The Jess Connolly Podcast

A Google search says this: “Finding balance comes from giving time and energy to the things that build you up and give you life. And likewise, eliminating the things that bring you down and stress you out.” But as women of mission, we cannot just eliminate what is broken - we live in a broken world with real hurts and God has called us to this place. If everyone is trying to find it - this mysterious sense of balance - maybe it’s not there. We’re showing up to this conversation with these questions in hand: Who decides what is balanced? Is there a difference between worldly balance and Kingdom balance? Was Jesus balanced? How can we divulge ourselves of the illusion of balance to serve others? Listen in as we start what is only the beginning of this conversion. We pray this episode frees you up from the idea of needing to have it all together. His power is made perfect in our weakness, and we get to run in that freedom today.

Friends, you are in for an incredible conversation in this episode with our gal Hosanna. What does it look like to use our stories for God’s glory? Hosanna is exactly who we want to talk to to help us think through this. As Jess would say, Hosanna has the spirit of John, the Baptist, and this episode is sure to encourage and equip you today. In this conversation, we’re diving into: how to push past the insecurity, the fear, and the perceived inadequacy when telling our story how to share our full selves - questions, imperfections, what you like, and what you don’t like - with the world, for the good of others and the glory of God who the real Savior of our stories is Hosanna is an author, pastor, and speaker, using what God has given her - a story of growing up on the streets of San Francisco to now living on mission to see lives restored by the power of Jesus - to bring hope to a broken world. She believes in your story, in the Church, and in Jesus. Hosanna shares a bit of her story in this episode, but for more, we cannot recommend her brand new book, How to Not Save the World, enough - grab it wherever books are sold!  This conversation was filled with encouragement and hope, and we pray you finish this episode spurred on to go and tell the good news. We’re so grateful for you, friends. Keep going, God is mighty in you.

What does it look like for our prayers to be real, honest words - not performative, but an offering to God? Our friend Kayla Craig is leading us into this conversation, and we are so grateful for her mission. We spent a good bit of this conversation with Kayla just telling her how grateful we are for her work. The ministry she is doing is both unique and necessary. Kayla is, as we referred to her in this episode, a motherhood shepherd who is using her words to help parents navigate parenthood while leaning on God. She is a former journalist turned author. Her work began as she started writing prayers that she hoped would help us navigate parenting in an overwhelming world. Her online space, Liturgies for Parents, is an invitation to draw near to God. Her new book, To Light Their Way, releases on October 5, and we hope that you will preorder this incredible work of art. Whether you’re a parent or not, listen in on this episode. Kayla shares incredible wisdom for anyone running on mission. We hope you enjoy this conversation. God is mighty in you.

While mission and running on it is absolutely what we love to talk about here, we know that there are some pain points that we all have. We want to be like the friend you FaceTime to process with, so we’re shifting a bit. Interviews with incredible women of mission will absolutely continue here, but we’re also going to dive into the hard and heavy. How can we, the women of God, keep going in some tense spaces? What’s hard about this for us, for you? We have a lot of questions and only a few answers, but we’re leaning in to create some conversation that will hopefully and prayerfully lead us to more compassion, more curiosity, and more hope in Jesus. In this episode, we’re talking all about how we, the women of mission that God is using to bring about change in the world, handle conflict and tension online. How do take care of our souls? How can we use the internet as a window to learn without crashing in the walls of our soul that do keep us safe? And how do we love people well, even when we disagree? We pray this conversation encourages and equips you today as you navigate the internet and social media today. If you love this episode, we would love to hear it! Email Brenna at podcast@goandtellgals.com to share your thoughts on this conversation. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Friends, for a conversation on embracing your story and all its dirty parts, we could think of no better gal than our friend, Mary. In this episode, we’re diving into how to push past the shame of your story to embrace the wisdom gained and the strength of God found right there. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness, and that means we can fully embrace our stories, amen? Mary Marantz is a Yale Law School graduate and the first in her immediate family to go to college. Her newest book, Dirt, is about growing up in West Virginia, and you are absolutely going to want to grab a copy. We pray this episode equips and encourages you to tell your story, no matter how messy. God is mighty in you, and He’s using it all for the good of others and the glory of Himself.

Gals, we are so excited to share this week’s episode with you. We sat down with the incredible, beautiful Ginny Owens for a conversation on mission and how to carry hope even when our story turns out differently than we hoped. You probably know Ginny already as she is a woman on mission, using even her brokenness to tell of God’s glory. She’s a singer, songwriter, author, teacher, and advocate. She’s had three albums chart on Billboard, and she’s performed in diverse spaces like the White House, the SUndance Film Festival, and the National Day of Prayer. Her newest book, Singing in the Dark: Finding Hope in the Songs of Scripture, released this May, and you have got to check it out - it tells the story of her life and how God’s word both informs and changes our own lives. Be sure to grab a copy! Listen in, and be encouraged. God is using your story. As Ginny says, “we don’t get to choose our circumstances, but we do get to choose the story that our life tells.” Let it be, God. This episode is sponsored by our friends at BetterHelp. Our Go and Tell Gals listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/goandtellgals. Thank you, BetterHelp, for the work that you do!

If you have ever wondered if your mission actually matters, if it is actually worth it, then friend, this is the episode for you. We sat down with our friend Sharon, and her wisdom and encouragement was the exact gift we needed to hear. If you don’t already know Sharon Hodde Miller, we’re thrilled to introduce you to her. She’s a teaching pastor, an author, a church planter, a wife, and a mom. And she has her doctorate with a focus on women in calling, so of course she’s a gal we wanted to talk to. We sat down for a conversation on what it means to be a woman in ministry, diversity within the church, using your gifts, and how the resurrection means we, too, get to die to ourselves, trusting God will use it all. Be encouraged today. God is mighty in you, sister. Keep going! This episode is sponsored by our friends at BetterHelp. Our Go and Tell Gals listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/goandtellgals. Thank you, BetterHelp, for the work that you do!

Are you a woman on mission, wearing a few different hats? This episode is for you. We sat down with our friend Trillia to talk about motherhood, mission, and life lately. We’re also talking about being a mother on mission, adjusting to the needs of her children. Whether you’re a mother or not, we pray this episode will encourage you today. Trillia is a wife, a mom, an author, and a speaker. We talk about a bit about her newest book, Creative God, Colorful Us, and why she believes writing books for children, especially ages 8-13, matters. Trillia is using exactly what gifts she has to glorify God, and we’re so thankful for this conversation! Listen in, be encouraged. God is mighty in your mission! This episode is sponsored by our friends at BetterHelp. Our Go and Tell Gals listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/goandtellgals. Thank you, BetterHelp, for the work that you do!

In honor of our 100th episode, we’re looking back and dreaming forward. Our conversations here might have looked different over our first 100 episodes, but our hope and prayer is no less anchored: encouraging and equipping you for the good of others and the glory of God. Join us in this special episode as we think about our first 100, answer some of your incredible questions, and vision cast for our next 100. Regardless of whether you’ve been here for all 100 or just for this episode, we’re so grateful for you. We pray you know that God loves you and that He is mighty in you. And, if you haven't heard yet, IF:Lead 2021 is coming up so soon - August 7! Digital passes are on sale now at iflead2021.com, and they start at just $29. Head to iflead2021.com to save your spot!

When our friend Taylor released her first book, she just knew we had to talk to her on the podcast. Taylor is bright and brave, and she trusts God with what is good and what is hard. We just know that her story of hope and healing will leave you encouraged. Taylor Schumann is a wife, a mom, an author, and an activist. She’s the author of an incredible new book, When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough: A Shooting Survivor’s Journey Into the Realities of Gun Violence. In 2013, Taylor was injured in a shooting, and now, she’s using that pain and trauma for the good of others and the glory of God. We cannot recommend this book enough - it’s available now wherever books are sold. In this episode, we’re talking about hearing stories that are different than your own and finding God in the growing. We pray this episode encourages you to listen to the stories you hear and to tell the stories that only you can tell. We pray that you would pray first, then take action — through advocacy, through asking questions, and through however God leads you to make a move. We pray you find hope in Taylor’s mission and that you would know God better because of her words. God is mighty in you, sister. And, if you haven't heard yet, IF:Lead 2021 is coming up so soon - August 7! Digital passes are on sale now at iflead2021.com, and they start at just $29. Head to iflead2021.com to save your spot!