• 31:06
  Right.
• 31:07
  And so God has used these painful parts of your life to speak to his other children.
• 31:14
  Right, exactly.
• 31:17
  And another thing that we have to remember that I have a personal testimony of is that our pain and story is not for our, for just us.
• 31:26
  It's for other people.
• 31:28
  And that is why we cannot be quiet about them.
• 31:31
  We have to, to share it with the world and we have to share our blueprint.
• 31:36
  Your message is someone else blueprint of life.
• 31:42
  So that is why it's very important stories matters.
• 31:46
  I mean, if we look at back the whole Jesus Christ story changed the world.
• 31:53
  If, if they just kept it to themselves, we wouldn't have these records.
• 31:58
  They change the world.
• 31:59
  People will come to you and tell you like and your story doesn't even have to be like a story or in a book or anything like that.
• 32:06
  Just you encouraging someone or you fulfilling your purpose.
• 32:12
  Like singing, for example.
• 32:13
  I remember one time we were rehearsing with someone, and we were rehearsing in an empty place.
• 32:20
  I can't even remember what it was, like maybe an empty storage or something.
• 32:25
  And there was this guy that was just sitting there and just listening to us casually.
• 32:29
  Then when we were done, he came and said, crying, bawling, and said thank you and handed us a paper when we open it.
• 32:38
  And it said that because of you guys music, I decided to leave another season.
• 32:45
  I was planning to take my life today and wanted to come and sit by myself.
• 32:49
  And then he found our rehearsal.
• 32:53
  So you don't know who you're saving.
• 32:55
  You don't know who you are inspiring when you're quiet, it doesn't help.
• 33:00
  God's mission on earth.
• 33:03
  Is that what gives you the courage to speak up and speak out march?
• 33:08
  Yeah, that is.
• 33:11
  That is a powerful motivation.
• 33:12
  And I think that thinking of others, I think I know that's something that gave me the courage to step up and speak out when I was afraid is that if this can just help one person, right?
• 33:25
  Oh, yeah.
• 33:26
  Yeah.
• 33:27
  I was very shy when it comes to public speaking.
• 33:31
  I was always okay singing, but public speaking, like, was like, oh, I don't know.
• 33:36
  And that's one of the things that changed my life.
• 33:38
  I.
• 33:39
  My mentor, who you probably know, Les Brown, told me, once you look at one person in that room that needs you, one person.
• 33:52
  That's it.
• 33:53
  Just focus.
• 33:53
  Like you're talking to one person that actually is your friend that's going through something.
• 33:58
  And guess what?
• 33:59
  Every time I speak on a stage, I always.
• 34:02
  I mean, I have more, but I always have that one person that comes to me and said, that was for me.
• 34:08
  Thank you.
• 34:10
  That was just for me.
• 34:11
  You came here for me.
• 34:13
  At least one person tell me that.
• 34:15
  And so I carry that my whole life.
• 34:19
  That was after I had that experience, like, years from having that experience.
• 34:23
  Somebody come in with that from a rehearsal, not even speaking to a huge audience.
• 34:30
  Just one person, just random person.
• 34:34
  So your story is not yours.
• 34:37
  So don't be selfish with it.
• 34:40
  Your talent, your story, who you are is not for you.
• 34:43
  It's not just for you.
• 34:47
  I love that.
• 34:48
  That you give worth, or you help us see the worth and value in sharing.
• 34:54
  Right.
• 34:55
  That God can use our story for good.
• 34:59
  Right?
• 35:00
  I is.
• 35:01
  That is so powerful.
• 35:03
  Now, Marj, as you've been through these Hard Times.
• 35:07
  Has there been a favorite song that has become meaningful to you that has helped you through these hard times or maybe a favorite Bible verse that you'd like to share that is.
• 35:17
  That has helped you?
• 35:19
  Absolutely.
• 35:20
  And it is a mix of Bible verse.
• 35:22
  I think that's Anna's song.
• 35:26
  And it is.
• 35:27
  How firm a foundation.
• 35:30
  There's a part that says, fear not, I am with thee.
• 35:33
  Oh, man.
• 35:33
  Every time I even say that or hear that part, it just does something to me because I feel like it's directly to me.
• 35:41
  And I think I selfishly make my choir sing it a lot.
• 35:44
  I'm the choir director in my ward.
• 35:47
  They've seen that song already, like the past 12 months, twice.
• 35:51
  Well, and it's, it's, it's a good reminder to us, though, that God is with us.
• 35:57
  He's with us in the happy.
• 35:58
  He's with us in the sad.
• 36:00
  And don't fear because he's got you.
• 36:03
  Right.
• 36:04
  Yes.
• 36:05
  That is whole verse is just, you know, music is another form of prayer, as the scripture tells us.
• 36:13
  So sometimes you can just sing that verse.
• 36:17
  Yeah.
• 36:18
  Yeah.
• 36:18
  I love that.
• 36:20
  Now I know there's going to be people who will resonate with everything you've shared today.
• 36:25
  Where can people find you your music and tell us a little bit about what you're doing now?
• 36:32
  Yeah, I have done.
• 36:34
  I've put so many, so much music out now.
• 36:37
  I have two albums on.
• 36:38
  You can listen to them.
• 36:40
  You can even ask Alexa to play Marj.
• 36:43
  But my other last name was Desius, which is D E S I U S.
• 36:47
  You'll find me with a lot of old stuff that I've done.
• 36:51
  Marj Empire.
• 36:52
  You will find my TEDx with my current last name Empire on YouTube.
• 36:57
  I sing and speak at the same time.
• 37:00
  So you'll find that with hopeworks where I share that full story of survival.
• 37:05
  The earthquake is Also on the LDS Church YouTube business.com retreat.
• 37:12
  It's our upcoming retreat in October.
• 37:15
  So if you want to come and hang out with us and, and let me love on you and brainwash you to love yourself and get out there, just do it.
• 37:24
  And I, and I like to spell it is B, A E Z.
• 37:27
  So it's Build an Empire.
• 37:29
  The abbreviation of Build an Empire Z N e s s business.com retreat.
• 37:35
  We're going to be right here in Utah just loving on some people that comes in to spend some time with us.
• 37:42
  Oh, I love that.
• 37:43
  I will be sure to link all of these things that March has talked about in the show notes for today's episode.
• 37:50
  Okay, so, Marj, tell me what it is that you do specifically now with your business so that other people can know.
• 37:57
  Yeah, so the only.
• 37:59
  The reason why I have built an empire in my business motto is because that's literally what I help people do.
• 38:06
  People come to me and say, hey, I have this and that and that idea.
• 38:08
  And I take that idea into, okay, let's come up with a name, let's build the llc, let's build the ein.
• 38:14
  And now let's build the brand, the website.
• 38:16
  And then where do people pay you?
• 38:17
  And then we create a business from scratch.
• 38:20
  We'll literally help you build an empire and help you with the marketing and.
• 38:24
  And from there, you know, God always is making me grow things.
• 38:29
  And people that I've done business with become kind of like a family to us.
• 38:34
  And they are from all over the country or all over the world.
• 38:38
  We've had clients from India, from Europe, from Asia, from all over the place.
• 38:44
  And then I started doing retreats with them, business retreats where they travel and spend like a week or less with me.
• 38:51
  We would do some spiritual work, personal development.
• 38:56
  And then it started being like, we have like a subscription where my clients pay every month.
• 39:03
  I meet up with them online once a week.
• 39:05
  And then that's how it all started.
• 39:07
  We built the blooming business mind empire.
• 39:11
  So that is what I do.
• 39:12
  I just help you build an empire, take your idea and turn it into an actual business that is making money.
• 39:19
  Oh, I love that so much.
• 39:22
  And so if someone's interested in that, how would.
• 39:26
  What is the best way for them to contact you?
• 39:28
  They can cut you, I mean, from.
• 39:30
  If you're Tamara, if you listen to Tamara, you can just message me directly on my phone and say, hey, I just heard you on the podcast.
• 39:37
  But you can just go on business.com, which is B A B A E Z N-E-S-S.com and fill out a form.
• 39:44
  And I'll do a one on one with you, a free consultation to see where I can help you with your purposeful business.
• 39:51
  Oh, Marj, this has been so amazing and helpful.
• 39:54
  Any final thoughts or words for women stepping into something God has placed on their heart?
• 40:01
  It's just trust the process.
• 40:03
  You don't have to.
• 40:05
  You don't have to see all the road.
• 40:08
  Just pretend that you're driving and it's night and your headlight just show you about three feet ahead.
• 40:14
  But at least you have a gps.
• 40:16
  You know where you're going, you know where you want to be.
• 40:19
  Just trust God, trust that that Heavenly Father's gps.
• 40:24
  Just keep going.
• 40:25
  Don't stop, move forward.
• 40:28
  Get there.
• 40:29
  Oh my goodness.
• 40:30
  Well, thank you for joining us today, Marj.
• 40:32
  It has been an honor to have you on our show today.
• 40:37
  And ladies, please connect with Marj.
• 40:40
  She has such a wealth of amazing knowledge and beautiful music that you can listen to.
• 40:46
  And until next time, may you arise.
• 40:49
  Do it God's way, God Strong.
• 40:54
  Thanks for tuning in to the Arise Women of God podcast brought to you by Women warriors of Light.
• 40:59
  If you're feeling unsure how to move forward in your calling or just tired of doing it alone, visit womenwarriorsoflight.com you'll find resources, accountability, and a community of women who get it.
• 41:15
  Sometimes the calling feels bigger than you.
• 41:18
  That's when you need steady reminders of the powerful God who called you.
• 41:23
  Subscribe now for weekly inspiration and the courage to keep going.
• 41:28
  Because with him, nothing is impossible.
• 41:32
  And you're not the only one.
• 41:33
  God is calling that friend on your heart right now.
• 41:36
  Share this episode with her.
• 41:38
  Your small act of obedience could be the breakthrough she's been praying for.
• 41:43
  Until next time, may you arise, walk God's way and stand God strong.