It’s the season seven launch!! We are so glad to be back with you all, and are equally glad to engage last season’s identity theme one more time to ensure we take it from the ethereal to the practical. The person here to help us do this is the author of ‘Finding Your Best Identity’ and ministry leader, Andrew Bunt. Andrew joins the team today to talk about: How can we know which parts of us are the true us, and which are not? Is sexual identity and gender identity core to who we are? How can we engage the world’s mantra of “Listen to your heart” to know who you are? How can we engage the world’s other mantra of “Let others define who you are”? //Highlights: “Questions of sexuality and gender . . . have become so tied to identity in the cultural context around us that when people hear--that out of faithfulness to Jesus--I am choosing not to have a relationship with another man, people say, ‘Well, isn’t God asking you to deny who you really are?’ It’s seen as so core to identity . . . it’s considered bad news for somebody like me.” —Andrew Bunt “We are who God says we are. This actually frees us from defining ourselves by what we feel inside or defining ourselves based on the opinions of others.” —Andrew Bunt “I define identity as ‘our controlling self understanding.’” —Andrew Bunt “My sexuality describes me. I am attracted to other guys. I am same-sex attracted, gay, whatever language you want to use. I am not denying that. I am not ashamed of that. . . . But that describes part of my experience. It doesn’t define me. What defines me is that I have been adopted by God as his child.” —Andrew Bunt //Question of the Week: What was (or is) your favorite school supply? (You guys sure love some Lisa Frank! Lol) //Do the Next Thing: Find Andrew’s book here Join the HIMH Podcast FB Group here You can watch the episode here

“I think there are reasons we deny our pain including that we can are overwhelmed (‘Where do I start?’), the fear of ‘This will make things worse”… Or, we don’t have he community around us to help us process.” --Steve O'Dell Today, as only the Holy Spirit can do, these first three Shorts episodes link together. So today, we continue our accidental theme of "Spiritual practices that help us to become real" with Steve talking about why we avoid pain. Additionally, we talk about: How can we become people who can walk with others in challenging places? What is the cost of not engaging these painful places? What is the first step toward feeling these hard parts of our hearts? We also talk about these lament episodes here And talk about Healing Care Join us?

“One thing I have learned about Jesus is that He wants to sit in uncomfortable emotions with me [Heb. 4:15]. If I am not willing to sit in these emotions, then how is He supposed to sit in them--with me?” --Matt Krieg Oh, dear, wise Matt. Today on HIMH Shorts (where we toss around the host table, “How has the gospel been good news for you lately?), Matt brings up his topic of emotional resilience… What is it? How can we know when it’s time to move on from a negative emotion? How can we know if we need to stay in the suffering longer? We’d love for you to join the conversation. And after? Feel free to tell us what you think on the FB group here On IG here Or email us! podcast@lauriekrieg.com

Heyyyyy!!! We may be in-between seasons, but we missed you all so much we wanted to drop three, surprise mini-episodes for the next three Fridays!! In HIMH Shorts, Matt, Laurie, and Steve will host brief (heh heh, we will try!), one-topic conversations answering, "How has the gospel been good news for you lately?" This week, Laurie is up! She heard YOUR requests for a walk-through of her Episode 202 practice of The Bookshelves. What is that practice? Why does she do it? How has it impacted her? (And does Matt do it, too? lol) Kick back, lay back (if you want to do the practice with us), and join the crew as Laurie shares her nightly practice that has been deepening her identity in the love of Jesus. P.S. Do you like these mini-episodes? Should we keep them up? Let us know by messaging Laurie on IG (laurie_krieg) or emailing us at podcast@lauriekrieg.com

Today, we wrap up season six by asking Matt, Laurie, and Steve if we have met our goal for the season: “Do you feel like you can walk into any room confidently because your identity is more rooted in Christ?” So, have we? :D We truthfully answer this question as well as: What we do when we feel tempted toward sexual sin or with wanting to buy everything in Pottery Barn? How is Laurie’s health? Has it changed? How do we engage with believers who are clearly “producing fruit,” but are choosing to walk outside of God’s design for marriage? //Highlights: “When it comes to relational conflict, the message I often tell myself is, ‘Resolution is the goal.’ I am learning that transformation is the goal. The issue may not be resolved (or easily resolved), but I am called to stay present in it when all I want to do is make it go away.” —Steve O’Dell “To have someone who is my friend love me in the midst of wrestling with sexual temptation removes a layer of shame, and makes me feel like, ‘Okay. I’m actually normal. I just want idols instead of God like everyone else.’”—Laurie Krieg “As much as we look at other people’s hearts, we have to first look at our own.” —Matt Krieg //Question of the Week: We want to hear from you all! Drop a review or let us know what you think of the podcast this season by emailing podcast@lauriekrieg.com or joining the HIMH Podcast FB group! (Search it, answer a couple of questions, and you will be in!) //Do the Next Thing: We mention this episode with Branson Parler We mention this episode with Alison Cook And this episode with Toni Collier We also talk about our episode with David Bennett here To join the podcast conversation, find us here Watch the episode on Youtube here Thanks for a great season!

The lines are open, friends, and we are taking your questions today! What questions? How do you recommend talking with young kids about LGBTQ things/the definition of marriage? Should marriage make us happy or holy? (Or is that the wrong question to ask?) What qualifies as abuse in a relationship? (How does it compare to misuse of a person?) How should we engage with libraries where they prominently display books that are LGBTQIA-affirming (of transitioning or same-sex relationships)? What are the pros and cons of coming out/sharing your story? Pull up a chair, and join the dialogue! //Highlights: “Matt and my philosophy of parenting is: Here is reality. How can we dole that out in gentle, slow, repetitive conversations at varying levels of age-appropriateness so that when they encounter [same-sex relationships or wrestling with gender] in their schools, churches, or in themselves they are not caught off guard and hide, nor are they caught off guard and jump to Love is Love.” —Laurie Krieg “My definition of abuse is that it is a systemic maltreatment or dismissal of the dignity of another person verbally, physically, or emotionally.”—Matt Krieg “You know and I know that everywhere you go there are people … who still make gay jokes a decent amount. If it’s not gay jokes, then it’s ‘*Gasp*! Oh, it’s June! The flag, and the Pride!’ And you’re sitting there, and even though you have zero rainbow flags, you’re not going to Pride, and you’re wrestling with your own heart, you don’t feel safe sharing with them now because they are so exasperated about people like you.”—Laurie Krieg //Question of the Week: Where would you like to visit that you have not been? (Thanks for joining the conversation!) //Do the Next Thing: A blog Laurie wrote about how to come out/share your story here Want to share feedback about the season with the hosts? Email us: podcast@lauriekrieg.com Or, find Laurie on Instagram here Watch the podcast here

Oh, man…from start to finish this conversation sings…! Author and ministry leader, Toni Collier, helps us to finish the final “I am” in our identity series by exploring “I am healing for…” What we mean by this is when you’re going through a dark time, have you ever considered the people you will impact if you keep going through the darkness to the light? What if you gave up? Whom would that affect? Although we never want to have the core of our healing work be for other people (ideally, that motivation is for God and for ourselves), others are valuable to consider as they can energize our healing journey. What else do we talk about? How did a performance-driven heart drive Toni when she wasn’t following the Lord and when she was? What might Toni say to someone really wrestling with depression today? How did Toni start caring more about what Jesus thinks than others? //Highlights: “The thing that brought me out of my depression and suicidal ideation was people who said, ‘We will be with you in the valleys, but we won’t leave you there.’” —Toni Collier “Ya know? I just don’t think I care what anyone else thinks but God. I don’t know what happened, something clicked… If I just solely care what He thinks, then through that lens I should treat others with kindness and respect and honor and show up.” —Toni Collier “When I was able to start saying ‘No’ to people that’s when my ‘Yes’ to Jesus became bigger, more consistent, and more clear.”—Toni Collier //Question of the Week: Are you a hot box or a cold box or just right? (Do you run hot, cold, or just right? You guys had a lot of opinions about menopause on this one lol) //Do the Next Thing: Find all of Toni’s work here Snag the video here Catch all of WCSG’s work here Hear our last episode with Toni and her husband, Sam here

Today, we talk codependence (over-reliance on people for our sense of stability), counter-dependence (under-reliance on people), and interdependence (healthy dependence on people) on the podcast, and the conversation does not disappoint. Psychologist and author, Dr. Alison Cook, leads us biblically through questions about codependence as well as: Is it right or wrong to put others first? How can we be both worthy of care yet also “conceived in sin” (Ps. 51:5) How can we trust again after being burned by others? How does all of this relate to our identity? Pull up an earbud, friends. This is a great one. //Highlights “If I had a word for pastors, I would say: Don’t assume that folks are coming in with a healthy relationship with the self before we ask them to die to it.” —Alison Cook “We change in the context of care and compassion verses in the context of condemnation and judgement and criticism. That’s just what’s true psychologically… ‘God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance.’ (Rom. 2:4).” —Alison Cook “In a healthy home there is that balance of, ‘You are so important, you matter, you are worthy, I am here for you, my dear child. And, as a part of that, I want to equip you to go out among other people and from that place of knowing how valuable you are, shine that light of value onto others.’ That’s a very different thing than, ‘Put others first! You don’t matter. It’s more about them!’ That’s not actually true. It’s because I know I matter, and I have experienced what it feels like to matter to God I can come into your life and shine some of that onto you—that you matter just like I matter.”—Alison Cook “Learning how to trust again after one has been wounded? … ‘I was hurt in the past, I don’t ever want to depend on somebody again.’ To me that’s a cue that we need to repair something in the self. ‘What cues did I ignore? It’s not my fault and there his no shame in that, but I did ignore some cues…How will I do that differently next time?’ … Oh, that’s hard when you have been burned.”—Alison Cook //Question of the Week: What healthy food makes you feel sad when you eat it? (Ya'll are funny.) //Do the Next Thing: Watch the podcast here Hear Alison with us the last time she was on the podcast talking about how to deal with overwhelming thoughts and emotions here   Find Alison’s latest book along with all of her work here

What is it about adult friendships that can make them so hard to cultivate? People move, change, or we simply lose touch. What is the secret of friendship making (and keeping)? (Is there one?) Author and founder of The Friendship Lab, Sheridan Voysey, is back on the podcast today to help us unpack these questions as well as: Why is friendship often overlooked? Is it true that 1 out of 4 adults in the Western world has no close friends? —What are the four characteristics of a true friend? How does knowing we are befriended relate to our identity in Christ? You’re welcome to pull up a seat at the friendly podcast table! //Highlights: “We have a huge friendship crisis going on in the Western world right now. Here in the United Kingdom, somewhere between 20 to 25 percent of all British adults…have no close friends. And, 1 in 10 people…have no friends at all. That’s roughly echoed in America…with 30 to 40 percent of [American] people over the age of 35 being chronically lonely… Around 1 in 4 people in Australia have no close friends. So, we have this 25 percent rate floating around the Western world, and 10 percent have no friends at all. I really felt God saying, ‘What if you were to focus on that figure, and bringing it down? What would that take?’ And I thought, ‘My goodness, a book would not scratch that itch.’” —Sheridan Voysey “This whole stigma around loneliness, stigma around friendlessness—everybody in the world (even if they simply go and move houses) will find themselves lonely for a time and need to make new friends. So, we all go through this, and we need to de-stigmatize it.” —Sheridan Voysey //Question of the Week: In what outfit would artist draw your cartoon character? (Because you wear it so often?) //Do the Next Thing: Watch the video here Listen to Sheridan’s last episode with us about wrestling through infertility and other life disappointments here Learn more about Sheridan’s Friendship Lab Read Sheridan’s work here Sheridan mentions the book, 'Theology of Play' by Jurgen Moltmann

Humanity’s desire to “be known” starts somewhere deep in the soul. However, when some of us experience being known, it can be such a jarring experience that we move toward a couple of options: Stoicism (“I’m good without that deep knowing…that’s too uncomfortable…”) or addiction/consumption (“I need that feeling more!”). What’s the proper response to being known by God and others? With friend of the podcast, Joan Rozeboom, we cover this topic as well as: How does Joan, a single foster mom, feel known by God and others? What parts of us need to be known and what need to be “put to death” as Paul says in Colossians 3:3-10)? How can single people and married people truly know each other like Jesus prays for us to know one another in John 17:21)? Join us? //Highlights: “God, I don’t understand how this can be your best for me but you promised you will withhold no good thing from me. So, I am going to reject the lie that God is withholding something good, and I am going to believe that God has a great purpose in this. And I am going to rest in Him even if I never see the good or the purpose this side of eternity.’” —Joan Rozeboom “The reality is you are left out as a single person a lot--I don’t want to downplay that at all. But when my perspective changed to: How can I serve? Who can I invite in? How can I go up to someone who is new and invite them instead of standing there and saying, ‘Why is no one welcoming me?’ When that perspective changed, that changed everything for me in my interactions in the church.” —Joan Rozeboom “When we understand how truly known and fully loved by God we really are? We don’t *need* to find these things in other places. It’s nice if someone else knows me, but I don’t *need it* from them because I *have it* from God.” —Joan Rozeboom //Question of the Week: Are you a finder or a loser? (Your listener stories are hilarious!) //Do the Next Thing: Watch this episode here  Hit us up with your questions/comments at podcast@lauriekrieg.com Here are some sample Identity Statements you’re welcome to steal and adapt for yourself! I am loved by God (Jer. 31:3, Mark 5:41) I am made on purpose (Eph. 2:10) I am healing for _________  (Matt. 28:19) I am learning to love all of the parts of me (1 Jn. 4:19-20) I am made perfect because of the cross alone (Heb. 10:14) I am valuable, and proof of my value is in my existence (Ps. 139:16-17) I am about the process not perfection (John 21:15-17) I am redeemed (1 Cor. 6:17) I am safe in God’s hands (Matt. 10:28) I am known by God; He knows my health, my mind, my emotions everything— when no one else does, not even me (Ps. 139:13-18) I am learning to do all to the glory of God (Col. 3:17) I am forgiven (Rom. 5:8) I am nurtured by God; he cares for my every need (Luke 12:6-7) I am loved by a God who is for me (Romans 8:31-34) I am learning to reparent myself with God (1 John 3:1) I am worthy of care because I am imago Dei (Gen. 1:27) I am capable because of His strength in me (Galatians 2:20, 2 Cor. 12:8-9) I am running my own race therefore I never need to envy (Psalm 23, 37, Matthew 6) I am chosen. (Eph. 1:4) I am loved by a God who is in control of all things (Eph. 1:21) I am foolish to put any confidence in my human effort. All I can do is boast about what Christ Jesus has done for me. (Phil. 3:3, 7-11)