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Before the Page Turns | A Wholehearted Advent Examen · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: Plans, parties, and presents.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: These days always seem to blow together, don't they?
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: But what is Christmas and Advent season really all about?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, for you, the multi-passionate woman who's seeking purpose, Advent is an invitation to take a sacred pause, to refocus on God, on you, and on your people.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the 9th annual Wholehearted Advent Podcast Series, sharing wisdom and transformation for the moments that matter most.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: Hey friend, I am so glad that you are here with me in this Advent space.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: If you've been following along these past few weeks in the Advent season, you may have noticed a theme weaving through everything in the many voices of wisdom, in the re-shared conversations, and even in the intentional reflections.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that theme is we are people of story.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: You are shaped by the stories you've lived, the stories you tell yourself, and the stories God is inviting you to step into next.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: And in this season, we're moving towards something that I feel so excited about, including a pair of slightly new, kind of new and kind of old fictional Christmas stories that I have rewritten, re-recorded, and re-edited just for you.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: But before we get to that fun of the season or wherever this specific podcast episode lands for you, I want to invite you to pause with me.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: I want to invite you to breathe, to reflect, and to just make some room.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because before you step into a new story, you often need to release the one that has been holding tight to you.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: This episode could be part of a sacred shift, just a quiet in-between moment, like Avan is, before the page turns, or a new chapter begins.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Now, a quick heads up.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you are multitasking or driving while you listen, that is so okay with me.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead and finish listening to this reflection once through.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: But you may want to come back later with a journal or even your notes app.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: I have created this exam to be an opportunity to open your heart or your mind or your body layer by layer.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes what stirs the first lesson might become more clear or more profound the second time around.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now, one of the reasons I love writing stories, whether it's the fictional stories in my Anya Summer series or the dramatic reading episodes I'll be sharing here over the next couple weeks, or the real stories from your lives and coaching and the deeper identity stories in my upcoming book, is that I think story helps you and me see with greater clarity, including what we might miss in the moment.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because the Enneagram does help name your patterns, but story helps you understand how those patterns were formed.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And best of all, Jesus helps you write a new story with truth and grace.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that is why I've created this Advent exam.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking about Hannah in 1 Samuel.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: She's a woman whose story held longing and ache, hope and disappointment, holy waiting and unexpected joy.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: She didn't edit her emotions, she brought her whole self to God.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And scripture says her face was no longer downcast.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Not because everything changed instantly, but because God's peace met her before the answers did.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: So as you hear this Advent reflection today, may peace meet you in the same way.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: Peace before the answers.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: What's in 2026 and what is ahead, and what are your goals and what are the things you're going to do?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to pause and take some time to release what's been weighing you down from this year.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: The unspoken things, the disappointments you've tried to outrun, the pressure you've carried, or just the expectations that were so far not met.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to consider this as an opening of your hands, perhaps even an unclinching.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And a moment where your story might need to whisper, I can't carry this anymore.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: So we're going to do this a few times together, but first let's take a slow breath.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Simply inhale.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: God is with me.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Exhale.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: I release what is not mine to hold.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'm going to guide you through a few questions.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want you to force answers.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: I just want you to notice what rises.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's a word, a phrase, an emotion, or maybe even nothing.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Just pay attention.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: So our first question in this exam is what storyline from this year feels heavy in your hands?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's a chapter you didn't choose, a role that exhausted you, a plot twist you're still grieving, a relationship strain, a lost dream, a version of yourself you tried to maintain?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just let it surface.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Again, you're not judging or figuring it out, but this is just an opportunity to notice.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Question two.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Where did you become less generous?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Less hopeful?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Or less open?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Question number three is what expectations, either yours or someone else's, need to be returned to God so you can breathe and relax again?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Not in a sense of defeat that you didn't meet those expectations, but in trusting God in deeper ways.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: When Julian of Norwich wrote, All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well, she wasn't ignoring hardship.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: She was naming the deeper reality that God holds what we can't.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: So remember this truth.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: Conviction isn't condemnation.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: Instead, it's an invitation and the doorway to a better story, an opportunity to turn the page and partner with what the Lord has for you.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: So let that truth help you relax this moment.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Let's inhale again together.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Breathe in.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: God is with me.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Breathe out.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: I release what is not mine to hold.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Every good story has moments of unexpected goodness that carry us through darker scenes, right?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: The laughter that shows up, the comedic relief, or maybe just the pause and warmth.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: So this is where I want you to take some time to take notice of the threads of grace that have held this year together, maybe held you.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Advent is an opportunity, a rhythm to remind you that God shows up in small and hidden ways, not only in the burning bushes and parting seas and a cloud by day and a pillar flower by night, but sometimes in just a quiet conversation.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's when you had unexpected strength.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes it's that you survived the whole thing.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: So the next question is where did light and goodness touch your year, even if it was just a little bit?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Was it a moment of good, deep belly laughter?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you had a breakthrough.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you developed a new friendship.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you stayed faithful to a prayer rhythm that has been life-giving.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Or perhaps a provision you didn't expect or even ask for.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now, where can you trace God's nearness, even if you can only now see it or recognize it in hindsight?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: Was it a closed door that protected you?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've heard this saying, and it's really helped me that their rejection is God's protection.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it felt like rejection.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's done quite a bit.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And even though you don't have that full circle moment, you're grateful, well, that it just wasn't the opportunity for you.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe as you trace God's nearness or begin to recognize it, you can remember that whisper of clarity you had.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't loud and it wasn't a 90-degree turn.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: It was just a 1% or a 10% nudge that you had, and you're so glad that you went that direction.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Perhaps even you experienced comfort that you can't really explain.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: It just was there.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what goodness of this last year, or even in these last couple of weeks, have surprised you?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: When was it that beauty whispered, this matters?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Was it mercy, provision, even joy you didn't expect to feel it again?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'll tell you, friends, joy has surprised me this year.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's hit me out of the blue, and about things that I least expected.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I am so grateful for the return of joy.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: And as you look at that goodness, let gratitude just fill you and steady you.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's not about pressure of finding it or even receiving it or noticing it.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's just there to ground you.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's breathe together again.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Inhale.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: God is with me.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Exhale.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, thank you for every good and perfect gift.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, this is where your story turns.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: This is where you can begin to consider a new chapter.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe even allow that new chapter to take shape.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: And perhaps it's just a little thing like hope being something that you can imagine and cling to.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Haven't is not just about waiting.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: It is truly about turning the page in the next step for your story.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: As we go through these last three questions of receiving, maybe if, again, if you're not driving or multitasking, maybe put your hand on your heart.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe both of them.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: Just giving yourself kind of a hug and and in this place of receiving and holding it close.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And ask yourself, what do I want to receive in the season ahead?
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want to receive peace, clarity, or joy?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're just longing for deeper trust and enough courage to take the next wholehearted step.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Now ask yourself, what rhythm or posture feels like part of your next chapter?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: What do you want to take with you?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: What do you want to try out?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: What do you want to begin again or try for the first time?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Is it a little longer pause in the morning?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe a weekly Sabbath?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Honest journaling, not editing what your pen or pencil puts to the page.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's asking for help, letting yourself rest, more generosity, or even a willingness to dream again.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: And as you finish this reflection time, I want you to consider what is the holy whisper that God might be speaking right now to you about the story that has unfolded this last year or the story you hope will continue to unfold into the next year.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: Again, this isn't about digging deep and finding this big answer.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: There's no pressure here.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Just wanting to invite you into the promises that the Lord is already holding and declaring over you.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's a simple whisper like, my starting point doesn't have to be my stuck point.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Or my story isn't over.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm ready to turn the page.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Or perhaps, I am God's beloved.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because he first loved me, I can love wholeheartedly in return.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Let that settle deep.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And inhale with me.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: God is with me.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Exhale.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: I receive all that you have for me, Lord.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: Friend, I do see this Advent exam as not the end of something, but the beginning of something new.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Over the next couple of weeks here leading up to Christmas or the next couple of episodes, whenever you happen to be listening to this, I am going to be sharing some story.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Not just to entertain you, but to invite you into story, to consider where fear in your life can shift into generosity and scarcity breaks open into wholehearted abundance.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: These are stories that are a little reminiscent of my life, but also they're a blend of stories from the women that I've walked with as well.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: And as always, stories that reflect the truth from scripture.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: They're also a little sample of the kind of stories I've woven together, forming the heart of my new upcoming wholehearted Enneagram book, where each type gets its own fictional vignette.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be moments where old narrative cracks open and new ones begin.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: So whenever you listen to the stories or dive into the stories that are coming ahead, not only this year, but in 2026, I hope that as you listen, you'll hear the echoes of your own story and you'll see how God is carefully orchestrating the plot line of your life with tenderness, with truth, and with wholehearted transformation.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Friend, your starting point does not have to be your stuck point, and the page is already turning.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: As you continue on with your day or the evening ahead, I want to just give a little blessing, if you will.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: So may you release what was never yours to carry.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: May you remember the quiet threads of grace woven through your year.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: May you receive the courage, clarity, and joy for the chapter God is writing next.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Hear a story of hope that is anchored in truth and formed by love.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm truly honored to begin this next chapter with you and walk with you one wholehearted step at a time.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: As you go, friend, may you slow down, savor the moments that matter most, and make space for Christ to meet you right where you are.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if you need a little more support this season, you can download the free wholehearted gift giving guide or book a clarity call to help you find peace and presence in your own story.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: Merry Christmas.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: And remember, your wholehearted story is still being written.