Journeywomen

Hey ya’ll! Welcome to an extra, bonus episode of the Journeywomen podcast! If you’re new here, it isn’t our custom to release bonus episodes, but there’s an important contribution to our conversation from episode 46 on the topic of fear with Matt Lantz that we don't want you to miss out on. If you haven’t listened to episode 46, yet you’ll want to go back and do that now because it’s foundational for understanding what Matt shares with us today. We hope this bonus episode is helpful as you continue to prayerfully process the topic of fear with your own friends and mentors throughout the week! And if you want to do that with other women listening to this podcast you can find us all over on Instagram or Facebook.Thanks for listening! If you guys enjoyed this mini-episode be sure to let us know! We love journeying with you all. Can’t wait to see you here next Monday for my conversation with Ginger Ciminello on the topic of freedom! Have a great week! MATT'S RESOURCESFind a friend who will help you remember when you’re afraid (confess your fears to a friend and let them remind you to fear God)Find a professional counselorSermons on Fear CONNECT WITH MATTWebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitterFOR MORE EPISODES OF JOURNEYWOMEN: SUBSCRIBESubscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to the Journeywomen Podcast. On Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app. You may need to copy the link into your favorite podcast app (like Overcast or Stitcher). WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other women on their journeys to glorify God find and utilize the podcast as a resource. FOLLOW JOURNEYWOMENLike/follow Journeywomen on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for the latest updates. *Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I brought back one of your all-time favorite guests, Matt Lantz! We talked about fear and what happens when our fear is misplaced. I talked about my own wrestle with fear of man and per usual, Matt blew my mind, like when he said,“I’m reminded when I am afraid of something that I am not God. I don’t command anything. And I’m mortal. I can die, I can be hurt. I think God gave us the emotion of fear because he’s the only one worthy of it.”Matt also shares how we can help one another out as friends by reminding one another of the only One who is worthy of our fear. We fear Him because He is good, He commands things, and that He is commanding things for our good, and that He can even do that at our request.So you’ll know him a little better, Matt is a husband, father, and pastor who lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and three children. He’s a graduate of TCU and Dallas Theological Seminary and has been working in full-time ministry since 2000 preparing the way for the Lord Jesus in the lives of men and women. Matt was the founding director of a discipleship program called the Forge at Pine Cove where he spent 12 years helping young men and women learn their identity and steward it well. He has recently moved on from the Forge and is now serving as the Recruitment and Development Pastor and the Associate Pastor of the West Campus at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, TX. MATT'S RESOURCESFind a friend who will help you remember when you’re afraid (confess your fears to a friend and let them remind you to fear God)Find a professional counselorSermons on Fear ADVICE FOR 25-YEAR-OLD MATT If you’re going to work hard at something in your spiritual life, work hard at trusting God instead of controlling your circumstances. CONNECT WITH MATTWebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter SPONSORSHIP DETAILSFOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I had the true joy of chatting with Abigail Dodds, someone I’ve admired from afar as I’ve read her articles for Desiring God and followed along with her life via Instagram. Abigail is married to Tom and mom of five kiddos ranging from age 14 to 4. She’s a part-time writer, part-time Bible study teacher, part-time homeschool teacher, part-time baker, gardener, and knitter. But she would tell you she’s a full-time Christian, a full-time wife and mom, full-time member her church, and full-time friend and sister in Christ. She’s also soon to be a student again, as she’s starting this fall at Bethlehem College and Seminary getting her Masters in exegesis and theology. Today we chatted about REST! Something that we, as believers, have already been given, but too often fail to actually rest IN. Here’s one of my favorite quotes, “Knowing Jesus means we get to know the Father. In knowing Jesus, we know rest.” Hearing Abigail, a busy mom of FIVE kiddos, communicate the true rest we have in the Gospel encouraged me deeply, especially in this busy season with little people. I can’t wait to share it with ya’ll! ABIGAIL'S RESOURCES“God Rested” by Andrew PetersonCrazy Busy by Kevin DeYoungThe Bible ABIGAIL'S SIMPLE JOYSFamilyBakingChanging of Seasons CONNECT WITH ABIGAILWebsiteInstagramFacebookTwitter SPONSORSHIP DETAILS FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with Kristy Hunter about the resurrection! We talked about how the resurrection we’ll gather together to celebrate this upcoming Easter Sunday is actually something we can celebrate all the time! She said, “At our church, we talk about how we celebrate Easter every week. We don’t celebrate the risen Christ just on Easter. He’s seated at the right hand of God. He’s there. It’s not just once. He died and rose once. But because he lives we celebrate every week and every day.” Our entire conversation is centered around the reality that Christ’s life, death and resurrection change every area of our lives as believers every single day! So you’ll know her a little better, Kristy was a friend of a mentor of mine back when I was in college! She’s also been married to Justin for almost 16 years and she’s the mama of two boys, Stevens and Stiles. They make their home in Northwest Arkansas--Woo Pig! She loves the life God has given her even though it's the life she never dreamt she'd be living. I can’t wait to share her passion for the Gospel with you guys today! KRISTY’S RESOURCESRemember: God’s growth in our lives does not depend on usFind a church that preaches the Gospel every week My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts by Susan HuntGive Them Grace by Elyse M. FitzpatrickShepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Historical Evidence for the Resurrection by Desiring God KRISTY’S SIMPLE JOYSJustinStevensStiles CONNECT WITH KRISTYInstagram SPONSORSHIP DETAILS FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with Valerie Woerner of Val Marie Paper Company. We talked about everything from the purpose of prayer to how it works in conjunction with the other spiritual disciples. I confessed that prayer is one of the most humbling aspects of my walk with the Lord, and ya’ll, our conversation got me excited! I walked away encouraged to take advantage of the real privilege we have to grow in intimacy with God through prayer. Val said, “Jesus had to die on the cross so that we could be in communication with God. Without the cross, sin would separate us from God. There is no other way to have communication with God apart from the cross.” I am so thankful that Christ came so that we can be in true fellowship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit. What a gift to get to converse with him because of what Christ has done for us! So you’ll know her a little better, Valerie does life every day with her husband, Tyler, who is the owner of Pixelbrush Studios by day and a gourmet chef by night. She is momma to Vivi Mae and Vana. Her best friend was sort of built in but she wouldn’t trade her for any other, her twin sister Natalie! They live in Woerner Bungalow and are passionate about minimalistic living and finding margin in this busy-loving world. They live in Lafayette, Louisiana (also known as Cajun Country). She loves her life and where God has taken her, but He is far from done with her. Valerie doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out, but she’s happy to share her journey with us all! Her recent book, The Finishing School, is her journey and what she’d share with us if we were sitting on her porch drinking iced tea. I’m so excited for ya’ll to hear from her today! VAL’S RESOURCESPraying out loud in different tempos (loud and powerful, or quiet and restful)The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer by E. M. BoundsToo Busy Not to Pray by Bill HybelsThe Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie OmartianThe Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OmartianThe Power of a Praying Mom by Stormie OmartianPut prayer alerts in your calendar on your phone VAL’S SIMPLE JOYSWalking barefoot around her neighborhoodDark chocolate with toffeeScreened in porch OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONEDVal Marie Paper Prayer Journals66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God That Invites You into His Story by Larry CrabbThe One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie 23 | The Big Story of the Bible with Caroline Cobb CONNECT WITH VALWebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter SPONSORSHIP DETAILS FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On this episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with my real-life friend Cierra Bragan about sharing life and the Gospel both locally and cross-culturally. We talked about everything from feeling the nervous jitters before we share our faith, to fighting off feelings of inadequacy and trusting that our confidence in sharing should rest in the conviction of who we know Christ to be and what he is capable of. Throughout the entire interview Cierra beautifully articulates the Gospel and encourages us to rest IN the Gospel at all times. She said, “What he requires he supplies, and he’s done that in Jesus. That’s just beautiful. It’s not Jesus plus, or Jesus in addition to my good works, or Jesus in addition to my Sunday School attendance. It is Christ alone.” CIERRA’S RESOURCESMissionary BiographiesThrough Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth ElliotJournals of Jim Elliot by Jim ElliotShadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth ElliotTo the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney AndersonJohn Hyde: Apostle of Prayer by Francis McGawLet the Nations Be Glad by John PiperCross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer The Valley of Vision (A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions) CIERRA’S SIMPLE JOYSWarm days to be outsideBubble bathChick-fil-a vanilla iced coffee OTHER RESOURCESEvangelism Explosion by D. James Kennedy Romans RoadDavid Platt - ThreadsOperation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every NationCrazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung CONNECT WITH CIERRAInstagramWherever I Lodge Instagram SPONSORSHIP DETAILSThere is no getting around them, relationships are a part of life, and they always will be. And at T Bar M Camps, they believe relationships have the power to change camper’s lives forever. Therefore, they make them count. They recruit passionate college students, screening them through an intense application and interview process, for your child’s care and safety. Their full time staff focuses their time and energy training and investing in the lives of these college staff equipping them to do the same for the best interest of your camper. They are confident the relationship between a camper and their camp “Coach” is a launching point for other healthy relationships to form, develop and thrive. Camp is one of the most lasting, rewarding experiences parents can give their children. At T Bar M, it builds self-esteem and gives kids a sense of independence all while growing their faith. Give your child an experience that matters. Invest in a week of camp. T Bar M has Day Camps in New Braunfels Texas, overnight camps for campers 1st – 11th grade, and even incredible Family Camps. Go check them out at tbarm.org/journeywomen to learn all about it. FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with Stephanie Reynolds about relational intimacy, or intimacy within the context of all of our relationships. Stephanie has been married almost 40 years! She and her husband, Rick, work with couples who are recovering from infidelity through the ministry of Affair Recovery. This conversation with Stephanie wraps up our series on relationships that we’ve had going on for the past four weeks. Through conversations with guests about intimacy with God, singleness, dating, and marriage, we’ve learned that being known involves risk, but we can take risks in knowing and being known by others because of Christ! Through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can experience intimacy with the Father. That intimacy with God fully satisfies us and enables us to experience intimacy with others, whether it be through marriage or through Christian community, even though we will inevitably experience pain that comes from broken people knowing and loving broken people. As we walk in intimate relationships with others, we are able to forgive one another and experience reconciliation because of the Good News of the Gospel! It is only in Christ that we can experience true intimacy with God and others, despite ourselves. This whole series has stirred my affection for Jesus, ya’ll! I hope it’s done that for you too, and this episode is no exception.STEPHANIE'S RESOURCESVisit a therapistFind a marriage enrichment programFind a support groupDance in the Rain website / The Scars that Have Shaped Me by Vaneetha Rendall Risner CONNECT WITH STEPHANIEAffair Recovery Website FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On this episode of the Journeywomen podcast I had the privilege of chatting with Carla Weathersbee, a family friend and expert on marriage. We talked about everything from the purpose of marriage and how marriage points us to the Gospel to fighting for oneness within our unique marriages. Carla and her husband Byron founded Legacy Family Ministries to pass Biblical principles from one generation to another through marriage preparation classes and Family Camps. Carla serves as Executive Director of Summers Mill Retreat and Conference Center. She leads the women’s ministry in their church, teaches a weekly Bible study, and disciples young women. Together, the Weathersbees have written and developed various marriage prep resources over the past 20 years while working directly with pre-engaged and engaged couples. All of that to say, Carla’s got a lot to say about marriage and I cannot wait for ya’ll to get to hear from her! CARLA’S RESOURCES What’s It Like to Be Married to Me? by Linda Dillow Sacred Marriage by Gary ThomasE.V. Hill preaching his wife’s funeral CARLA’S SIMPLE JOYSHaving people in my homeGolf cart rides / being in natureKombucha and Brookside Chocolate CONNECT WITH CARLAWebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter SPONSORSHIP DETAILSYou know that building community is good for both people and business. But many apartment residents are completely disconnected from their neighbors. Apartment Life places CARES Teams to live onsite in apartments to welcome new residents, plan social events, and look for ways to love their neighbors as themselves. Because of our CARES Teams, apartment owners see improved resident satisfaction, retention, and online reputation. It also changes lives. www.apartmentlife.org SPONSORSHIP DETAILSElisabeth Young of ElisaAnne Calligraphy always knew that God blessed her with artistic talent and a heart for entrepreneurship. Since 2014 she has been pursuing her love of calligraphy and design by offering custom wedding invitations for the elegant and timeless bride. After your wedding, the flowers will fade, the cake will be eaten, and your dress will be pressed and delicately boxed for safekeeping; but your wedding invitations will be one of the tangible heirlooms that forever remind you of the special and holy celebration you had that day! From custom wedding crests featuring artwork that represents you and your fiancé, to breathtaking venue illustrations, Elisabeth can create multiple different elements for your invitations that will make them special, personal, and, dare I say, simply too beautiful for your guests to throw away. For 10% off any of Elisabeth’s custom wedding invitation packages, make sure to mention that you heard about ElisaAnne Calligraphy on the Journeywomen podcast. Visit www.elisaannecalligraphy.com today to submit a wedding invitation inquiry and receive your free consultation & quote! FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen! 

In light of the upcoming holiday, I decided to bring one of the coolest single ladies I know to chat about singleness. Happy Valentines Day, single ladies! Today’s guest, Becca Harris, is 36, single, loves Jesus, and is mama to two young men that she adopted out of foster care who are now 20 and 17 years old. Becca’s boys moved in when they were 14 and 11. They were 16 and 13 when she adopted them. Becca and I talked about everything from Jesus’ life as a single man to what it looks like to submit our desires to the Lord without shutting the doors on our dreams. Even if you’re not single, you’ll want to stick around to learn how we can love our single friends better, but beyond that, Becca’s story is an incredible one to hear in general, regardless of your current season. I’m certain it will stir your affections for Jesus and inspire you to walk in obedience to whatever He asks of you.I walked away from this conversation inspired to happily follow Jesus in whatever it is that He sets before me. I hope you find Becca’s obedience to Christ just as inspiring as I do! This conversation is actually the second of five episodes we’re putting out on the topic of relationships. If you’re new, be sure to hop back to last week’s episode with Kim Vollendorf on Intimacy with God and subscribe to the podcast to catch next week’s episode on dating! To continue discussing relationships in light of the Gospel throughout the week, find us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! Thanks so much for allowing us to journey alongside you! Have a great week! We can’t wait to see you here, next Monday. BECCA’S RESOURCESWhen People Are Big and God Is Small by Edward T. Welch Not Yet Married by Marshall Segal (audiobook)A Praying Life by Paul Miller  BECCA’S SIMPLE JOYSKidsBeing active and being outsideBeing with friends over a good meal and games  CONNECT WITH BECCAFacebookInstagramTwitter SPONSORSHIP DETAILSYou know that building community is good for both people and business. But many apartment residents are completely disconnected from their neighbors. Apartment Life places CARES Teams to live onsite in apartments to welcome new residents, plan social events, and look for ways to love their neighbors as themselves. Because of our CARES Teams, apartment owners see improved resident satisfaction, retention, and online reputation. It also changes lives. www.apartmentlife.org FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!

On this episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with Kim Vollendorf about intimacy with God. This is the first of five episodes that we’re releasing on the topic of relationships, just in time for February, the all-too-anticipated month of love, which, can we all just be honest with ourselves and admit that we long to experience?On today’s episode, Kim and I discussed the foundation for true, selfless love, which is intimacy with God. Intimacy, or into-me-you-see, is a thread that weaves its way through each of the conversations we’re releasing on the topic of relationships, but it’s worth noting that this thread existed before humanity ever came into being, as God Himself experienced intimacy with the persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. The Trinity eternally existed in relationship. Meaning, God didn’t create humanity because He was lonely or in need because there is rich fellowship within the members of the Trinity. He made us in His image and after His likeness and because of that, we were created to be in intimate relationships too, just like Him. That’s why He said, “It is not good that man should be alone.”So God created Eve, a helpmate for Adam, someone like him, someone with whom Adam would experience knowing and being known. But not long after Adam and Eve were created, something terrible happened to this divine image when they disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. When they took and ate of the tree, the image of God in humans was twisted and damaged. We are still his image-bearers, but that image has been perverted throughout generations. We’re all longing for the image to be restored to its original beauty, but God intends to go beyond even what Adam and Eve experienced in the garden by conforming us into the image of Christ as we experience intimacy with Him.There is nothing casual about the way in which God knows us. Scripture says that He has searched and known us, He knows when we sit and when we rise, He discerns our thoughts from afar. He searches out our path and our lying down; He is acquainted with all our ways. Even before a word is on our tongues He knows it. He knows all things, including absolutely everything about us. The reason He searches and knows us is because He loves us. So much so, that He sent His Son down to earth to die so that we could enter into relationship with Him, by the power of His Spirit, and once again experience intimacy with Him.The cry of the human heart is to belong, to be loved, and to experience the ultimate intimacy that can only be found in relationship with God. By the power of the Spirit, our identification, our oneness, and our intimacy with Jesus conforms us into His image, which deepens and enriches our human relationships too! If we know that we’re loved by the Sovereign God, it frees us up to be open and intimate in our personal relationships as well. Today Kim and I talk about how we enter into relationship with God by the power of His Spirit, through relationship with His Son, and how knowing who God is actually cultivates intimacy with Him and with others. This is a huge topic and by no means is this conversation exhaustive, but we hope it will offer some practical tools to help you posture yourself towards intimacy with God.On a personal level, you may not go about this by creating a handy alphabet like Kim did, but I want to encourage you to invest time getting to know God through His Word, whatever that looks like for you. KIM'S RESOURCES Daily time in God’s WordKim’s ABC Bookmark Sex and the Single Girl by Dr. Juli Slattery (resources on intimacy from biblical perspective)  CONNECT WITH KIMWebsiteInstagramTwitter FOR MORE:Subscribe: iTunes | AndroidFollow Us: Website | Instagram | FacebookSupport the podcast by writing a review*Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!