You Made New Podcast

Maybe we know we need to make some changes in our health. But what if this time, instead of starting another fad diet or trying to muster up more willpower, we turn the whole mess over to the Lord and let Him finally heal us for good? It’s a transformation only He can accomplish, and one that will lead us a place of rest and peace unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.

While we don’t often see our food or weight or body image issues as a type of bondage, the reality is, many of us really are trapped in a tower just like Rapunzel. And like her, this bondage keeps us from understanding who we truly are. Using familiar imagery from the princess’ story, we’ll talk about the ways we can follow her example and leave behind our captivity once and for all.

As we begin to move from bondage to freedom, we may wonder what that path will look like in our lives. We’ve tried again and again to free ourselves, only to end up right back in our same unhealthy patterns. So how will this time be any different? The answer comes as we begin to understand how our Rescuer rescues us, and how we can cooperate with His efforts to help us break free.

There’s an endless amount of chatter today telling us how we should care for our health. The advice seems to change constantly, with one voice growing louder than the next. But what if the answer isn’t a one-size-fits-all? What if the path is different for each of us? The truth is, the Lord knows our body better than any of the shouting voices in our culture. So maybe it’s finally time to listen to Him.

Comfort food. It’s a phrase we know extremely well. Whether it’s a sweet treat, a salty snack, or a mouth-watering feast, the soothing power of food is almost indisputable. But what if, in our turning to food for comfort, we’re rejecting the One who is truly able to comfort us? What if, in the end, our favorite treats are really just counterfeits for a much greater and more fulfilling food for our soul?

We know that comfort eating is a popular way to deal with stress, and we also know that we’ll continue to experience stress for the rest of our lives. So how do we cope with those difficulties without turning to food? In Jeremiah 17, the Lord paints a beautiful picture of how He can enable us to handle adversity with such grace, our old coping mechanisms will no longer even be a temptation.

We’re promised in Jeremiah 17 that those who trust in the Lord will be like a tree that never ceases to bear fruit. But what kind of fruit are we talking about? Galatians 5 tells us that one “fruit of the Spirit” is self-control—something that often eludes us as we try to live healthier. What would happen if, instead of relying on willpower, we turned to Christ & obtained all the self-control we could possibly need?

As we consider ways we can come to know Christ on a deeper and more personal level, it can often feel overwhelming. We may feel like we’re already doing as much spiritually as we know how to do. But there’s one simple shift we can make that doesn’t require us to run any faster or work any harder—and it will help us access the Lord’s power & deliverance on a scale that we’ve never before experienced.

In this episode, we review an insightful story from the book of Daniel that has direct application to the food and health choices we make in our lives today. It seems Daniel understood that the way we care for our bodies matters, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. By following his example, we too can taste the same amazing blessings he and his friends experienced.

We’ve spent the first several episodes of this podcast laying the scriptural foundation for a gospel-centered approach to health. However, at this point, some may be ready for more specifics on what, when, and how much to eat. In this episode, we’ll talk more about what Faith-Based Eating looks like and several ways we can implement this new philosophy into our personal lives.

There aren’t many voices right now talking about the addictiveness of sugar, and how we can find healing and recovery. When I began exploring this myself, I felt very alone. So in this episode, I wanted to offer a few highlights from my own experience, as well as the hope and encouragement that we CAN be transformed and set free, especially as we rely more and more on the amazing power of our Savior.

Consider the phrase “the beauty of the Lord” from Psalm 27:4. What does this kind of beauty look like? And what would it mean to embrace this beauty in our own hearts and lives? The answer to those questions will introduce a whole new world of grace and peace—a world where all the shame and condemnation we’ve carried about our body can finally begin to heal once and for all.

In Daniel chapter 3, we can see the immense pressure the 3 Hebrews faced to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. In our day, we also face unbelievable pressure to bow down to an image—the “image of the ideal woman.” In this episode, we’ll explore various aspects of this image, and how it sneaks its way into our minds and powerfully influences how we see both our body and our beauty.

Dare I say it? To be female is to long to be beautiful. Even as little girls, we loved dress-up clothes or getting into our mom’s lipstick. But as we’ve grown, our world has done all it can to destroy our longing for beauty and to make us loathe the way we look. In this episode, the first in a 3-part series on body image, we’ll begin to shed new light on how we can finally find our true God-given beauty as women.

In episode 13, we learned about the Image of the Ideal Woman and made some comparisons from Daniel chapter 3. In this discussion, we’ll dive deeper into the triggers or cues that cause us to fall down and worship the image, and how the Lord can help us eliminate them from our minds and hearts. (I called this episode 17 in the recording, but I really liked this one so I’m not going to re-record it to fix my mistake!)

In the scriptures, Christ gives us some amazing promises—promises us that He will deliver us, that He will not fail or forsake us, and that He will heal us and set us from all our bondage. But what if that doesn’t seem true in our everyday life? What if it seems like all we do is fail again and again? In this episode, we’ll talk about a few things that could be holding us back from experiencing all the Lord has prepared for His faithful followers.

In this episode, I share two stories from my daughter and daughter-in-law that paint a beautiful picture of what it looks like to let go—of how we can begin to unclench our hands from the things we’ve used to define our worth, and how we can turn instead to the Lord to help us break free. As we allow Him to transform our minds through His amazing grace, those negative messages in our head really will lose their power forever.

Christ can truly heal ANYTHING that we struggle with. Any food addiction, any eating disorder, or any body image lie that we’re believing. Sometimes He does so by wiping that thing out of our lives so we never have to think about it ever again. But other times, He teaches us to overcome by relying on Him from moment to moment in complete and utter dependence. I’m learning for myself that I like the sweetness of the second way a lot more.

It happens to all of us: we’re scrolling through social media and we see the lives others are living and the things they’re accomplishing, and we think, “I’ll never be enough.” When we're feeling inadequate, the world tries to get us to block out that voice, or to try to build up our self-esteem. But I believe the Lord has a better way to deal with our not-enough-ness. In fact, I believe He can heal it once and for all.

We’ve talked a lot about creating an entirely new paradigm when it comes to health and wellness—one where we begin to see our body, our beauty, and even our diets in a whole new way. But we have to remember that the only way we can learn this new mindset is by first allowing the Lord to help us unlearn our old patterns and false beliefs. It’s a humbling process, but one that will lead us to a very powerful and very personal transformation.

In this two-part series, we’ll talk about one type of unlearning that will make a huge difference in our approach to health. Right now, our culture is flooding us with all kinds of “shoulds”—you “should” eat like this or that, you “should” exercise like this or that. . . the list can be really long and overwhelming. So, to unlearn old paradigms, we’ll talk about how we can manage all these “shoulds” through the wisdom and discernment of our Savior.

Continuing with the theme of the last 2 episodes, we’ll talk next about our spiritual “should” list. With countless voices telling us all the things we “should” do—read our scriptures, pray, give, serve, go to church, etc., we can get really overwhelmed. Could there be things to unlearn when it comes to the way we’ve handled this list? Perhaps there is greater peace and rest in the life of a disciple than we ever thought was possible.

When it comes to our out-of-control diets, it can be tempting to think, “Does this even matter than much to the Lord? It isn’t even something spiritual. Does He really care enough to help?” In this episode, I answer those questions with a big, resounding YES. Yes, He cares. In fact, He’s given His life to set us free from the bondage of food. But first, we have to cast out the lie that this doesn’t matter to Him, and second, we must let Him teach us why He longs to heal this area of our lives.

Let’s continue with the topic of unlearning and talk about one huge roadblock many of us face: the temptation to live in denial. We can remain in denial for years about our dietary problems, our unhealthy mindset, our body image issues, or almost anything. But what we often forget is that it’s one of the adversary’s favorite ways to keep us from moving forward. So to unlearn, let’s focus on ways to remove this stubborn roadblock and finally be real and authentic about the true condition of our heart.

We've talked about those little whisperings we hear from time to time--the quiet inner voices that fuel our insecurity and negative body image. And we've also talked about the way our culture perpetuates those messages. But in this episode, I want to go deeper than that. While we may feel like we're victims to these kinds of obsessive thoughts (meaning we think there's nothing we can do about them), the truth is that we can choose how we respond they come. If we'll ask the Lord to grant us His peace, He'll quiet those whisperings so they can no longer afflict us or torment us.

Lately, I've really been wanting to explore the health of the MIND, so I decided it's time to shift gears a bit and start SEASON 2! I know we talked a lot in Season 1 about how the Lord can change and transform and heal our mind, but I'm ready to take it even further. Join me in the next several episodes as we focus solely on what's going on in our sweet little heads, and how Christ can rewire and reboot our entire inner circuitry.

As we begin to outline the path to letting the Lord heal and transform and renew the depths of our minds, we may wonder where in the world to start. Often, we're dealing with so many different issues that it can seem overwhelming. So in this episode, I want to outline 3 specific things we can center on at the outset of this journey--things that we'll keep coming back to again and again in our efforts to create a new mind through the power and grace of Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake--the minute we start moving toward a place of healing in Christ, our adversary will begin pulling us as hard as he can in the opposite direction. He's held sway in certain parts of our minds for a very long time, and he's not going to let us go without a fight. So we've got to identify all the lies he's been whispering lies into our thoughts to stop us short on the path. At this point, we've got to make sure there's nothing that is keeping us from the salvation and deliverance of our Savior.

We'll continue our look at fear in this episode, and focus on some specific ways we can think differently when it comes to the storms in our lives. If we believe Isaiah 26:3 that He will keep in "perfect peace" those whose minds are "fixed" on Christ, then we need to know exactly how to do that. We'll talk about what it looks like to develop such trust in the Lord that we no longer worry or fear, no matter how troubling the circumstances.

If we look again at our key verse for this season in 2 Timothy 1:7, we see that a "sound mind" is contrasted with a "spirit of fear." As we consider how to move past our mental fear and anxiety to live in a place of peace, it can be hard to know where to start. Fear is such a normal response to the difficult trials we face in this life that we may not see how we could ever change that. In this 3-part series, we'll look at the way Jesus viewed fear, and the new way of thinking He introduced to His disciples during His earthly ministry.

I thought I was done with this subject after part 2 of this series, but I guess the Lord had other ideas. :) It seems we have to finish with an emphasis on the FIGHT for faith and not fear--how this process truly is a battle, and how we can interrupt our obsessive anxious thoughts and "[bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Yes, at times the world may be in full-blown panic, but we really can truly rest in our Redeemer, even if everything is falling apart around us.

In this episode, we'll continue with the story from Mark 4 that we used in our series on Fear and answer the question, "Why does Christ sometimes seem to be asleep in our lives?" As we try to reach for His peace to calm our minds, this is a question we need to have answered. I believe there are some important reasons why He doesn't always step in and take away all the adversity we may be facing. In fact, if viewed with the right perspective, we can even see these kinds of circumstances as an avenue to much-needed change in our hearts and minds.

In this episode, we'll talk about what it looks like to have "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16)--to be so transformed and renewed through Him, that our mind actually begins to resemble His and function like His on a daily basis. As we develop this kind of sound mind, our joy and peace and love will no longer be dependent on our circumstances, but will thrive and grow simply through our personal connection to the Lord.

During this 2020 coronavirus quarantine, life has changed dramatically. We've all lost so many things we love to do and places we love to go. But what if the Lord is actually up to something very powerful through this pandemic? What if He's using our altered lifestyle to help us see some things about our lives that we haven't been able to see before? In this episode, we'll talk about a new way to view our quarantine that could completely change the focus of our mind and heart.

As we continue to consider how the Lord can sanctify and renew our minds, we need to look at the natural divide we often place between the spiritual and temporal things in our lives. How can we abide in Christ when we have to spend so much time on seemingly trivial things like work and meals and laundry? In this episode, we'll rely on some sage advice from two old souls to learn how to marry those two worlds in such a way that the Lord can empower us in both the sacred and the secular.

In our family, we joke about our tendency to "work scenarios" in our minds--to spin and spin in our thoughts as we try to figure out what's happening around us. We play the What If game or we imagine different scenarios for how we're going to handle this or that. These mental gymnastics almost seem impossible to stop. But what if there's a very different way to think? When we add the Lord to our mental scenarios, we'll finally be able to see through His eyes, and everything will look completely different.

If we were a soldier at war, would we ever enter the battlefield wearing a t-shirt and flip flops? Never. We know we'd be dead in a second. And yet, sometimes we approach the battle for our minds that way--completely unprotected and unprepared for Satan's assaults. So it's crucial that we learn how to put on the "helmet of salvation" to guard our minds from the many different kinds of attacks the enemy will continually send our way.

In the second half of this two-part series, we'll continue our look at the helmet of salvation and how we can "put on Christ" in such a way that our minds are not just peaceful, but fully protected. Recently, the battle for my own mind ramped up to epic proportions, so this episode is a very personal testament to the Lord's ability to help us rise up triumphant in what can often be a very bloody and brutal battleground.

To truly have a sound mind, the renewing and reconstruction process can get a little messy. Sometimes it means we need to do a little deep cleaning of the dark corners and hidden places of our minds--all the thoughts and feelings we've ignored or suppressed or buried away from view. The Lord wants every part of our mind to be made new, and that even includes those things that hide deep in our subconscious. Thankfully, with His help, even the messy little corners of our minds can be brightened and swept clean.

If we truly want a mind that is rescued, redeemed, and restored, we've got to look at some of the coping mechanisms that live deep in our subconscious mind and end up controlling our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. For me, one of those strategies was people pleasing. I know, on the outside, people pleasing may seem like a kind, compassionate, and even others-focused way to live, but there's a darker side hiding underneath this deceptive coping mechanism, and I truly believe the Lord wants to bring powerful healing to that obscure corner of our heart and mind.

In this episode, you'll hear some of my own personal experiences with people pleasing (even from a very young age), and how deeply this coping mechanism influenced my interactions with others. We'll also talk about what it looks like, with the Lord's help, to leave that particular belief system behind and move to a place where feelings are acknowledged rather than repressed, and we find the courage to express ourselves in even the most difficult of situations.

To wrap up this series, we'll look at a passage from Matthew 7 where the Lord has some harsh things to say to a group of people who were trying to serve in His kingdom. It's a dynamic we desperately need to explore, because as people pleasers, we often pride ourselves on all the good things we do for others. But in this instance, Jesus saw right through their efforts and pinpointed the hidden motives of their heart. We'll also tie codependency into our discussion, and look at how to purify our gospel service through the blessed grace of Christ.

When we first think of solitude, we often conjure up images of escaping to the oceans or the mountains for a little peace & quiet. Or even some uninteruppted scripture study time. But I believe it goes much deeper than that. To truly have our minds changed and renewed, we need to seek specific, focused time alone with the Lord. Time where He has our full attention. Time where He can purify our minds from all that unhealthy baggage. It's a practice that Jesus sought out in His own personal ministry, and it's vital we seek the same thing in our own busy, complicated lives.

There's almost nothing our poor, stressed out minds need right now more than REST. Thankfully, it's more than just an attractive concept--it's a truth found all over the scriptures. Christ really does promise we can enter into His rest (Matthew 11, Hebrews 4). But this beautiful gift doesn't happen automatically. In this episode, we'll talk about what it means to actually enter into His rest, and exactly how that can happen for each of us.

As we conclude our look this season at the Health of the Mind, we'll zero in on one of the most beautiful ways the Lord can heal and transform us: by inviting us to abide in Him. As we learn how to enter into this very intimate and personal relationship, the changes we'll experience will be astounding. Perhaps the most precious will be a deeper understanding of the Lord's love for us. We'll not only know we're loved--we'll truly taste it and feel it and abide in His life-changing love every single day for the rest of our lives.

I hope you're ready, because in this season, we're going to talk about FOOD. Our focus will be an in-depth look at Faith-Based Eating--what that means and how to apply it on a personal level. More importantly, we'll talk about how our heart can be deeply attached to food, and how to break that emotional connection that keeps us running back to the treats again and again. Join me as we learn how to eat in a faith-based way that will help us find true FREEDOM in our personal struggle with food.

In this episode, we're going to do some honest, real, and authentic self-evaluation. In order to break free from the attachment we have to food, we need to know why we're attached in the first place. We need to do a little digging and look at where those strong, influential desires are coming from. Only as we understand what's going on underneath the surface can we allow the Lord to heal and change and transform the "wants" of our heart.

We often tackle the food on a physical level, meaning we focus mainly on reigning in our cravings through willpower and behavioral modification. But what we tend to forget is that it really is a spiritual battle as well. In this episode, we'll look at several different scriptural passages that outline this struggle, and how the Lord intends for us to overcome through strength in Him.

While we're beginning to see that our struggle with food is first and foremost a spiritual battle, we also need to make sure we're choosing the right weapons. In this episode, we'll contrast 2 passages from Paul that show us exactly how to approach such a battle. If we place our trust in God's weapons as Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 10, we're promised that we really will (perhaps for the first time in our lives) find lasting success.

Building on our last episode, we'll continue with the theme from 2 Corinthians 10 of fighting with the right weapons, which will include not only rejecting the world's theories on conquering the food fight, but also embracing the Lord's scripturally-based, gospel-centered system. There's only one way we can do this, and it starts with a 180 degree shift from everything our culture has been telling us about how to overcome.

In Philippians 3:19, Paul talks about those who "make their bellies their gods," and that "all they can think of is their appetites" (Message translation). Even though we may think we understand what he's trying to say, the truth is that it can be really hard to see food as an idol in our lives. In this episode, we'll explore this idea in greater depth, and learn more about how to offer the affection of our hearts to God rather than our favorite treats.

After diving deep into the spiritual--or heart--side of the food battle, we need to stop and acknowledge that there IS a physical side to this struggle. For many of us, our wrestle with food may be complicated by the fact that our body is actually addicted to carbs and/or sugar. In other words, it's not just that our mouths enjoy the taste, but our brain also relishes the intense endorphin hit. As we acknowledge these addictive tendencies, it will allow the Lord to help us heal and stabilize all the imbalances in our physical body.

In this season, we've talked a lot about one key truth: underneath all our disordered eating and our food struggles hides some faulty thinking that needs to be shifted and rewired. As we continue to uncover these deeper layers, we need to explore our view of our body--how we treat it, view it, feed, it, and even listen to it. Only then can we shift our perspective to a higher, more Christ-empowered view.

Ever feel like the journey to food freedom is just too long and hard? While the struggle can be incredibly difficult for many of us, there's a gospel-centered perspective that can help us find the strength to endure. To continue walking the path with Christ's hand in ours until all old patterns are broken and all disordered eating is healed and we really truly are FREE. He really will get us there one day at at time.

In this episode, we’ll wrap up our season on Faith-Based Eating with the opportunity for some personal reflection. We’ve worked hard this season to lay the foundation for a new way of thinking, and now it’s your turn to put it into action. As you ask the Lord for specific guidance to know your next step, it may lead you in a totally different direction than it led me. But that’s OK, because He alone knows what you need most and what will bring true and lasting healing.

Welcome to Season 4! I'm excited to focus this entire season on the subject of HEALTH. Our main goal will be to redefine the way we look at health and the resulting goals we often choose to pursue. In our current culture, the loudest message is that health = thinness, but that's not a standard we're going to embrace. I believe the Lord sees it very differently, and we need to make sure our paradigm is aligned with His so we're pursuing the right goals and focused on the right priorities.

Trait #1: I actually changed this first trait just minutes before I started recording. (I'll explain why as we chat.) While balance and moderation definitely play a huge role in our efforts to find Christ-centered health, I believe the true key lies in SURRENDER--in turning the whole process over to the Lord to let Him guide and direct our efforts. Only He can lead us to a place of peace physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Trait #2: As we continue to explore what Christ-centered health really looks like, not just on the outside, but deep in our minds and hearts, the second thing we need to focus on is FREEDOM. Once we surrender our health into the Lord's capable hands, He'll keep His promise in John chapter 8 and make us "free indeed." There are so many areas of bondage in our lives that need His healing touch, and today we'll talk about exactly how He can do that.

We've come to Trait #3 on our top ten list: GRACE. You may wonder what grace has to do with dieting or food or body image or health. But once we open our scriptures and begin to chat about this amazingly beautiful concept, you'll soon see what a crucial component it is in building a strong foundation in Christ. For once we're truly filled and saturated with the Lord's wondrous grace, we'll approach our entire health journey very differently.

I know we've talked a LOT in this podcast about Trait #4: being SPIRIT-LED. But in this episode, I'm going to get really specific and include several examples of what that can look like in our everyday lives. Our health often includes things outside of just diet and exercise, and we need to allow the Lord to lead us through His Spirit to the answers that will bless all the various aspects of our personal health and wellness.

I'm pretty sure Trait #5 isn't going to be anyone's favorite. It's PATIENCE. Just the thought of all the long-suffering patience requires is enough to drive any of us crazy. We want a quick fix. We want our suffering and our struggles to stop ASAP. But what if the Lord could transform our outlook so we see patience as a gift? What if He could help us understand its value in creating--and maintaining--lasting change? Most importantly, what if the trials that require our patience are those that most powerfully influence our ability to grow in grace?

We're touching on two different traits today in our top ten list for Christ-centered health. They are FEARLESSNESS & HUMILITY. (For more on fear, see Season 2, Episodes 4-6 for my three-part series). While humility may not seem like an important aspect of our health journey, it actually plays a huge role in helping us move forward, and can even keep us stuck if we're not careful. But if we humble ourselves as a little child, the Lord is then free to outline the individual path that will work best for us.

This was a big one for me. Trait #8 is the COURAGE TO BE IMPERFECT. It comes from Brene Brown’s TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, but we’ll also find this idea repeated all throughout the scriptures. The contrast is glaring: our world believes health is all about perfection. Perfect body, perfect weight, perfect diet, perfect abs. But the Lord encourages us to actually embrace our weakness and imperfection. Join me as we talk about the reason why.

One of the most vital things we learned in 2020 was how crucial CONNECTION was to our mental, physical, and emotional health. Especially SOCIAL connection. Connecting with others fills a place deep inside us and buoys us up through both the good times and the bad. But as we look at this trait through the lens of Christ-centered health, we'll see it with an even more powerful and life-changing perspective.

We're ending Season 4 with a bang: our last trait is to LIVE OUT LOUD. In other words, our job is to talk, share, post, and testify in every way we possibly can of Christ's amazing power to deliver. Of His ability to save us from food addiction. From an eating disorder. From a negative body image, or mental obsession over our weight, or any other "horrible pit" the enemy has drop-kicked us into (Psalm 40). Put simply, the goal of Christ-centered health is to make sure everyone around us is able to find freedom and healing as we have.

In seasons 1-4, we've explored many different aspects of physical, mental, and even emotional health. Now it's time to turn our sights to the most important pursuit of all: SPIRITUAL health. I'm not talking about a few little changes here and there, like improving our prayers or better church attendance. I'm talking about a radical, life-altering experience with the Lord where we learn exactly what it feels like to be MADE ALIVE IN HIM. Buckle up, because it's going to be a pretty incredible journey.

Today’s content was truly a game-changer for me. We're going to talk about a new perspective on eternal life that may just knock your socks off. When it comes to escaping the ravages and misery of spiritual death, the Lord has prepared a way out: and it’s more amazing and mind-blowing than we can even comprehend. From the lips of the beloved apostle John, we’ll learn exactly how our listless, empty souls can be brought back to life—right now in our everyday experience.

To begin to explore the path that will lead us to life in Christ, we're going to follow in the footsteps of Adam & Eve. Like them, we too have eaten the forbidden fruit and experienced spiritual death. But there's much more we've chosen to DO and BELIEVE as a result of the Fall. Today we'll take a closer look at our own personal nakedness, and the metaphorical fig leaves we've sewn together to try and cover it up.

As we continue to discuss ways we reach for counterfeit clothing just like Adam and Eve, today we're exploring a really sneaky fig leaf apron that can hide deep in our subconscious. Slowly and subtly, it often wraps its leaves tightly around our heart without our even realizing it. It's made from the seductive leaves of DENIAL. Thankfully, we can begin to shed this false covering through the empowering grace of Jesus Christ.

In this episode, we'll wrap up our look at different kinds of fig leaves by talking about why they don't really work. While it's true they can feel really comforting in the moment, these types of counterfeit clothing hold us back from finding true and abiding life in Christ. In the end, they're just a bunch of flimsy fig leaves that will always fail us in the long run and keep us from the many amazing gifts our sweet Savior has to offer.

As we begin to look at the next detail in Adam & Eve's story, our goal is to evaluate how we choose to run off just like they did. In what ways do we hide ourselves "from the presence of the Lord God" (Gen. 3:8)? Initially, those of us who are active in our faith may not think this part applies to us, but there are many subtle ways we can choose to escape--especially when we look deep in the recesses of our mind and heart.

For those of us who are active in our religion, it's easy to believe that we're not the ones in hiding. That unlike Adam and Eve, we're not the ones running off into the trees. But could it be that, just like the Pharisees, we have times where we honor the Lord with our lips while our hearts are far from Him? In this episode, we'll explore what religious hiding can look like in our everyday lives, and what a deceiving type of escape this can be.

This is the last detail we're going to explore in the story of Adam and Eve--and it's a big one. When asked if they've eaten the forbidden fruit, Adam points his finger in blame at Eve, and Eve points her finger at the serpent. We also have ways we point our finger at others, often even holding them responsible for our own sinful thoughts & actions. But if we truly want to experience new life in Christ, we've got to take a good hard look at our tendency to blame, and allow Him to teach us instead how to offer forgiveness.

As we wrap up this last detail in Adam & Eve's story, we're going to switch gears completely and look at other ways we blame that we may not even be aware of. Believe it or not, our accusation may in fact be directed at those we love--at our greatest supporters and companions. Why would we point our finger in their direction? Because we feel like they're not doing enough to help us overcome the effects of the Fall.

It’s time to pause and look back at everything we’ve learned so far from Adam and Eve. It’s fair to say that the path they walked—and we walked right along with them—will never move us from spiritual death to eternal life. So how in the world do we get there? In this episode, we’ll begin to outline a new path, one that will lead us right to the heart-reviving, life-restoring Bread of Life.

I absolutely love the content in this episode. It completely shifted my mindset when it comes to how and why I draw near to Christ. Join me as we dig deeper into what it really means to know our precious Savior and how we can truly become one with Him. Nothing will change our lives more than when we finally begin to understand this important process.

Repentance isn't the most popular subject. You may even be tempted to skip right over this episode. But we can't skip it today, because it's one of the Lord's main calls to His people all throughout the scriptures. Thankfully, there's another way to view repentance that will completely shift any negative view we may have. In reality, it's a beautiful doctrine that will dramatically change our hearts and minds if only we'll let it.

It's time to dive deep into the powerful concept of repentance by exploring the idea of confession. Don't shy away from this idea, because it's the way we get really real with the Lord. If we're intent on building a personal relationship with Him, we've got to be vulnerable and confess our baggage in an open and honest way. And we can do it with confidence, knowing He'll embrace our vulnerability and shower us with much-needed healing.

At this point in our season, we've now reached a crossroads. It's a place where the path splits in two completely different directions. We know that, to truly find life in Christ, we need to forsake our aprons and escapes once and for all. But we have to make sure we're heading down the right road, because there's only one path that will actually allow us to get us there.

Our journey is taking us through some pretty intense territory, so we're going to take this episode to slow down and explore how to navigate it. Leaving behind our comfort zones and coping mechanisms is an incredibly difficult process, so we're relying on the Lord to strengthen us and empower us as we continue moving forward. Life in Christ is the prize, and we'll get there as we do all we can to truly come to know Him.

This one took a lot for me to record. We're talking about something so close to my heart, it was difficult to find words to describe it. Yes, we've had to spend some time in the desert tackling some really tough stuff. But this is the point where that dry, barren landscape suddenly begins to blossom and flourish with more beauty that we ever imagined possible. That's because this is the point where we truly begin to SEE and KNOW Christ for ourselves. And the results won't just ignite our hearts and stir our souls--it will change our lives forever.

As we continue walking farther away from our hiding places and closer to Jesus Christ, there's more we can learn about the transformation process. The Lord doesn't just want to change our behavior--He wants to bring our dead hearts back to life. He wants to completely rewire the way we think. That will take even deeper personal exploration and a lot more time drawing closer to Him.

As you've been trying to shed your fig leaves and abandon all your hiding places, have you struggled with an inner reluctance to let go? Many of our coping mechanisms came into being to protect us from pain and to cover up our brokenness, so the prospect of living without them may feel incredibly vulnerable or even scary. In this episode, we'll talk about how Christ can heal our inner wounds in a way that not only sets us free from the aprons and escapes that bind us, but uncovers the person we were truly meant to become.

I have to admit, this episode is one of my favorites I've ever recorded. We get to talk about one of the most amazing gifts that comes from abiding in Christ: the privilege of experiencing HIS joy. It's a joy unlike anything we've ever tasted--a happiness that fills and saturates and consumes us in a way that is truly mind-blowing. I promise you: it's every bit as awesome as it sounds.

Here we are, standing at the summit of our journey, and the view is so breathtaking, it's hard to find words to describe. Because we've learned to abide in Christ, we'll also enjoy the privilege of abiding in His LOVE. Yes, we've probably felt hints and glimpses of this love at different times in our lives, but we've now reached a whole new level in our relationship with Him. Truly, nothing will ignite our hearts more than learning to dwell continually in His soul-healing, heart-restoring, life-transforming love. (I love you all so much!! Thank you for being willing to join me on this journey. I pray this is only the beginning of your personal adventure to come to know your Savior.)