Latest / She Speaks Life - Christian Women, Strengthen Your Faith, Bible Study, Grow Spiritually In Christ / Move From Tired, Anxious, And Overwhelmed To Fulfilled, Whole, And Free With Amy Seiffert

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Move From Tired, Anxious, And Overwhelmed To Fulfilled, Whole, And Free With Amy Seiffert · She Speaks Life - Christian Women, Strengthen Your Faith, Bible Study, Grow Spiritually In Christ

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Hey friend. Welcome back to she speaks.
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Like I'm so glad you chose to listen to today and hey if you
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have not received my free gift yet, click on the link below in
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the show notes and I will give you my free download of God's
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ID, my ID which is all about God's characteristics and how
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they applied to your life today. Plus you'll get the newest
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updates of some new stuff coming.
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That I'm super excited about and I want you to You to be the
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first to know about it. Today, my guest is Amy Cipher.
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She is the author of starved. Why we need a spiritual diet?
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Change to move us from tired, anxious and overwhelmed to
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fulfilled whole and free Amy's shares.
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How to get unstuck from being spiritually, starved and feeling
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anxious and overwhelmed to living grounded in God's word.
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And Experiencing God's presence and peace.
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We talked about so many topics. This conversation is jam-packed
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with the best stuff and I can't wait for you to hear Amy.
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This is so powerful, so let's dive in.
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Here's my guest, Amy Seifert. Amy.
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Welcome to she speaks life. I'm so happy you're here today.
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Hi, I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you for having me.
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Yeah, this is so fun for me. I met you on the gram.
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I'm on Instagram. And, you know, the way you just
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speak encouragement to others and just really point us to
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Jesus and his word, and I just appreciate it so much.
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There's so much each day. That you know, whatever I'm
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going through it seems to meet me right where I'm at, and I
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know that's totally the holy spirit so I just appreciate you
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coming on there and really giving us that inspiration that
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nourishment that we need on a on a daily.
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And I can't wait to talk about your book called starved.
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Why we need a spiritual diet? Change to move us from tired,
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anxious, and overwhelmed to fulfilled.
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Whole and free. And amen, this is my testimony
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and a nutshell. And we'll get more into that but
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before he had, I would love for you to share your favorite Bible
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verse and why? Hmm, well thank you.
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I love the G. It's fun to create a Ministry on
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their, right. And yeah, interrupt people's
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news feeds with, with God's word.
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So yes. Okay.
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Ha favorite. How do you choose?
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But I know One man, one, that blesses me over and over, like I
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routinely think about it is Psalm 33 and it is you are a
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shield about me. My glory and the lifter of my
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head, those three promises, I come back to a lot because my
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dad used to say this phrase to my sister and I all the time.
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He used to say, chin up baby doll when we were crying and
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just having a hard time. And I just He's the lifter of
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our heads to Psalm 33. He saying chin up like you're
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mine. It seems like a tender like look
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to me and I'm attack care of your machine old you.
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So that's one of my favorites. Mmm, I love that and especially,
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you know, this season. I don't know why I watched your
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Instagram. I think it was a recent real and
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you said it. So, relatable to me anyway.
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And I know I'm not the only one and, and I know like, Like, you
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know, if you're sitting there, you know, sharing how you're
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feeling, I know you've gone through it too and you know,
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other women that go through it, but you were talking about how
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December so exciting and, you know, it's, you know, just a lot
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of energy and excitement that goes around Christmas and the
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holidays with family and gifts and shopping, and all that and,
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and celebrating Jesus's birth and then January comes, and it's
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like so great. You know, gray perfect.
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And I'm like I feel that every time the New Year rolls around,
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like I see all these people just shooting for the Stars writing
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down their dreams, their goals. I mean, they're so motivated
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like a springboard on January 1st and I'm going that is just
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not me. I'm completely the opposite.
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I go in a slump. Oh my gosh, it's horrible.
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It's yeah, I'm with you and I feel like, oh, Oh no.
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Like I have to return to my everyday ordinary life.
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The laundry has piled up for weeks now because you know,
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we're in the moment. Yeah, it just the return.
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The re-entry is so hard. Yes we need there's hurt enough,
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right? Yeah.
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Yes. So I love that verse the lifter
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of. Yeah.
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You know our head because yeah I need that like especially in the
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month of January. So alright.
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Well let's get going and talk about Our buck and just start
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from the beginning. Like why was this book so
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essential to you? Why?
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Why I shared this story? Yes, my well it started in my
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home often. Write our story comes right
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where we're living there. You see everywhere around you
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right about four years ago. My oldest son.
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Was he was truly he was eating but he was starving.
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And what I mean by that is he came home from summer camp and
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his stomach hurt. And then, over the next six to
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eight ish weeks, he lost 15 pounds and he's was 11.
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And that's a lot of pounds on the 11 year old.
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And yeah, he was sleeping a lot. He was lethargic and then
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stomach pain after every meal and you know, we just were
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watching like what's going on with our son?
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And we finally, Battery of tests and all the trying to figure out
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what is the diagnosis. And he was diagnosed with
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crohn's disease and just realizing, okay, he needs a
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complete and total diet change, like, there is an inflammatory
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things going on and we need, we need to try a whole new diet
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change, but me as his mom, I remember because there was a
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diet change. We took everything out of our
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pantry. We took every spice, everything
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out of the fridge. And I Around.
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Look at all the labels and you know, is there any maltodextrin
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here? Any cake engaging do any right
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of this of him standing there. And I'm crying because I'm so
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I'm overwhelmed and anxious and tired, right?
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Like I'm right. Well, the whole shebang the
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three, right. Yeah.
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That's not good. Not good.
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And I'm crying. And I felt like cud this head.
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Like I'm going to Shepherd you through this, but you have to
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come to me. I had spent a lot of nights on
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Google researching. You know, what is this?
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What how do we solve that? You know, and I just was, I was
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exhausted. And he not that not that we
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can't research, but I sensed he said, come to me.
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Like, I'm your Shepherd and sit with me and I needed.
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I needed to start consuming differently.
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The way my son, needed a physical diet.
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I needed a spiritual diet change.
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Yeah, started it in my house. Wow, I mean, that's all
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relatable. I mean.
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How many times do we? That's kind of the last Resort
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going to God, we go to Google, we try to solve things on our
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own more than going to the Lord. Like, we're still going a Lord,
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but we're actually take trying to take control over the
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situation and not just surrendering it to him.
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Absolutely. That gold piece is yes and my
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own self. Sufficiency is huge, you know?
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Like yeah. All these places I want to Feast
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on and gods like, hey, just we need Replacement here.
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Yeah. And I think especially when it
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comes to our kids, it's like the enemy knows like you know he
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that's a that's a target for us moms is like when we're getting
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messed with our kids are getting messed with you know definitely
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I'm with you. I hands off.
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Yeah. Mama Bear is here.
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Exactly. Okay, so I know talking about
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like our dry season spiritually. We've all been there.
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R. What do you do when you feel
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like yourself was struggling? Like, how did you get grounded
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in the truth? Like how did you get back into
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that? Yeah, you know, it was a
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practice that I started to adopt that took still still today.
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I'm like oh I want to avoid it. I started to just replace that
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scroll with five minutes of silence.
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So I'm not Talking like, sign up for a retreat, three days with
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monks and you have this like silent re though, that is
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amazing. But is there a way to sit in
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silence? Like, when I feel overwhelmed,
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sometimes I just want to distract and distract myself and
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look for something pretty look for, you know, something to
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relieve myself, like relief, right?
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Since God say, put put the noise down but everything down five
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minutes with me. In silence and actually before I
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hopped on the podcast, just found a window.
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The sun is out today. Thank goodness in January and I
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just imagined the sun shining on my face.
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The way numbers says that God is face shines upon us and just
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letting myself sit in the goodness of who God is And
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subscribe, ambling around or trying to solve something my own
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it has been so, Grounding for me, when I feel my soul starting
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to reach and grab for something to satiate, right and to just
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sit there, that's counterintuitive.
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I would rather be busy. Yes, but that five minutes of
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Soul, practice. I'll tell you what, the first
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time I tried silence, like the practice of 5, mins of Silence.
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I set my bone timer for 5 minutes and those first four
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minutes. I felt like this puppy that
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couldn't find the right nap spot.
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Right? Like, you know writing all over
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the couch and just kind of like just Then that last-minute
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finally settling in and I just felt such a piece of like I
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don't have to hurry around. God has me.
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He's taking care of the world and I can say here.
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Hmm. And it was really healing.
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Yeah, I know I I think that's the hardest thing to do but the
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same time as the best thing for us to do is just to sit there
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and quiet ourselves before the Lord and not Not fear of missing
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out. We all it's almost like foam.
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Oh right. Why don't you just sit there
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like like oh my gosh, I'm missing out on something.
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I got something else to do and you know it takes a while for a
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mind not to go through the laundry list of to do items, you
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know, and try to get that out of our minds so that we use focus
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on on the Lord and be in his presence, which we're going to
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talk about later on. So I know in your book starve
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you you share some Just difficult moments.
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Can you share one with us? And you know, why is it so
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essential for us to be vulnerable?
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But, yes, yeah. So there is a chapter that we
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are Star Trek identity, and I kind of talked through shame.
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Those shame stories, that kind of plays background music, won't
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even know they're very half the time.
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And so, I share about when I was a young girl, Girl, I was
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sexually abused by a neighbor and really having to take that
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story much later. I'd actually just kind of put
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that memory in a box and went on with my life until my oldest
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son, became the age that I was abused and it all just just came
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back. Yeah and and really liked the
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practice of vulnerability with God and with others is such a
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sacred practice. Because connection happens
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there. Yeah.
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And really, really asking God to give me a new narrative like I
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have this narrative, would you create a new one?
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And I talk in the book, he absolutely did.
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He's Psalm 18 and there was such a beauty there, but even then
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the vulnerability, the step of when we think hiding might be
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what we need, but That vulnerability to find a safe
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person to say, hey, this is my story and to find yourself being
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loved in the middle of what you think will reject you.
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Right? So I to me the enemy hates
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vulnerability because vulnerability means bring
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something to the light the other hates light, right?
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He wants Darkness. But God is light.
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He is life, he is love. And He has healing and light but
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we to take that brave step is so important and will feed our soul
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even when we ma'am, we think the opposite.
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Yeah, it's so true. I always say you reveal you
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heal. I mean, it's such the first step
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to Healing the enemy wants us to keep it in the dark so that we
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can just sit there and stew in our own mind.
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You have the cycle the spin cycle over and over again, and
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we're not going to Receive the healing that we need and yeah
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well I'm so glad that you got the healing you need and such a
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horrible situation but there's nothing too big for the Lord as
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you know. Okay.
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So how do you know if someone's listening and they're like, how
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do I know if I'm spiritually malnourished?
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And what does that look like? And how do we get that spiritual
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diet change? Yeah.
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That you sharing your book? Absolutely.
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Well, I love a good acronym, especially when it really to my
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good pal of it this helps us, it's actually built into the
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book title, so if you it's out, am I feeling overwhelmed,
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anxious or tired? This can be just a little litmus
15:07
test and each one of those. The idea of overwhelmed is as,
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if a wave, has his crashing, a taboo and, and bearing you if
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you're feeling buried by something, Have and often I can
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be, I can feel buried by the opinions of others and what
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other people think of me and feel like I need to prove
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myself, you know? So if I'm feeling overwhelmed, I
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know that I'm starting to feel a little bit malnourished.
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Yeah, yeah. And I need any to nourish myself
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with a new narrative, or if I'm feeling anxious like, you know,
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sometime I mean, just the other day.
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I woke up really anxious about a future.
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ER possibility, with one of my kids and that the word for
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anxiety in the Greek is marineo which means to be torn apart or
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divided. And so I literally was in my I
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was in my bed but my mind was separated and torn into the
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future about all the what-ifs. So I wasn't integrated, I wasn't
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in one spot, right, right. And so if Feeling anxious and
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like ooh what am I feasting on what am I thinking I do like
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what do I need to consume? That would bring me.
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Peace. And I just love that the word
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peace actually means to bind up what has been torn.
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And so to say, God, would you wrap me with your arms of love
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and keep me present right here and trust you with the future,
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trust you with what I'm anxious about, trust you with my kid,
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getting his driver's license, trust you and you know, I got
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all the, all the things that bill that I don't know how we're
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going to pay that one, you know, like whatever the things are and
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Then another limb assesses, the T.
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Am I tired? Am I exhausted?
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And sometimes I feel really exhausted by who?
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I think other you know, the opinions of others, who I think,
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others think I should be or just staying at work, the rat race,
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right? I got to stay ahead, I gotta
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keep it moving because if I don't everything falls apart
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right now. Just sitting and thinking.
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Wait, okay, I'm exhausted by this.
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I've got to trust. That sound 23, says my cup
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overflows that he's a Shepherd, that will give me enough and
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more, like, he's an abundant God and some starting, if I start to
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Feast on the scarcity mindset of, oh, no, there's not enough.
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I got to keep going versus, wait, wait I can rest in there
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will be enough. Yeah, so still that of some
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mindshift, some some truth, some replacement of.
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What are we thinking about? What practices are we engaging
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in? Yeah.
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Mmm. Those are also good.
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And I love when you break down anxiety, like what that actually
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means? And because it helps us identify
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what we're going through and just like you're saying like I
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was here but my mind was somewhere else and how it's
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absolutely the opposite of what God wants for us.
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You know, the piece is what makes this whole yes, he doesn't
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want us all divided and and shredded and torn up and Eyes.
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So, I love that. And, oh my gosh, those are the
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three overwhelmed anxiety and tired.
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I think that is like the three major things.
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I think we struggle with, you know, on a on a daily.
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If not weekly of something coming up, that's the unknown.
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And you go into the what ifs and then you constantly have to go
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back to truth and what God's word says and yes and so it is
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about Battle. It's a spiritual battle.
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Let's talk about in your book negative effects of the
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spiritual junk food saying that we are stuffed, but starving.
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And when I read this, I was like, oh, this just kind of
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takes me to when I eat Chinese food.
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And am I right? And you get all stuffed with
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Chinese food, and literally like an hour later, you're hungry.
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And on my, oh my gosh, what a great.
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And I could totally relate to this but I know what you are
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speaking about. I know what you're getting at.
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But let's expand on that. Yeah, the show I love you.
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So that I might now. G is cotton candy and then, you
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know, you go to a fair, right? Like my kids are begging for
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concannon, like, and then you get stuff that sugary like
19:48
stuffing and then an hour later like we're hungry which actually
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I Loved when I found in Isaiah 55, which is kind of the anchor
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passage of my whole book in the message.
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God says, why do you spend your money on, junk food, your
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hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
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Why are you doing this? WOW.
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Red says, on the message and the message.
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I think, 50 bucks. Yes.
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And he then he, he prescribes like what to do.
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He says come to me eat. What is good and You will live
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like this is, and that coming like turning from that cotton
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candy and even in that moment, it's not God, I need you.
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Yeah, yeah, you know, and for me, I know we've mentioned this
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a bit, but feeding on self-sufficiency that I have to
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be the one to make everything happen.
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I have to be the one to make the world spin.
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I have to be the one I'm feasting on my self-sufficiency
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and it is stuff. Laughing me and but I'm so
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starving which the radical practice for us 15 years ago,
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was starting a Sabbath each week and that was huge for putting
21:05
everything down for a whole day. No, to-do list, no productivity,
21:11
lots of play, lots of fun, good food.
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That was, that was really huge for me and to not see other
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people as, you know, for what they could give me.
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Versus know, people are human beings.
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Like who they are. Is the gaffed.
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Yeah, so good. So speaking on that what are the
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three missing practices that dress?
21:34
The spiritual male nourishment issue.
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Yeah. So we kind of we discussed 14
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different practices but I would say the top three That have been
21:46
like, personally life changing our is silence.
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So practicing silence few minutes a day Sabbath.
21:55
I um, you know, I share in the book about what that practically
21:59
looks likes for us, but also the gift of Sabbath that it's not a
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burden, put on us, but it's a gift to free us and then so
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silence. You haven't then third one?
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I have a chapter on Injustice and And and, and the starting
22:17
point there is to see the Imago Dei, and every person to see
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that every person is an image bearer of the most high.
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And when we start by seeing other image bearers, wherever we
22:30
go are from our little babies to our neighbors.
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Next door to the grocery cook. When we see, like this is an
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image-bearer. In front of me, I want to
22:38
protect an honor this person whether or not they worship,
22:41
God, it doesn't matter, right? That that Action is the
22:46
beginning of keeping Justice in spaces and places that are
22:51
lacking it. Yeah and I think when I go there
22:55
it's like you have this Godly love for them.
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When you look at it that way, like there are made in the image
23:02
of God and so that just instantly puts just a whole new
23:08
lent. You know, the spiritual lens on
23:11
how you view, Humanity, how you view people.
23:14
So I did My practice because there's yeah, swear, I don't
23:17
know, you know, yes, I got angry right whomever and I'm like
23:22
yeah. It was very there, an
23:23
image-bearer. There you got someone.
23:25
That's a little difficult because all right, and your
23:28
family, an annoying co-worker is image image Bearer.
23:34
Only have the post it, everywhere you go, right?
23:37
It's a practice, it's a practice.
23:40
Okay, so in your book let's talk about divide it how divided our
23:43
culture has become and How do we talk about challenging topics
23:48
and a Biblical way? You're dressing your book and I
23:53
know there's a lot of things out there.
23:55
That's just kind of the Lord's stirring in my heart, to prepare
24:00
to be a voice for has negatively creeped that just creeped into
24:05
the Christian Circle that the origin doesn't come from
24:09
Biblical principles. So, you know, these are I think
24:13
these can cause controversy Over serial division even among the
24:18
body of Believers, you know, Body of Christ.
24:20
So for sure how do you talk about that gently without no
24:25
causing a ruckus here? Yes, well I mean it is we'd have
24:31
to be living under a rock if we didn't see the division and the,
24:35
you know, politically racially socially all over the last few
24:38
years and I think if we could take our cue from the way God,
24:43
introduces himself first. First to Moses in Exodus 34:6,
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he says the Lord, the Lord compassionate and gracious, slow
24:53
to anger, abounding in loving kindness and truth.
24:57
And if we are compassion forward and if someone like, I think, if
25:02
we can listen with compassion, because someone can have a
25:06
political view or some kind of stance, that's very different
25:11
than ours. But there's a story behind that.
25:14
There's a reason going on there. Can we compassionately, listen
25:18
for the story? That's, they're not to win an
25:22
argument, but to keep community and does.
25:26
Yeah, I hear you, I might, I might gently disagree with you,
25:31
but I want to have compassion. Listen to the story, behind
25:34
whatever, your stance is on those things.
25:37
Because that's when my eyes really started to be opened when
25:41
I Hard to hear different stories from different friends in my
25:45
life. And I was like, oh my gosh, this
25:47
is how you experience the world, I had no idea, right?
25:51
And I want to listen to that. And I want to hold space for
25:55
that and I want the same. I want people to the same for
25:58
me, right? You know.
26:01
And then to, really remember the king is on the throne like, you
26:09
know, like he from Italy, ultimately, Wherever we, we vote
26:15
or where we landed different things, it is the king that
26:18
writes. Well, and I think that's key
26:21
right there is not to win an argument, but to come into
26:26
community and unite. And I think if we have that in
26:31
the Forefront of our minds, each time, I think we'd all have
26:35
better conversations. Okay?
26:37
So, one of the major ways, I think the enemy likes to attack
26:41
us is how How we view ourselves? I think we can all say that that
26:45
he tries to mess up our, you know, who we are our identity
26:50
and think of ourselves, one way. And then, you know, have a
26:54
perspective on the world different than how we should
26:58
perceive it with through God's truth.
27:01
So how can we discern that were just living this lie.
27:07
Is it really just you know black and white?
27:10
What do you think? Yeah.
27:13
You know, I tell a story and the book that I was involved in a
27:18
Ministry, when I was a senior in college and I was paired up with
27:22
a young staff guy who was on this ministry staff and we were
27:26
going to lead a co-ed Bible study together in one of the
27:31
fraternity and sorority units. And I was excited about the
27:35
Bible study part and ideas and you know, I sat down with him
27:40
and I was ready to present like, hey this what I think.
27:42
We should do. And he said to me hey you know
27:45
what, I think if you could just take care of like bringing the
27:49
brownies, I can just take care of the Bible study part.
27:54
Oh my God, what does care about? And I was so disoriented and on
28:06
Rob. Yeah, what's going on?
28:10
What is right? I'm telling you what?
28:13
That moment of you just bring the brownies, like you can't
28:17
bring the word as a female, like, it was, he was because I
28:20
was, yeah, a female. I have had to work through that
28:25
for the last 20 years of really feeling called to be a Bible
28:30
teacher in the face of others. Telling me this is not who you
28:35
are. And so I had a choice there and
28:37
I have a choice often to say. Am I?
28:39
Am I a brownie Baker. Nothing wrong for bring about.
28:42
He's by the way, if that's your jam, bring those brownies right?
28:45
But you don't want me bringing Brides.
28:46
You want me bringing God's work? Yeah.
28:49
And so I often before I even step out on stage to teach have
28:53
to settle with a lord like who am I am I this lie that's been
28:58
told to me and I asked God to give me a verse a long time ago
29:05
to come back to the root myself and what is the truth and Isaiah
29:08
61 is what he took me to. And it says that He will call
29:13
you Oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.
29:19
And so I think nope. I am hand planted by God.
29:22
I'm his Oak. That's who I am.
29:25
He's going to grow me. He's going to for me.
29:28
I will drop acorns and he can grow what he wants.
29:31
So I just have to settle and I would encourage the woman
29:34
listening. Those lies about your identity.
29:36
I've been told you long ago that you carry with, you ask God to
29:40
give you a new narrative. Native from his word that you
29:44
can take with you in that moment.
29:46
When it's that live versus truth battle for sure.
29:49
I totally agree. Let's see, the presence of the
29:53
Lord. I know, you talked about that in
29:56
your book and you know the importance of experiencing it
30:00
and I think sometimes honestly we feel it and sometimes we
30:04
don't. Yeah.
30:05
So what are some ways that will help us really get into his
30:09
presence and feel it? What order the Ways that you
30:12
share in your book? Yeah, so I have to tell you for
30:16
the longest time. I didn't think prayer, counted,
30:21
if it was listening to worship music.
30:24
I thought, oh, that's just like a fun way to like, think about
30:29
God, but I felt like, wait, I'm singing.
30:32
Like, when I'm listening to worship music?
30:34
No, I'm praying those truths back to him and we're like
30:37
communing. So I found a lot of freedom if
30:41
in taking ten minutes. That walks putting some worship
30:44
music in and think it's, I'm gonna be back, I'm just walk
30:47
around the block, but I'm going to get outside.
30:50
I'm going to move my feet. I'm going to try to look up at
30:52
nature. I'ma try to experience god with
30:54
as many senses as I can. And just let like sometimes I
31:00
can't, I don't even know what I need to say to God.
31:03
And sometimes a song can be a prayer that I didn't know I
31:05
needed. Yeah.
31:08
And so to just let that music minister to me and I can then
31:14
talk to God through what I'm hearing.
31:16
That is a lot of what my prayer life can look like.
31:20
Mmm, that's so good. Amy, I I just recently went
31:24
through that for the first time I Had.
31:28
I mean, let's just I'm going to be vulnerable right here.
31:31
I had an awful Christmas, it was just awful.
31:34
Sorry, I got sick, I have flu. I barely made it through
31:39
Christmas morning, passing the, the gifts out, I'm Miss Santa
31:43
Claus. So this is a tradition and I,
31:45
you know, give each gift to the kids and literally make it
31:49
magical, right? No.
31:51
But and then it was like, I can't stand up anymore, I'm out.
31:57
I have to go lay down and literally was in bed for three
32:00
days with the flu mist Christmas dinner all that.
32:05
Then before the day before Christmas Eve, my poor son
32:10
slips. We had freezing temps here in
32:13
Austin for a couple of days and the sidewalk had gotten wet and
32:18
iced over. And the poor thing stepped on
32:22
the sidewalk, it was an ice skating rink.
32:24
The ice was so thick and he slipped and broke his Fibula.
32:28
No, dislocated, his ankle. Yeah.
32:31
So, we're talking like serious injury.
32:34
I'm going. Oh my gosh, like, this is what
32:36
the kind of breaks people get in, like a car accident or
32:39
something like that. I mean, he just slipped.
32:41
So I mean, I'm thanking the lord, it wasn't worse, his head
32:45
was fine, but all of that right before, Christmas Eve, then I
32:51
come down and get you know sick and so it's just I came out of
32:56
the holidays just It's going. Wow, this is just an experience
33:02
and a half and God, I'm just having to talk to him about my
33:06
frustrations. You know?
33:08
And my disappointment and lutely all that to say is that I put on
33:15
this old song, It's a singer called Keith Green.
33:19
Yes. Yeah.
33:20
Oh yeah, amazing. Oh Lord, You're Beautiful.
33:24
Yes. I think it's called yes and Put
33:28
that on. And this is a guy that my
33:31
brother and my mom loved, right? And they'll play Keith Green,
33:36
not, it wouldn't be me. But for some reason, the Lord
33:39
put that in my heart, Amy and I took the dog on a walk, put that
33:44
in my ears and just listen to that song and just, you know
33:49
cried it out. Yes, I totally cried it out.
33:54
I'm going to praise you and glorify you even though I feel
33:57
All this. Yeah, you are beautiful.
34:00
Lord, I'm gonna praise you because I know you're good, even
34:04
though I feel like, you know, my Christmas didn't really turn out
34:08
the way I thought it would, you know?
34:11
So, so I love that. It just correlates with what you
34:15
just said about. That was, I didn't know how to
34:19
pray at that time because I was so sad and angry and just
34:24
disappointed, but the Lord put A song in my heart to play.
34:30
And this other one that I used to sing, when I was little, I
34:33
Love You, Lord, when I would be scared, you know, as a young
34:37
child. And so those two songs I just
34:40
put on re p and obviously brought so much peace and
34:44
healing and got me on a better path than where I was.
34:50
So, I'd love ya, I love that, you mention that, because it was
34:54
just the first time just the Last week, I love it.
34:59
I know all the purpose to anyone listening.
35:01
All the permission, all the freedom.
35:03
Be creative, prayer, doesn't have to look like on your knees
35:06
in a quiet space. There are so many ways to
35:08
connect with God. Go with your gut, your spiritual
35:11
gut, the spirit of. How do you see what?
35:14
See, what comes up. Have fun with them.
35:16
Yeah, so good. All right, let's talk about
35:20
community and I know getting back from pandemic and people
35:25
are slowly starting to get back into The community and
35:29
unfortunately a lot of people have gotten used to not plugging
35:34
in and and so I know I realized the importance of having that
35:41
community and and having that honest feeling that sometimes
35:46
you just don't feel like it. Oh for sure.
35:48
You know like yeah well I just don't feel like going to my, you
35:53
know Women's Bible study or L feel like going to my small
35:56
group but When we do, we know how much better we feel when
36:03
were there and afterwards, but it's just the enemy trying to
36:06
get us to not congregate with other believers because there's
36:12
benefit in that. So expand on that, I love the
36:15
air is said that. Yeah, yeah, I love.
36:17
I mean, even just last night that we're starting a new,
36:20
there's a four-week series and digging deeper at our church.
36:24
But it starts, it was 7:00 to 8:30 and I thought, but I'm in
36:27
my Is it six dark. You're all right, you know.
36:34
And and you know there there's those moments and the spaces
36:39
were you know, maybe God is saying stay home and that's
36:44
okay. Listen to him but man, I can't
36:48
get over. Hebrews 10 saying don't don't
36:52
neglect meeting together and there's a y in there.
36:55
He says, come together and encourage Reggie.
36:58
Child other. Yeah, and the gift of encourage,
37:02
literally infusing courage inside of one.
37:06
Another, that happens when you're in the same room
37:11
together, there's something that goes on because a hug infuses
37:17
courage in me. Like, I see you.
37:19
I'm moving towards you. You are valuable to hug you.
37:23
There's something about Gathering that you write the You
37:27
would say, don't you know, would want to keep us from doing this
37:31
but every time I think I don't want to do it.
37:34
I think, you know what, I have some courage to bring someone
37:37
and someone has courage to bring me.
37:39
And so my faith, I'm going to go and practice encouragement.
37:45
Mmm, and your he always delivers anything really does the
37:49
moments. I don't want to go, I always
37:51
come away. The most blessed every time I
37:54
know because I encouragement is strengthens us.
37:57
All right? I always like to end with a
38:00
takeaway. Do you have something?
38:03
You can just share with the listener to ponder on or take
38:06
action? And yes so I'm slightly obsessed
38:11
with Jesus as a Storyteller and the different stories that we
38:15
see and in Luke 15 20. There's the story of the
38:20
prodigal son who runs away spends all the money comes back
38:24
but I cannot get over Luke 15 verse 20 because there are five
38:29
verbs assigned to the father toward us.
38:35
I just try to practice each morning before I get out of bed
38:39
because it says the father saw him.
38:43
I mean, I don't know if anybody feels unseen right now but the
38:47
father sees you, he was filled with compassion before his son
38:53
even got an I'm sorry out of his mouth, he was filled with
38:56
compassion. Like before her confession have
38:58
been there was compassion and then he started running, he ran
39:02
toward his son, he embraced his son and he kissed his son and
39:05
kissing in that. I'm a culture at that point was
39:09
a sign of forgiveness and and restoration and so just some I
39:14
mean I'm what would it look like to take a minute today and a run
39:20
through each verb? Imagining like using your holy
39:22
imagination and the same, my father sees me, he's filled with
39:26
compassion. He's running toward me, he's
39:29
embracing, he's kissing me. That's a new narrative that I'm
39:31
really trying to practice and embrace throughout my day.
39:37
Mmm, so good. I love that Amy.
39:40
Well, thank you so much for sharing your message on this.
39:46
And it's so relatable for so many of us and I just appreciate
39:52
you and we can get your book. How do we connect with you?
39:57
You and and when does this book come out?
39:59
Yes. Well, we counted on the G.
40:02
So I do like, I think it's a really fun.
40:03
Yeah. So you can find me at Amy's
40:05
Seifert and your the book comes out.
40:08
March 21st, wherever books are sold.
40:12
So and yeah, say hi, say hi to the G.
40:15
Amy Cipher. It.com is where you can find my
40:18
two other books as well. And speaking and all things.
40:22
So seriously, seasoned, I got his and so good so I'm just
40:30
trying to get my first book together.
40:32
Whoa it is a pit is like growing a baby, right?
40:35
Like it is a process that's gonna be the most difficult
40:38
thing I ever do. I know it.
40:40
Feels that way already. Oh girl I'm sure you on.
40:44
Yes, keep going. Thanks Amy.
40:48
It was such a joy to have you. Thanks for having me.
40:52
Thank you so much for listening today and I trust that God has
40:55
encouraged you through this story.
40:58
Did you know this podcast is on YouTube, hop on there and
41:02
subscribe and you can see a live recording of each episode and
41:07
for more information on this ministry and to access free
41:10
downloads, please visit my website at Jamie Elizabeth.com
41:15
that's ja yme Elizabeth.com and let's connect Beyond this.
41:21
Just by going to my Instagram handle, Jamie Elizabeth she
41:24
speaks life or Facebook until next time my friend.
41:28
I hope God reveals himself through your own life story.