Kindled Podcast | Truth and Grace, Boldly

It's a wild time to be alive. We have access to more ideas, more content, more leaders, more voices, more information than anyone in history has ever had access to. And that means that we’re going to have to have wisdom to know what to listen to, which direction to go, what to take in, what to leave behind, how to discern what is really influencing us when we post, how to just clarify our own motives and how to be led by the Holy Spirit and not just be swept along by this torrent of information.  That means we need to have discernment. But discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Join me and Hannah for this fascinating conversation. 

Approval is something we all long for. We long to be found as enough, as acceptable, as good. In fact, it's not whether we will seek approval or not but where we will seek it. When we look for it in the wrong place, the approval we find will never satiate our desire for acceptance. But when we realize nd truly believe that our drive to find approval is meant to be met and satisfied in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, our endless search for the approval of man can end. We can see that Jesus fulfills every desire we have for approval by doing what we were powerless to do.  Donna and I talk through some of the ways we wrongly seek approval and how we see in scripture that God is the only One who can offer sound and true approval of us.  Shownotes at www.KindledPodcast.com

As Christians, we know friendship matters. Go to any Christian book store and you’ll find myriads of books on the importance of community. But while most people are convinced of their need for Christian friendships, they are often confused about the problems and disappointment they experience. What’s responsible for this confusion? For too many people, their friendships are very worldly. Following Jesus may have changed the activities of friendship, but the DNA of how and why they practice friendship remains untouched. These relationships may look good, but underneath, they’re merely friend-ish. In this conversation Kelly and I discuss what true biblical friendship really looks like and how we can be better friends to one another.  Shownotes: www.KindledPodcast.com Sponsor: H. Williams Creative

This one's for the working mama!  Join me as I chat with Katie Alexander about the challenges and joys working moms face. Katie shares about her own experiences as a full time working mom in Corp. America.  We discuss: Finding truth in the Word of God, first and foremost Not placing our identity in our work, whether it's in or outside of the home Learning to see other women as sisters in Christ with deep and profound similarities rather than first noticing all that makes us different Putting work in its rightful place, not on the altar of our hearts but as something we do in service to the King - and being freed by that to both do it well and not be completely destroyed when we don't. 

You're going to love my friend Alaina.  She is smart, beautiful and a great mother of three. But more than all that, she is resilient because she is anchored in a God who has and is redeeming her and her story.  Most might have been tempted to title this episode by the things that the world might say marks and even scars Alaina's life - infertility, infidelity, divorce, single mother of three, working mom. But when you place your identity in a source outside yourself and your circumstances, those things lose their power to make you anything - for better or worse. These things that have happened to her have not defined her. They have not made her who she is, but rather have been the catalyst for her to lean harder into her savior. And her attitude is not just a show - it's a choice she's made. Her commitment to her girls is not an obligation, it's the delight of her life. Her resilience is not just a show for Instagram, it's something she is modeling in her real life.  Nothing went as planned, yet she thrives.    Shownotes available at www.kindledpodcast.com

Join me for the sixth and FINAL conversation in the Education Mini-Series! I'm chatting with Rebekah Hargraves regarding her family's choice to educate their kids in homeschool.   Rebekah shares about whether this was a difficult decision for their family, what considerations and factors played into the decision as well as how they ultimately made their choice. Rebekah and I were also both homeschooled ourselves, so we discuss from the KID'S perspective how we liked it and what were some of the pros and cons of being educated that way.    Check out the shownotes for more resources on education!   WE DISCUSS: * If deciding how to educate their kids was a difficult decision for them * What options were on the table for their family * What factors played into their decision * What their top concerns were in this decision * What lies she believed * What helped her call that out and instead center her heart on truth * What scripture encouraged her * What resources helped her decide * Her advice to parents weighing their options today

Join me for the fifth conversation in the Education Mini-Series! I'm chatting with Karen Buhrle, a friend from my church, regarding her family's choice to educate their kids in private school.    Karen shares about how their family's situation with two full time working parents was a factor for their decision as well as wanting their kids to be educated with a biblical worldview.   Check out the shownotes for more resources on education!   WE DISCUSS: * If deciding how to educate their kids was a difficult decision for them * What options were on the table for their family * What factors played into their decision * What their top concerns were in this decision * What lies she believed * What helped her call that out and instead center her heart on truth * What scripture encouraged her * What resources helped her decide * Her advice to parents weighing their options today

Join me for the fourth conversation in the Education Mini-Series! I'm chatting with Kristen Hatton regarding her family's choice to educate their kids in public school.    Kristen shares about whether this was a difficult decision for their family, what considerations and factors played into the decision as well as how they ultimately made their choice. With three kids who have made it through high school, you'll be encouraged by Kristen's real world experience and her testimony to God's faithfulness in her life and her kids' lives.    Check out the shownotes for more resources on education!   WE DISCUSS: * If deciding how to educate their kids was a difficult decision for them * What options were on the table for their family * What factors played into their decision * What their top concerns were in this decision * What lies she believed * What helped her call that out and instead center her heart on truth * What scripture encouraged her * What resources helped her decide * Her advice to parents weighing their options today

This is the THIRD interview in the mini-series and it features a conversation with Kaylie Hodges regarding her family's choice to educate their kids by homeschooling.   Kaylie shares about whether this was a difficult decision for their family, what considerations and factors played into the decision as well as how they ultimately made their choice.  She also shares some of the lies or fears she believed and what helps her combat those lies.    Check out the shownotes for more resources on education!   WE DISCUSS: * If deciding how to educate their kids was a difficult decision for them * What options were on the table for their family * What factors played into their decision * What their top concerns were in this decision * What lies she believed * What helped her call that out and instead center her heart on truth * What scripture encouraged her * What resources helped her decide * Her advice to parents weighing their options today

This is the second interview in the mini-series and it features a conversation with my friend Emily Bury regarding her family's choice to educate their kids in private school.    Emily shares about whether this was a difficult decision for their family, what considerations and factors played into the decision as well as how they ultimately made their choice.  She also shares some of the lies or fears she believed and what helped her combat those lies.    Check out the shownotes for more resources on education!   WE DISCUSS: * If deciding how to educate their kids was a difficult decision for them * What options were on the table for their family * What factors played into their decision * What their top concerns were in this decision * What lies she believed * What helped her call that out and instead center her heart on truth * What scripture encouraged her * What resources helped her decide * Her advice to parents weighing their options today