Grow On The Go

In their final episode of Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann share some memories from 7 seasons of the show! They talk about what they have learned personally, their favourite guests, awkward moments, funny moments, and moments of deep authenticity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever done anything motivated by pride? This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss pride and the times it has gotten them into trouble. We value humility, but making ourselves small is not a Biblical value. Fostering humility is not the same as never stretching ourselves to do something important!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna shares with us how her time in China's underground church helped to change her prayer life. They discuss how adopting the lessons learned in China has freed Donna from Western Christian baggage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donna and Kevann acknowledge Valentine's Day by talking about what love always does, and what it never does. They discuss the beauty of human love when it mirrors God's love, and about the potential misery of being in a relationship with someone whose love isn't tenacious.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann reflect on their passion for Disney Movies and how all of them are “Christ-haunted”. Tolkien and CS Lewis not only wrote biblical themes into their stories, they recognized the very human tendency to reflect the transcendent in storytelling generally. Donna challenges parents to watch these movies with their kids and use them to teach principles like unconditional love, Jesus' passion for justice, and value of free will.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Share Show, Donna and Kevann talk about Jesus' invitation to a relational, restful life. Our insistence on autonomy is actually self-destructive. His peace isn't one size fits all -- Jesus custom makes it for each of us! Not only that, he made us, and knows what we need. We clarify the distinction between the peace of God and peace with God, and how we can experience both.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to imagine how you can be friends with someone who doesn't live in time and space. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss the ways we can spend quality time with Jesus, and get to know him personally through a Spirit-powered imagination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann chat about the people in their lives who have shown them amazing love. Often we're only able to grasp God's love for us when we experience hints of it from a human. Truthfully, God delights in us! He is never disappointed in us. When we can grasp this idea, we can heal from experiences in our past that have left us feeling unlovable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Donna and Kevann revisit a podcast originally aired in September 2019. While Kevann was in Australia, Donna's good friend Karen Taylor stopped by to gush about a book that helped her recapture the enthusiasm she had for the Bible as a baby Christian.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donna and Kevann kick off the New Year by talking about whether or not Navel Gazing is a real thing. They revisit a podcast from 2020 that focuses on what the unknown year ahead has in common with the Underground Railroad. Will you live intentionally, or just take life as it comes? The quality of the choices we make today will affect the quality of our lives tomorrow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems odd that Iraqi intellectuals would show up to worship the Jewish Messiah. Where did they come from? Why did they come? In this episode of Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann revisit a podcast they recorded last Christmas about the unexpected and exciting connection the Magi have to an Old Testament Prophet, and the Jewish scriptures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann talk about their memories of Christmas caroling and what those carols mean to them! Donna suggests that singing those familiar carols with understanding could turn a ritual into a reformation. She unfolds the beautiful theology in Hark the Herald Angels Sing, so that we can hear it with fresh ears.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann revisit a previous episode that originally aired in February 2021. Anyone who hangs around a church long enough is bound to be hurt sooner or later. Every church has assets and deficits. Because of Jesus' commitment to the church, those of us who are Jesus followers really don't have the option of shunning it. Donna shares her story of hurt and healing, before discussing the importance of finding a local church for healing and growth!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this weeks Share Show, Donna and Kevann talk about babies, zombies, and the corruption inside all of us. Why can't we just will ourselves to be better? We need more than the how to, we need the heart to. We look at the hope that the Bible offers to help us be the people we really want to be!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss the ordinary things in our culture that influence our thinking, and how easy it is to buy into attitudes that don't honour God! They compare what the Bible says with our own habits, and find ways we could be following Jesus even more closely.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Donna is joined by her friend Ardyce Worsley, who just retired from a remarkable missionary career. She shares how living among people who considered grass and gourds as "clothing" drew her into a deep appreciation for their differences, a more intimate relationship with her husband, and a deeper trust of God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Deanna Oelke explores with Donna the arena of the prophetic in this episode of the podcast, originally aired in November 2019. They discuss how experiencing a prophetic community wrecked her for ordinary fellowship, and how God led her to pioneer prophetic teaching in churches where you wouldn't expect to find it! They also talk about why having others in our lives who are operating in the prophetic realm is so important to living an exciting Christian life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Donna and Kevann revisit a podcast originally aired in September 2019. While Kevann was in Australia, Donna's good friend Karen Taylor stopped by to gush about a book that helped her recapture the enthusiasm she had for the Bible as a baby Christian.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lord's Prayer isn't really the Lord's Prayer -- it's really the Disciples' Prayer. Jesus gave it to his disciples as a template for how to pray, not to be repeated verbatim. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss all the things that can be included in this prayer, and take a look at some of Jesus' parables that provide some background and deeper meaning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laughter alert: there's a lot of giggling in this podcast! When they finally got past Kevann's weird story, Donna and Kevann talked about how following Jesus can make us unusually creative. Wisdom is often perceived as being boring and unimaginative, but nothing could be further from the truth! They talk about what it means to pursue wisdom, and how that can help you solve specific problems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week welcomes one of Donna's heroes, Anita McKeller. Anita and her husband were dreaming about their retirement when the unthinkable happened. In this podcast, Anita shares how she leaned on God and learned to choose joy as she began to define the new normal. She leaves us with advice for those who feel overwhelmed with traumatic circumstances and those facing a future more challenging than they ever could have imagined.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donna welcomes her dear friend Wendy Lowe to the show this week to chat about some insightful questions found in an old journal. Seasons of change can be disorienting, but knowing what to ask ourselves can help us learn more about who we are! Reflecting honestly on these questions can help us embrace a positive perspective, even when transition is hard.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With lots of laughter, Donna and Kevann talk about a very serious topic that profoundly affects so many of us -- anxiety. What did Jesus mean when he used the greeting “Peace be with you?” You might be amazed to learn the depth in those words. We also discuss how neuroplasticity and Jesus' finished work on the cross work together to offer us true Shalom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann share the stupid arguments they've had with people close to them, and how it relates to Attachment Theory. They discuss how the primal reactions of fight or flight affect our relationships, and the three destructive patterns they can create!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevann leads the conversation in today's Share Show about the balance between self-indulgence and self-care. She explains to Donna how a meme on Facebook inspired her to unpack this topic -- they discuss how to manage the soul's needs, and the guilt one often experiences when taking care of themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all have things we wish we'd done differently. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann contemplate the idea of a "regret reset" so that one can build a legacy that pleases God. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is it easier to give God our lives than our time? Why is it harder to give God our weaknesses than our strengths? This week, Donna and Kevann discuss what Jesus actually wants from us, and what full surrender looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week welcomes Kevann back to the show! Donna and Kevann speculate on how often one can miss the voice of God by failing to create quiet in our lives. Expectancy can influence how often we hear from God -- but He has intentionality in approaching us uniquely as individuals! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week welcomes Donna's other half, Randy Carter to the show! They discuss self-esteem and self-image. Who we listen to has a profound effect on the entire trajectory of our lives! There is objective truth about who we are, and how to heal from our wounds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever feel trapped by your own anger, jealously, or some other toxic emotion? This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Randy re-introduce a previous episode discussing Andy Stanley's book "Enemies of the Heart." This book offers the one thing that can release jealousy's hold on us! Learning what this book teaches can provide us with emotional freedom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week features a conversation from a previous episode of Grow on the Go. Donna and Kevann talk about the spiritual practices that are in our power, so that one day we can do things beyond our current ability. Attending church includes many of these practices, but they aren't the only ones. God uses things like inconvenience to make us into the best person we can be right now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and her husband Randy talk about what salmon and Christians have in common and what it actually means to follow Jesus. They unpack Jesus' description of followership which includes construction, seasoning, and manure. Looking at what it means for Christians in other times and places to follow Jesus helps us grasp what Jesus is asking of us here and now.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and her eldest daughter Kendall talk about her motherhood journey. Kendall shares how being the mother of a two year old and a cleft palette baby has taught her about God's sacrifice and delight rather than disappointment in parenting us. They also talk about how God's consequences for our actions always come from a place of love and not punishment. We need to go out and find our village to help us raise our child but our best example of and resource for parenting is God. Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster W Cline Soul Print by Mark Batterson Boundaries with Kids by Henry Cloud and John Townsend See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, we have this month's share show, Donna's husband Randy joins her in the blanket fort to talk about the how's and why's of forgiveness. Every time we receive an emotional wound we are presented with a choice. To experience healing, we have to choose it. Randy shares through a powerful story that the only way out of the cul-de-sac of our harmful emotions is forgiveness. They talk about how Jesus showed us as he was crucified that forgiving is actually a process and not a single event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Kevann and Donna discuss when pain avoidance is healthy and when it is not. If we insulate ourselves from the pain that sin creates in the world we can't be Jesus' hands and feet to help to heal it. Donna share's some of her experiences of the psychological and physical suffering of members of the Underground Church in China. We may never experience that kind of suffering but we can't align our lives with Jesus without accepting emotional heartache. They conclude by talking about the suffering of the Ukrainian people and how we can share their heartbreak. Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Jesus Freak by DC Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs Ministries to the Persecuted Church: Open Doors Ministries, World Serve Ministries Ministries to Ukrainian refugees: Hart Ministries www.hart.ca Christian and Missionary Alliance- Ministry to Ukrainian Refugees via churches in Poland See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Kevann and Donna revisit last year's Share Show to talk about two of the major objections to the idea of Jesus being raised from the dead.  They use Investigative reporter/lawyer Lee Stobel's research to evaluate the evidence that Jesus actually died after being crucified, and if he was actually seen alive after. If the resurrection really happened, what does that mean for you? If God really was willing to die for us, and then live…Shouldn't we at least investigate that? Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss how could Jesus be celebrated so beautifully one week and so hated only one week later? Kevann and Donna talk about the significance of how Jesus approached Jerusalem Palm Sunday and what it meant to those who watched it happen. They also unpack who the crowd was and why this triumph was temporary. They land on a conversation about how our expectations of Jesus affect our contentment in following him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss "big" emotions, and how they've learned to handle them. By the time we reach maturity, we have feelings about everything we encounter. We must teach our heads to talk to our hearts! Telling God the truth about our feelings brings us closer to Him, and helps us sense His care for us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss our specific place in history and geography that was planned by God for a reason. They share a tip for helping one figure out what that plan is!  If you've ever tried to serve in a way that doesn't fit, you know the value of embracing the unique passion God placed in your heart by design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Grow on the Go, Donna reintroduces a previous episode about where to go, and what to do when church hurts. She also shares her own story of profound hurt, her journey to healing, and the wisdom she picked up along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How observant are you? There's a difference between vision and sight -- when we focus on what's important to us, we often miss what's important to Jesus. Sometimes we might see an inconvenience, when Jesus sees a human in distress. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann talk about how easy it is to dismiss what we see, and how hard it is to make a decision to act. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Great Commission is the natural outflow of the Great Command. But to share one's faith without love as the motive may do more harm than good. This week, Donna and Kevann talk about the people who represent Jesus well, and how we can allow them to influence us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this weeks Share Show, Donna and Kevann explore the reasons they are attracted to and repelled by the cross. Grace and truth are two elements of the cross that make it possible for imperfect people to have a relationship with our perfect God. They explore Jesus' interaction with a woman, who experienced Jesus' gracious acceptance in the most humiliating exposure. The richest relationship we can experience is found at the intersection of grace and truth of the cross. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Followers of Jesus were given their job description in the form of a commission and a command. The command feels pretty overwhelming -- it's to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor? Literally everyone! The only thing more important to Jesus than loving everyone we encounter practically and unconditionally, is loving God with all we've got. Our love is supposed to be practical and excruciatingly inclusive and the only way we can do it is by depending on the Holy Spirit. This week, Donna and Kevann share about the people they struggle to love, and why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame can be a visceral experience -- it's an integral part of human emotion. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss how shame is triggered, and how men / women experience shame differently. They share psychologically recommended strategies to rid the feeling, and explain the similar outlook between mental health professionals and the Bible. Jesus never heaps shame on us; Jesus knew how to shed shame, and when we know him, we can learn how. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us are only three questions away from tears. This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss the universal need to share our own personal stories with an empathetic listener. Sometimes representing Jesus means getting over ones own awkwardness and getting nosy enough to ask sensitive questions. Doing this often can access a vulnerable place in peoples' hearts, and introduce them to the Healer of Hearts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesus was completely counter-culture when it came to the treatment of children. In ancient Middle Eastern cultures, children were often considered unimportant because they had no ability to contribute economically. Jesus raised their profile and value by embracing them, blessing them and making an example of them. He went as far as to say that offering a small kindness like a cup of cold water to a child was an act of love displayed to Him. We can love Jesus by loving on children and this episode looks at practical ways we can do that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donna and Kevann talk about another weird event in Jesus life when he appeared to completely lose it in the temple. Was Jesus out of control or was there something else going on? Jesus was employing a technique his audience would recognize from the ancient Hebrew prophets to demonstrate how he hated that vulnerable people were being exploited. Jesus didn't mind his own business and neither should we. What can we do to prevent the exploitation of others and what can we learn from what happened after Jesus chased the opportunists out of the temple? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was Jesus' cursing of the fig tree just a side effect of being "hangry"? This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann discuss why this living parable would have grabbed the attention of people who were there, and why Jesus suddenly pivoted to teaching about prayer in the shade of this withering tree. This leads into a greater conversation about what fruitfulness looks like, and the harm that we do when we're all leaf and no fruit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Donna tells a great story of re-gifting and very inventive gift-wrapping. The most original gift wrapping ever though, was wrapping God in the womb of a virgin. Donna and Kevann discuss the second-most famous Christmas gifts; the gifts of the Magi. Why were their specific gifts mentioned in the Bible and what was their significance? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who were the wise men? Where did they come from? Why did they visit the baby Jesus? This week on Grow on the Go, Donna and Kevann dig into what the Bible (and other historical sources) tell us about the wise men. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.