EP 100 Celebrating 100 Episodes!

Welcome to iRefresh's 100th episode of the Power of Prayer podcast. We are ordinary women who desire to do extraordinary things through the power of prayer in God's Word. Since 2008, it has been our heart at iRefresh to pray and encourage women of all ages through God's Word and Spirit-led prayers to bring refreshment to the soul and to cheer you on to walk out God's calling. The iRefresh podcast is just one avenue we use to hopefully inspire you to keep pressing on to fulfill your dreams. As we celebrate our 100th episode with you, we pray that God will help you to see his goodness and faithfulness. May it cause you to keep moving forward to fulfill your destiny. We are highlighting moments of iRefresh's podcast with amazing women of God who've been brave to join us in a conversation. Episode 37 with Isabel Bowling was mixed with excitement and pure nervousness on my part. You see, here I was going to interview my dear friend's daughter, and I wanted to do a perfect job to honor them. Well, little did I realize this was Isabel's first time sharing her story. Yikes! My speech impediment and the bumbling words flourished, yet Isabel spoke eloquently and refined to showcase the goodness of God. Blessed are the humble. As I've talked with other friends that have gone through different chronic illnesses and such is learning how to be a better friend. And one of the things you can even look in our episodes is look back, too, about how to be a friend with someone with a chronic illness with Carrie Lyons. Really great ideas of what we can do to engage. And sometimes I think we take a place from a friend on the other side, kind of passive. We do the typical, if you need anything, let me know. Yeah. But your friends sounds like they don't do that, that they are part of planning a creative outlet Versus saying what I can't do you look at what you could do and stay in the guidelines it protects you. Absolutely. Yeah We would go outside and my friends would always make plans during the day Because they knew that I couldn't do plans at night when we and then going to Colorado we would go up to the mountains and they would We would have movie nights and we'd have fun, but my friends are always aware Isabel needs to be in bed by 1030. And so they would plan around that. And even going on missions trips, I was so grateful and blessed that I was able to travel with having seizures and epilepsy. But I would always travel with somebody who knew what was happening and who knew the rules. So I went to Italy and I went to Europe and that was so incredibly fun. But every night at 1030, I was in bed because that's what it's going to be. And so it hasn't really held me back. I've been able to live my life just in a way that is very different than what most high schoolers did. Right. So what would you like to tell our listeners? If you could tell them what is your concern or what you want to challenge them with, what would you like to say to them? I think learn who you are, learn what makes you tick, and then find safe ways to pursue that. Also, finding relationships, learning how to love people one-on-one, learning how to love God, and most importantly, learning how to love yourself and every part of yourself. Know who you are, know what you believe, create a strong foundation in Christ, and then build on that. Episode 18 was recorded in a small, intimate space and only as a podcast in order to bring a calming atmosphere so that Hannah Waters and Casey Price could share. So we removed all the cameras and the bright lights blaring down on them to allow them that authentic conversation speaking on loneliness. This is a message most of us can identify with at some point in our lives. Well, I've been in a lonely season. I'm sure that you've probably walked through some lonely seasons. As far as getting out of it, you know, we talked a little bit about being bold, trying new things, Bible studies, small groups, maybe going to volunteer somewhere. Is there anything that you've done like in a lonely season or kind of put yourself out there to? maybe meet some new people or? Yeah, so I'm an introvert and it is a little difficult sometimes because it kind of goes against my natural inclinations to, yeah, to reach out to people. But yeah. I think sometimes there's a grace there when you know you're supposed to reach out to those people. And God knows what you need. So sometimes if you don't even feel like you can reach out to people, He might send them in your way. And maybe it's not exactly how you expect them to be. Maybe they're just crossing your path, and that's your kind of sign. You have to say something first, but He put them in your path in the first place so that you had the opportunity to say something. Right. Sometimes you can't just sit around and wait for someone to make the first move, but God might make things a little bit easier for you to step out. And that's what I think it comes down to. You have to really be intentional about setting something up. How often do we walk through life and we run into somebody at the grocery store or out and about and we say, oh, let's get together. And then you see them six months later and it's, oh, let's get together. But you really have to be intentional about, you know, like, hey, let's go get coffee next week. Text me if you have, you know, a morning free. I think just being practical about actually meaning what you say to set up something with everything. somebody else is a good start to maybe exiting that lonely season. Yeah. And being intentional. Once you run into those people, follow through. Don't just say it and then leave them hanging. Sometimes people won't do something because they're waiting on you, but you're waiting on them. And it's really freeing to be the first person to make that step because... you know, you get to go out there and the ball's kind of in their court and, you know, whatever happens, happens. But at least you know that you tried and you did what you could to make that happen. Yeah. So as a young single woman, sometimes, of course, we feel lonely and we see our friends and relationships and So there have been times where I maybe didn't handle things the best way that I could have, and I kind of just wanted to wallow in that loneliness. And so I would turn on a romantic comedy and be watching all these love stories and, you know, just cuddling with my pillow, you know, pretending it's a guy or whatever. But, you know, that really didn't do anything for me in the long run because I was just sitting in there soaking up that – not good feeling. And I wanted to feel sorry for myself. And like I said, it didn't do anything in the long run except make me feel even more lonely at the end of the day. Yeah. Um, I've been there. Absolutely. Um, been watching Netflix. Um, yeah, I have actually just honestly said no to certain things with my family or my mom because I'm just like in a mood of loneliness. And I'm like, no, I'm just going to watch Netflix and be by myself. And that's absolutely not a healthy way to deal with loneliness. Or what about just surrounding yourself with bad company or influences just for the fun of it? You know, trying to... be around people that you just kind of become desperate for any type of company or, you know, there's lots of different apps and websites for meeting people, starting to date. And not that those are necessarily bad. I know lots of people who, you know, have met who they're going to marry on some of these dates. dating websites. But is that God's best? Like, is that that we go through these lonely seasons and times of feeling isolated? Yeah. And I think it really comes down to what is the root problem or cause of your feeling lonely? And I think You know, just as sometimes when our body's in pain, it's kind of a sign that something's off, that we need to fix something or we need to heal in a certain area. Sometimes loneliness can be a sign that something in our own hearts or lives is missing. And maybe being lonely isn't so bad because it's a sign that we need to draw closer to God. And maybe you are walking with God, but maybe that loneliness is a sign that it's time to go deeper, shake something up, get out of your routine. Because like I said, it doesn't have to be that something's even missing, but something is just off or needs a little bit of tweaking. Right. Episode 80 was a delight for Veronica and I to record since both of us, we love shopping at Amber Marie and Company Store. You see, the mother-daughter duel have a powerful story in starting their business adventures together. Now it's not all fun and shopping and selling. You see, Jerry and Amber's faith have been stretched, and yet their prayer life has been key in that process. So I had three jobs. Mom had another full-time job. And taking that leap of faith to stop what I was doing, her to stop and close and retire from her business, was a huge ordeal. I mean, it was, you know, my dad is kind of the Mr. Plate safe, right? He was a superintendent of schools. He was like, why quit a short thing? You know, and I'm like, Because this, you know, and there's this world out there. And so I remember specifically, I had a, one of the people that I would call on a business that I called on for advertising. He would always say, just do it. Just do it. Just do it. Just take that leap of faith. And, and I remember when I decided to do it, I remember calling him and being like, I did it. You know, like I'm doing this and he was like, yeah. And I mean, to this day on Facebook, we're still Facebook friends and he's a really big cheerleader for everything that we do. But it is it's scary. It's hard. It is. You know, there is a couple of years ago. There was a devotion from Oswald Chambers that I I just I hold it so dear. And it's a devotion about keeping your boat tied to the dock. or taking your boat out. Because if you keep your boat tied to the dock and always do the safe thing, right? What will you see? Wow. Nothing. And when that boat is tied to the dock and waves come up to that boat, right? It thrashes around and everything. But if you, release that boat from the dock and you get out there in the ocean, you're going to see more. The waves will be bigger and it will be harder. It's safe in the dock. You're tied to something, you're tethered, it's safe. But when you get out in the ocean and you've got these big waves and these big challenges, that is when you really learn to rely on God. And that is why I say... Nothing strengthens your prayer life like having a small business because you're not tied to the dock anymore. It is all on you. You have employees that are sick. Somebody can't come in. Whatever the case may be is, just actually tonight I had an employee that couldn't make it, and so I had to cancel my plans that I had tonight to work the business. And that is the way it goes. You're on call. It's almost like being... a parent or a mother to your business, right? Yeah, because yes, no matter what. You birth that business and you are the mom. You are. That is well put. It is. That is well put because that's really what is involved is you are raising up a business. That's right. That's exactly right. You fill in wherever you're needed. That's right. And that's why many times when I'm in your store, I see both of you working hard. Yes. Not standing back watching the staff, but you're both hands-on working hard. Right. And it truly shows because you have a beautiful store. Thank you. And you've built a beautiful business. Episode 7 had a tearful impact on many of us with our dear friend Roberta Pepin, a mother of 10, a woman of the word, and a prayer life that grew her family to inspire us all. The wild part was that we'd posted her podcast shortly after we recorded it, but the video portion got lost in the process of uploading until we got the news of Roberta's heavenly home going. It was then that we found and we posted that video portion for you all to hear, and it had so much more meaning at that point. You were in a helicopter kind of a mother, were you? I couldn't be. See, and that's what forces you not to do that. What would you do for, like, think about some moms in that way. Do you find is that helpful to them or is that detrimental to the children? Well, I think you have to let them make some decisions on their own because how else are they going to find God? How else are they going to find their way if you always solve their problems? All of them going to or you. It wasn't because they had to or we wanted them to or whatever. We wanted them to. You decide. You choose because you're going to live four years somewhere where there's going to be ups and downs. And so things like that, they need to... you know, branch out. Now, you know, sometimes they do slip off, you know, go off. And the power of prayer is there for you. The power of prayer that I maybe can't say anything at this time because they're just gonna, you know, stop it, don't tell me or whatever. But God can. God can change situations in whatever it is. So that's the significant part I'm hearing you talk about is that prayer, no matter what situation you might be going through, is the power of prayer in seeking God. Like whatever your situation is, is what does the words have to say? God has an answer for every situation that you walk through as a mother, as a grandmother even, in a different stage with your children, is seeking what is God's will, His heart for your loved ones. Yes. We did try to keep that focus on God. What does the Bible say? What does the Lord say? But, I mean, like I say, it doesn't always go perfectly. We're in a world that... Okay, well, tell me. Are you willing to confess a general, like, something... What wasn't perfect in your eyes that you... Like, how did you face the imperfect moments? We had situations where our kids wanted to experience the world, you know. And there were... It mainly happened with the older ones, and then the younger ones learned from them. What not to do. Yes, exactly. That's a great training ground. Yes. Who knew? It is, yes. They saw it, and it's like, no, that doesn't work. So those situations did come up. You know, when I think back, I mean, we were young at all this being Christian. I mean, a lot of people are Christians from the time they're four years old or whatever and marry the right guy and marry and have everything, you know, all planned out. But we were still learning ourselves. So we were in a process of learning, too. But so what would you do? Like if you said the older ones, maybe they made a mistake. Like, did you talk to them? Did you trust or just got quiet and you just like, I'm praying harder? Or like, what would be things that you did that you think would encourage, you know, our audience of what to do when faced with something very challenging that your children have walked through? Yes. Well, I think I did all of the above. I probably said, what are you doing? You know, and that's helpful. That's helpful. Right. Yeah. That, I mean, you're just, when you're in a situation, it's like, ah, you know, and you're concerned about them because you want them to have a happy life and you don't want them to destroy themselves or whatever. So that, that's where you're coming from. So you gave them advice or did, were they, did they open their arms and like, or sometimes they would, yeah, I would say most of the time, no, I have to find my own way. I have to discover, you know, whatever. But you learn that you can't control them. I mean, God has to be the one that's going to direct them. And that's for prayer. I just think, you know, you can be quiet sometimes, but stand on the Word and say, God, you've got to handle this because I can't. In episode 15, during a serious moment in the middle of a recording, this acoustic panel suddenly falls and almost hits my head. Well to see Carrie gasp on video, it's a little bit funny now, but at the moment it was a little bit scary. Well that would be a... Wow. Yeah, cut. Is that monitor okay? I think we're not going to be putting...don't put it back up though. We'll just like put it down. The acoustic panel fell, we're not going to be able to put those up there. Now, this episode was an emotional story about the pain and suffering of her journey with Lyme disease. I've listened many times, and I continue to learn from her difficult life of emotional and physical pain. Well, you have to find purpose in suffering, I think. And I really was suffering. I mean, I had the physical symptoms. Yeah. And just the pain and the fatigue. I mean, climbing my stairs to get to my laundry room, I was short of breath and had to sit down before I could go and do laundry. Wow. You know, just so much pain that I would just lay still in my bed. In fact, Brandon and I laugh about it, my husband. Yeah. He would come in to make sure I was still breathing. That's how bad it got. Wow. So it's funny now, but at the time, it was pretty serious. And then the emotional pain of the isolation, grieving a life lost because I was in this No man's land where I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move on in life. I was just trying to get better, just survive. You know, you're not thriving anymore, you're just surviving. And then, you know, the loss of friendships, the feeling rejected by the medical community, all that played into a part of this deep disappointment and grief and depression that I went through. And I got to a point where I decided this suffering can either destroy my faith, I can let that happen, because I'm angry with God and He's not hearing me, and I'm calling out and I'm not hearing anything, or I can let it deepen my faith and I can really dig in and really decide what I believe. And get to know the character of God. So I think he was just waiting for me to open up those dark parts of my heart. Wow. I was hiding these emotions of anger and doubt because I was ashamed. Because you don't hear about that. Because the shame in your mind was because you had a disease? Because I couldn't get better and because I had doubt in God and I never had that before. That was new to me. I've been a strong Christian for years, and I'd done what I was supposed to do, and things didn't work out. So it kind of flipped my faith upside down because what I had read and believed my whole life wasn't really happening in my life. I felt like God was silent and he had forgotten me. So I just started ... I'm a researcher. I read. I go online. I just started reading every book I could on suffering and doubt. How does that fit in with our faith? Wow. And I found a really couple good ones that really helped me out. Like what did you find? One's called Room for Doubt. I can't remember the author, but I would highly recommend it. Okay. And one is by Tim Keller. It's called, it's something about doubt and suffering. I can't remember the title. We'll find it, we'll post it. We'll find it, yeah. It's something about pain and suffering and doubt. And so I began a journey back to the Lord and I got to know his character and his goodness and his faithfulness and the fact that he's trustworthy even in difficult circumstances. And he never changes. My faith had changed, but he was always there I just wasn't feeling it. Episode 36 was rewarding for Laura Watson and I as we recorded our son's teacher, Ms. Martin, who became a mother through the Fostering Adoption Avenue. We were privileged to be in the courtroom for her first adoption to watch her vibrant daughters grow up and thrive. Wow. Kelly never let her dreams and her vision for her life waver, even in the most challenging parts of her journey. I've always loved children. Obviously, I became a teacher, but even as a young child, I was always around children. When I was, I think, in second or third grade, I taught another child that was younger than me to read. So it's always been on my heart to work with children and be with children. I started teaching in 99 at Victory Christian and I 22 to 24 kids every day and absolutely loved it. But there had been something deposited in my heart earlier when I was at Bible school that I always had a heart for orphans. And at the time I remember praying and agonizing because I didn't want to go to another country. But God just reminded me that there were children here that needed homes, that needed loving parents because their parents weren't able to provide for them or take care of them at that time. Was there any particular instance or circumstance or a connection that made you say yes to fostering or was it just kind of an overall something? Well, I think it had been on my heart for a long time, but in 2004, I bought my first home and I remember sitting in the living room watching TV and an ad came on the television. And I felt like, okay, now it's time. I have a home to provide for somebody. And I wanted to bring peace into somebody's life who might be going through turmoil at the time. So that's when I started. And coincidentally, that's the year my daughter, my first foster child, and later my adopted daughter was born. The year I got my home and started working on that process. I didn't think about that. I didn't either. I just remember you had a lot happen in that small period of time, small window. Now... But your adopted daughter was not your first foster child. She was. She was. Now, I did respite for a weekend, and it was an older child. I had in my heart to foster younger children, and there was a need for an older child. So she came to visit for a weekend, and I just knew in my heart that that was not... the right fit for me. I kind of had a twist because I felt so guilty that this child needs a home and I'm really uncomfortable with this. But God, you know, reminded me, I don't lead with a twisted stomach and not in your stomach, but I lead you with peace. Peace. Very good. So then I had to call and say, okay, this is really what I need and what, you know, is on my heart is to have a child that is younger. Which is really a good point, though, for those that are listening that are even considering fostering. There's probably because the demand and the need is so great that, I mean, I've heard that from other people, is you kind of almost feel guilty if you don't take them all in, but there's... No, and you can't be led by a need, but God puts that on your heart for a reason because he knows the children that are going to be placed in your home. That's so good. So I switched agencies to an agency that had younger children. And so the following November, I got my first foster child, which was my daughter now, Nevaeh. Nevaeh. Yes. How old was she when you? So she was just turned a year. So her birthday is in October and I got her November 8th. Okay. So I'm teaching and I next day, you know, had arranged daycare. So she goes to daycare the other day. One of our good friends at work just prayed for me right before I was going to get her that she would just fit in to my routine, just her sleep habits and everything. And that's exactly what happened. I mean... She went to bed in an early hour, which was me. And she got up, you know. God knows. Absolutely. And as a single parent, I had to get to work, you know. Episode 29 is jaw-dropping story. As I directed behind the camera while Hannah Waters hosted, I was really moved by Monette's obedience to God. You see, Monette describes how she came into agreement with the Holy Spirit that revealed to her the sin of gluttony. Wow, I cannot recall ever hearing someone to be so honest and frank about their struggle and how God helped her overcome what she describes as a drug of choice. She has a very powerful and convicting story that I think we all can learn how to be brave and to walk through. But my brother died from an obesity-related condition in December of 2012, and he was 45 years old. He was only 13 months older than me. And God had been dealing with me about my weight. And I had gotten up to give a testimony at church when we lived in Georgia back in 2012. And I was up there talking about how God was the most important thing in my life. And I felt the Holy Spirit kind of prick me a little bit on the inside and say, oh, really? it's pretty obvious that food has a very important role in your life as well. And so that was just the power of the Holy Spirit's sweet conviction that started planting seeds in my life to bring that area of my life under the authority of Christ and to get some healing from that. So I like to say that I just came into agreement. with the Lord about the sin of my gluttony. Wow. And so he had already established that conviction in my heart. And so I needed to accept that it was a sin for me and to invite his Holy Spirit to convict me. And so I came into agreement with my sin, what the Lord call it, and then asked for the Holy Spirit to convict me. And so I literally did. said, Holy Spirit, please convict me of the sin of gluttony. Wow. Right. And grieve my spirit and grieve my soul the way that it grieves you when I choose food over you. And then I boldly kept praying and said, and bring Christian women into my life who will stand in agreement and not just tell me that it's okay. So God was so faithful to answer those prayers. And then I also said, and please give me the courage to pray this prayer when I wake up in the morning, because it was one of those desperate midnight prayers. So God did bring a woman in my life and another woman who had already been in my life for over 20 years. And I was standing in my kitchen in Georgia and not eating or anything, but I was just on the phone. I was in Georgia. She was back here in Tulsa. She'd been in my life for over 20 years. And she had lost 80 pounds like 10 years before and had kept it off. So she was like an example in my life that God had given me. And so she said, Monette, she said, being overweight will not keep you out of heaven. But you will not go being obedient in that area of your life. Wow. It was like an arrow. It was like a dagger in my heart and just a piercing arrow into my heart. And I was just so convicted. And I prayed to the Lord and I said, Jesus, you would held nothing from me on that cross. You bled it all out for me. You died for all of that. And please, I know I just I want to I want to be found being obedient in every area that I possibly can. So that's where my journey started. That's where the process started. And then when my brother did die, like I said, he was 45 and left behind three boys under the age of 14. On his autopsy, it says, you know, a condition associated associated with obesity as cause of death. And and so I had a daughter at the time who was five. and that was just motivation for me to really just allow this to be brought under the authority of Jesus Christ and get healed from that once in all, because just like so many people, I'd struggle with an unhealthy relationship with food. Episode 3 was an honor to help share the gripping story of a Christian family's struggle to overcome a son's drug addiction. You see, Lori Vilce is someone that I've admired for many years. But when I began to hear her story shared so authentically, I was moved with emotion at how it had caused all of their families so much heartache and that challenge that they all would face for years. And yet that story gives us hope that addictions can be overcome, we can be authentic, and we can walk alongside each other in similar situations. We can see God's goodness throughout their story. It affected our marriage. I mean, Jeff and I loved each other. We did not have baggage. We didn't have... We were just a normal couple. But we loved Jesus. And that's what kept us. I mean, we, because we had to fight for our marriage. Our marriage got attacked through this journey because we didn't agree on things, on how to handle things. And for the most part, before that, we agreed on parenting. You know, we agreed on, like I said, we were intentional. But that rose up and... it became our biggest challenge then. And so the enemy's plan was to divide us. We had never thought about divorce, and we thought about divorce. Just because we were weary, we were both hurting. We were both hurting so bad. We were seeing what drugs and alcohol was doing to our firstborn, firstborn son, you know, for Jeff being a man of God and a pastor and starting a men's ministry that he had started outside of the church, it was so obvious what the enemy was trying to do and just taunting us. I think at that, not I think, I know at that point in my life I had never understood, and I don't like to give the enemy credit, or to give him recognition any more than he needs. But the recognition that he does need, and I'm pretty passionate about this now, is he is wicked, he is evil, and he's only for destroying and deception. And I saw him as clear as I can without meeting him face to face, which thank God I will never do. I was in a battle. And I am so thankful that God just didn't leave me alone. Even though... I've never felt so lonely in my life, ever. And I had a good family, had great kids, I had a great husband, I had great friends, but I was so lonely. And I cried out to God, like, God, how can you do this? I'm so lonely, I've never done anything wrong. And I know that sounds so religious and so ugly, honestly. Like, no one deserves it, but I would be like, I didn't do anything, you know? Why is this happening? I learned the voice of God clear, heard it clear. Lori, I know, but trust me, just trust me, lean in. And I know you're lonely. I mean, it was whispers, Lori, I know you're lonely, but it's me and you right now. And I mean, it was me and him. We had left here to take a church in Colorado, which was not ever in our plan, but And that's a whole other story, but it was a lonely time. It was not what Jeff had thought it would be in submitting to that. So there was another journey going on in the midst of this journey with our oldest son. And I don't think I've ever been a selfish person, but the selfishness of like, I am so lonely. God, what is in—and I actually ask this question a lot. God, what is in this for me other than just heartache? After door, you know, an open door, and rejection and heartache, I'd never felt rejected before. I'd never felt unloved. But I felt every—I feel like all those bad emotions you could ever feel, and they were hitting all at the same time. But I grew closer to God than I'd ever think I would have. I had—I was desperate for Him, and I was raised in a great home, great church— had a great family, all of that again. I was desperate for him, and he met me. Episode 76 was androgized by Brenda Black and her passion to help people truly discover their identity in Jesus Christ. You see, like most of us, the struggle is real in learning how to overcome how the enemy's thoughts constantly plague us about how we're not worthy to receive God's love or love from one another. So who are we? How can we help each other? Brenda stirs us up to exchange our thinking with God's thinking. You know, and I'm not an expert in social media either necessarily, but I think moms need to really become aware at what our children are struggling with and then look at the triggers, the things that are, I guess, enhancing or reinforcing the lies of the enemy. And so, yeah, if it's social media, if it has to do with identity and image of self and, you know, little girls at, you know, six and seven going on diets, then we need to pull back. We need to become aware and be more proactive. And, you know, I really do. I feel this in my own life right now that the darkness is getting darker. And it is forcing, it should force a separation that the lightness is going to get lighter, that we can't commingle anymore, that there does need to be just a difference in how women of God live and act and behave. And it is time, I mean, for me in my own life, yeah, to walk in my identity of who I am in Christ, because as long as the enemy can keep me in doubt and disbelief and questioning myself and feeling insecure, he can keep me out of purpose. Right. He can keep me out of the assignments that God has for me and the anointing that God has for me to walk in. And that's what he wants to do. He wants to always help us feel bad about ourselves. I will tell you this. If you're with me, if you spend a lot of time with me, you're probably going to hear me say something negative about myself. Unfortunately, you know, like, oh man, these thunder thighs or, you know, something like along that line. I hear you. And, you know, I want to give you permission to tell me, hey, you look amazing. Or what are you talking about? You know, you daughter of God. And that strengthens and encourages the truth in my life that I want to learn how to walk in. And yeah, an example that I had tried to implement years ago and I still try to. So someone tries to hand you a flower. Are you going to take it? Absolutely. Absolutely. Why would you not? Right. And so what I want to encourage us all to do is learn how to hand flowers out. But then personally gather those flowers, put them on a vase by my bed at night and go look at the beauty. Look at who I really am. Episode 32 brought a rich conversation among Dina, Carrie, and Patty, dear friends, who talked about the topic of forgiveness. Now, those who don't know, Dina, I put her right on the spot that morning and said, hey, I need you to step in and be me as the host. And they did such an amazing job to flow together with the anointing of God to talk about it, such a powerful message about forgiveness and how we need to overcome the offenses that try to destroy us personally. You know, in a world of chaos and hatred, I'm reminded that we have a choice to forgive and release instead of holding things up and emotionally being wrecked. How do people come to forgiveness? What are the steps that they can take to overcome the hurts that they're feeling? I think as a coach, the first step is always self-assessment. And one of the examples that I like to use is if you stepped on a scale, we all love the scale, right? And let's say it showed 186 pounds, but you told me, oh, no, I weigh 124 pounds. So then the question is, well, why are you lying to me? And more importantly, why are you lying to yourself? So even having that self-assessment And being daring enough to ask and pray, Lord, is there any unforgiveness in my life? Those are the scary prayers. If you ask, he will answer you. So I think the first step is to ask. And for me, I think the first step has to always be at the foot of the cross. I mean, Jesus said, if you want to follow me, Take up your cross, deny yourself. Part of forgiveness is denying my right to be right, denying myself, and then I can follow after Jesus, right? And so for me, it starts at the cross because at the cross, I think Dina, you brought it out at the beginning. At the cross, I realized I've been forgiven. I've been forgiven so much. And then at the cross, I can see my brothers and sisters in the Lord beside me that also need to be forgiven. And because I've been forgiven much, I can forgive. So if I start there at the cross, it brings it back to how much I've been forgiven. So it's how can I hold somebody in unforgiveness when God has forgiven me? so much. Right. And, and, and I think my input would be that it's a process, you know, and you may not feel it, but your obedience says, I forgive. And even if you have to just speak it day in and day out, minute by minute in the moment during the worst of your hurt, speak it just, that is showing obedience to God. And in your obedience, God has control. And I think that's the most important thing. And honestly, you know, the next step would be to choose to forgive. It actually takes a lot of courage to forgive. But there's more of a cost if you don't forgive. And I can say I have chosen forgiveness on many levels, business, professional, personal. And every time I've walked that high road, God has done some kind of restoration or brought something better out of it. To do a podcast, I have to say, it was a great ambitious thought, but to have a group of women coming together, flowing together in this space has been a tremendous blessing. But it's not easy for when people who say yes, the ones that are brave to get in front of the camera, even doing the things behind, it is something that I am truly grateful that you've said yes. And for those who know, it is really difficult to be in front of a camera. And people say, hey, it's easy for you. Not really. I truly have a speech impediment. I get flustered, I get brain fog, and yet I know that if God used Moses to do tremendous things, He really desires to do something great in your life. So our heart is to pray and believe that God has an incredible plan for you. It might be hard right now, but know that God's word is true. We must stand on his word no matter how difficult. His yes to you is that I'm with you and for you. And he wants to exalt you to where you are thriving. So we want you to believe and trust God. We're here to pray for you, with you, stand in together. Because with that, we can do extraordinary things, truly, because God is with us all. Thank you for listening. We hope it's been encouragement to where you want to even share it with others, that they also will be blessed. We are excited about what God's future is. To create prayer teams in the days ahead, we want to link our faith with yours. to help to train you, to walk alongside you, to show you what God showed us. We are just ordinary, but it's so cool when the Holy Spirit comes, brings His anointing with us, that we work together in a group to make the difference that God chooses for us to do, not for our glory, but for His. We can't wait to hear from you, connect with us. We truly will pray and believe for God to do extraordinary things in your life.