Diving into Deep Waters

Who would have thought a couch could teach you so much. In my case I've leaned some valuable lessons and of course what better place to share them than this podcast! Just when we started basking in our couches beauty she quickly showed us her foundation was junk! Kind of of like our lives when we build it on anything other than the rock.

After our trip to Bolt Farms in Tennessee, I noticed some things in myself and others along the way. Three standouts were rest, reflect and reconnect. I look forward to sharing our trip and those God moments with you and hopefully it will inspire you to see God in your daily lives.

You may have noticed our post last week, on this weeks podcast we will share more on some changes coming to the Diving into Deeper Waters Podcast. No worries we aren't going anywhere! Just allowing space for change and hoping what we have learned will encourage you as you may be in a season of change as well.

This year I have had a new desire to really immerse myself into Jesus' journey to the cross, starting with Jesus being in the Garden of Gethsemane. I can't wait to share what has really transformed my view of Good Friday and invite you to be beckoned as well by the crucifixion with the hopes of it drawing you to respond.

We head back into Joshua 7 and look at it from a different perspective. Last podcast we looked at Joshua's defeat and tantrum, now we will uncover Achan's sin and discover how it affected not only him but the entire Israelite army.

Hopefully after last weeks podcast you came out from under the basket and started shining. Maybe it's gone great or maybe not so much. What happens when we go for it but fail? We often retreat back to manageable proportions! Joshua from the Bible did the same thing so don't think your alone in that. Let's dive deep into his story and see what we can learn.

Who do we think we are? A question many of us have asked ourselves and one that many people in the Bible asked themselves as well. I read a line taken from Nelson Mandela's inaugural speech that said, ”Actually, Who are you not to be? You are a child of God.” Let's stop dimming ourselves and allow ourselves to fully shine for the glory of God! Permission to shine granted by Jesus himself.

What on earth is Lectino Divina? Well listen and find out, just kidding. Another word for it is divine reading or sacred reading. I recently embarked on the journey of putting this spiritual practice in place and I want to share my journey with you in the hopes it inspires you to take the journey as well. It requires going deep but we are used to that so let's go!

This podcast comes with a warning…. Lots of tears shed as I dive into the last few weeks of walking a long road of my moms health taking a turn. You may not be facing losing someone but maybe you feel like your losing your grip and about to plummet into the abyss. If so, join me with a box of Kleenex and let's talk about how we can let go and know God is holding onto us even when we don't feel like we can hold on.

Do you ever hear a name and have a reaction to it? I recently saw the name Tabitha in the Bible and I had a not so good reaction. I decided I might be missing something by not diving into her story. So I did and I can't wait to share about a women who we should take notice of and become like.

Cain and Abel the first sons of Adam and Eve both give a sacrifice unto the Lord but, they are not the same. First fruits vs leftovers. God recently checked me on this and I don't want to be alone so I decided to rope you all in it as well. Let's dive deep friends!

God's creation isn't just for our admiration. I believe there is much to learn and apply to our lives. Take the oyster, on the outside not very attractive but on the inside something amazing is being produced…. A pearl! I'm excited to be back with you as we dive head first into this new year and all that God has for us.

We wrap up our series on women in Christ genealogy with Mary. Seems fitting to end this with the mother of Jesus. Mary carries one of the biggest secrets ever… she will give birth to the Messiah! She raises Him, loves and nurtures Him only to watch Him give His life for the world! I think we can glean a lot from her and at the same time have a new appreciation for Jesus mama!

What comes to mind when we hear the name Bathsheba? Is her name tainted in our minds? I'll be honest my mind has often gone there with her… until I dove into her story. I believe it's one filled with more than sin and adultery but one filled with redemption and restoration.

By Ruth… her resolve to be a dedicated daughter -in-law in the face of extreme challenges is unmatched. God rewards her faithfulness in more ways than one and includes her in His lineage to top it off. One of my favorite stories and hopefully one of yours as well after you take in her story.

We move onto the second person named in Christ lineage… Rahab, also known as Rahab the harlot. Even though she has led the life of a prostitute there is something about the Israelite's God who pulls at her heart which opens her up to be used mightily in the story of Jerichos demise.

Let's embark on a series that dives into the women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ. This week we start with Tamar. If you want drama look no further than her story. How can such a mess turn into something that places her into Christ lineage?

When Jesus spoke a parable it often went over peoples heads. They missed the meaning that required diving deep. After reading Luke 14 I felt we could take it verse by verse so we could understand the important lessons that Jesus teaches!

After throwing my daughter her “sweet 16” birthday party I noticed something while looking at the pictures. Each photo represented a deeper meaning to friendship and the realization that the friends you choose matter.

A hymn that I never heard of before caught my attention recently so I decided to dive into it. Wow! It not only was inspired by an inspiring passage of scripture but was used far beyond what the writer ever could have imagined! It impacted me so much that I needed to share it with you.

I'm excited to share some listeners God wink moments with you along with some of my own! We can learn such valuable things about God in the mist of these moments that God provides for us.

Sending my son off to college has proved to be harder than I anticipated. But I have found that God has taken the time to setup things to help me as I walk though it. You may be walking through hard things as well so let's talk about how we can see how God helps us in the midst of our hard time!

Now that we have set the table in last weeks episode “The Very Good Of God," let's take on part two by diving into one of the most controversial passages of scripture, 1 Timothy 2:8-15. I can hardly wait to dive into this and hopefully debunk what has been taught and believed for so long.

What is the very good of God? How does it apply to women and them being used in ministry? I'm glad you asked and I'm excited to share with you the connection and to dive deeper into what can be a controversial topic.

I recently did a mud run with some friends and wouldn't you know I got a podcast out of it! As I ran I was more challenged in my heart than I was in my ability to do the run. Who knew a mud run could teach some valuable lessons.

Have you ever thought that God sets us up? Sets us up to be used? Before you start worrying about how you can be used, let me set your mind at ease that God has your back and has already given you what you need to be used!

Who knew that buying a new couch could give us a podcast about not settling. The truth is we all might be tempted to settle when it comes to bigger things than couches. Have we considered that might leave us feeling unfulfilled? My goal is after you listen you stop settling!

One of my favorite things is when God gives me a “God Wink.” But I think I have found a new favorite thing! Listen to find out what could possibly be better than God showing you personally that He sees you!

Seasons bring change and change brings lots of emotions and feelings. Sometimes it seems easier to stuff it all down and just ignore it, but before we know it the floodgates break and we have to deal with them which is what I did. I can tell you that didn't work out so well for me and probably won't for you either so let's talk about it!

This week I asked special guest Allicia Wesson to join me for a deep dive into the topic of motherhood and mental health. We often talk about all the other sides of motherhood but seem to ignore this side. Well it's time to no longer act like it doesn't exist. Thank you to Allicia for sharing her own personal journey and how she has found guidance and hope.

It's spring and with that comes some pruning! Don't worry I'm not giving any gardening advice. But I am going to dive deep into taking the principles of pruning and applying them to our relationships. Let's get clipping!

I think we all have had days where we feel like we woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It's frustrating to feel like you're stuck in the vortex of a “bad day.” I recently experienced one of those days and it wasn't until I laid in bed that night that I got my act together. Or maybe it was more the Holy Spirit set me straight!

A tale of two cats and a dog tells the story of us babysitting our grand puppy and how her presence had an affect on our two cats. It's amazing what you can learn from animals and how the Bible has the perfect story to parallel this tale.

Have you ever wondered where your joy went? Like one moment you have it and the next you don't! We are going to dive into some thieves who like to steal our joy from us and talk about how to get it back.

You would think all the hours of listening to dateline would have prepared me for the sentencing we attended recently. It didn't. This was a big one and one we had a lot of personal attachment to. I will unpack it all with you and how we saw God use the whole situation for His good.

Jesus last week consisted of riding in on a donkey, being anointed, betrayed , His trial, being crucified, His burial and finally His resurrection. Whew! What a week! Let's dive in as we prepare ourselves for celebrating His resurrection!

I have really enjoyed taking a passage of scripture and taking each verse and diving into it. With Palm Sunday approaching I wanted to have a better understanding of what this Sunday meant. My hope is that through this podcast we will have more of a connection with this “holiday."

Because I didn't want to consider myself “getting older” it made me continuously put off going to the eye doctor. Not wanting to be told I needed glasses had me in the dark on my eyesight. But after getting my new specs I learned that having my eyesight corrected was for my good. Maybe there is something you're putting off that if you allow the correction needed, it will be for your good as well.

Have you ever looked up the percentage of something? I've looked it up when I have needed to compare, measure or calculate something or a situation. It's not always very favorable and they often effect us negatively. But I don't think they have too and God doesn't seem to be bothered by them. I actually think He wants to show us what He can do despite what we see.

Who knew a vollyball tournament could be used by the Holy Spirit to whisper to my heart challenging words. Well I guess if God can use a donkey He can use anything. Your not going to want to miss this podcast as we talk through my experience that leads up to an exciting announcement.

Don't worry we aren't going to get all sappy about Valentine's Day but it did inspire me to read 1 Corinthians 13. After reading the first few verses I was challenged in my view of love. Join me as we learn about what Love Is….

I think it's reasonable to assume that everyone of us has wanted to quit at one time or another. This last week I have been inspired that even in the face of turmoil, distress,having a meltdown or breakdown to not quit! If you have felt like throwing in the towel I pray you'll be encouraged by this podcast to stay in the game!

I will say I am probably the least equipped person to talk to you about football, but after an incredible season by the Detroit Lions I have found a valuable lesson after their tragic loss to have a chance at playing in the Super Bowl. Failure is not always a negative thing so we will see what the positive is and how to implement that in our own lives.

Ever find yourself questioning your existence and purpose? Well your in good company with the prophet Jeremiah! How did he go from walking in the question mark of his life into the exclamation mark? Find out when you listen to this weeks episode!

I have really been struggling. Specifically with the lack of repentance of someone who was close to me who wronged me. I've wrestled with it so intensely until a verse jumped off the page as I was doing my Bible reading in Jeremiah. It brought the struggle to a resting point and helped me navigate these very murky waters!

After sending my daughter to Tennessee to begin her new journey of life I found myself on the struggle bus. Then I remembered we hadn't finished Luke 2 which talks about Mary and Joseph dedicating Jesus and raising Him. I found comfort in them navigating being parents and found some similarities that eased my parental fears. I am thankful for God including their moments that help us as we go through ours.

You might have said goodbye to “2023” but let's not dismiss it so quickly. Could it be there are valuable things we learned that will help us as we enter “2024”? Not convinced? Well let's dive in and see!

We have all read the Christmas story but knowing some behind the scene facts may help us appreciate this account in scripture a little more. May you be blessed as we dive into the story of His birth. From us to you…. We wish you a very Merry Christmas.

After being bamboozled I've been pretty sensitive to people telling the truth. Luke gets me. He starts of Luke Chapter 1 with telling us that he himself has carefully investigated everything that he is about to tell us. The story leading up to Jesus birth and His birth are actual events! I'm here for it! Join in on his account of our Savior's birth!

This is our 150th episode recorded and produced! We celebrate that despite the fact we received information that made us have to pull one of our past episodes. This was an extremely hard episode to do but in keeping with what we believe our purpose is we felt we needed to expose a lie. Our hope is that despite that lie we see Jesus and are reminded that He is truth even when man lies. We are diving deep so take a deep breathe and let's go.

As sad as I am to wrap up this series on Ruth I am excited to bring it all together. We will see God's hand in the history of this story and the correlation of Boaz being Ruth's kinsmen-redeemer to Jesus being ours.