Receiving grace starts by being in community, by belonging, and connecting. How does grace show up when producing a podcast? Take a listen for this behind-the-scenes look. Before I launched the podcast, I knew I needed a team around me—people to pray for me and the podcast, give insight and ideas, offer suggestions for guests and questions to ask those guests, help me write a title that would appeal most to my listeners, and come alongside me to determine if a guest was in theological and doctri...
Mar 26, 2024•59 min•Ep. 197
Being who you are, being who God created you to be, is the most free way to live. So how do we live in the wide open space God offers? Listen in. Living in God’s wide open spaces means there is no condemnation in Christ. God certainly convicts and corrects, but He never assaults your identity. If the Lord has set you free, you are free indeed. It is a grace to accept the fearful and wonderful way God designed you, not to wish you were more like someone else, not to feel confined by the belief th...
Mar 19, 2024•17 min•Ep. 196
It all counts. Every act the Lord asks you to do is valuable. He sees it all. It all matters. All the work given to you by God and done in love is meaningful. I’m really good at discounting or downplaying the good ways God wired me, how He’s forming me through trials, and the work I do, the roles I hold, and how I show up in the world. And y’all, I believe that discounting is an effective - but totally flimsy - tactic of our enemy, who wants us quiet and isolated and stuck because we’re question...
Mar 12, 2024•22 min•Ep. 195
Our God is a God of grace and truth. But what does this mean for us in our busy and full lives? Listen to what it means for our God to be a God of AND. If you’ve been around the Grace In Real Life podcast long enough, you’ve heard me share that our God is a God of AND: He’s grace AND truth Mercy AND holy justice Love AND perfect judgment Man of Sorrows AND Prince of Peace Offensive AND attractive What does this concept of God’s AND-ness mean for our everyday, walking-around lives? This is good a...
Mar 05, 2024•16 min
What is disciple-making? How do we do it? What does it look like to make disciples when your schedule is full? And how can you possibly disciple your teenagers? When I really stop and think about it, going and making disciples sounds intimidating. How do I do it? What does it even look like? Is it One More Thing to add to my already full schedule? But as today’s guest points out, disciple-making is as easy and light as enjoying and following Jesus and helping others enjoy and follow Jesus. Disci...
Feb 27, 2024•49 min•Ep. 193
When we were in college, Ryan gave me the nickname “The Interrogator” because I love asking questions. People are truly fascinating to me, and God gave us such an incredible world to discover, it seems impossible for me to not ask eleventybillion questions in a day. But as today’s guest points out, if all we do is ask questions, we’re just delving into trivia instead of a person's heart. Because asking and responding to questions is an art in which many of us would like to grow, I invited Mandy ...
Feb 20, 2024•38 min•Ep. 192
What are the benefits of studying theology? Isn’t theology for those in seminary or pastors? Do you need to study it? The truth is this: You are a theologian. If you’re like me, you’re like, “Am I a theologian? I’m pretty sure theologians went to seminary and read ancient texts and write papers about abstract attributes of God. I’m pretty sure I’m not one.” Through this conversation, Jen Wilkin will convince you of how you really, truly are a theologian in your right-now life and why that’s impo...
Feb 13, 2024•46 min•Ep. 191
We’re talking about becoming spiritually healthy by recognizing how sacred our work is – no matter what we do – and how our work matters for eternity. Some of you might hear that and think, “But I’m not in full-time ministry. I’m not a missionary or on a church’s staff or recording a worship album. How is my work sacred?” Or maybe you think, “Well, maybe my work is important because it’s where I get to share the gospel.” I hope you receive the light Jordan sheds on how important your work is – w...
Feb 06, 2024•52 min•Ep. 190
Have you ever wondered how to be compassionate to yourself? What would it look like to live in grace? Listen to Kendra Adachi on Grace In Real Life . This entire podcast is predicated on answering the question, “How do we live in and give out grace in our busy and full lives?” And one of the most generous, practical, action-oriented grace-girls I know is The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi. Kendra believes and practices self-compassion, contentedness, rest, and grace. Because living in grace and from...
Jan 23, 2024•56 min•Ep. 189
If we do not know Jesus' love on a deeply personal level and encounter His love in our busy and full, real lives, then the spiritual disciplines devolve into legalism and empty works. Without recognizing how much we are loved and cared for, everything else we do in that relationship is a striving attempt to be loved. Because experiencing God’s love for us is a gift we want to receive AND struggle with experiencing, I’ve invited Dr. Curt Thompson to join the show. In today’s episode, you’ll recei...
Jan 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 188
How can you start the new year with grace? What does that look like? Whether you’re starting a new year, a new job, or a new season, listen in. May we not be women who squash or silence this gift, but may we be women who partner with Christ to become new in the ways He wants to shape and form us. To that end, I’ve curated past Grace In Real Life episodes and resources in one place just for you. When you want to embrace newness in practical and actionable ways, come here and find what you need. W...
Jan 09, 2024•16 min•Ep. 187
Have you ever wondered how to have peace with God? Or how you can live in peace with others? If your life lacks peace and you’re looking for encouragement, listen in. In today’s Advent episode, we take a look at what it means to be at peace with God and others. How to have peace with God Once sin entered the world, we humans were at war with God. Not that God was at war with us, but that we chose our way over His, our thoughts over His, our agenda over His. And there was no peace in the hearts o...
Dec 19, 2023•11 min•Ep. 186
In today’s Advent episode, we take a look at how the shepherds found joy in the middle of their everyday, right now lives. How to find joy in the little things For there to always remain in your life some place for the singing of angels, you do not need an angelic visit. Perhaps to make space for the singing of angels means to do the work God specifically created you to do, at the time He gave you to do it, to be open to the possibility of wonder and miracle, to go and see Jesus for yourself, to...
Dec 12, 2023•9 min•Ep. 185
How do we exercise our faith? What does it look like to have embodied faith? What does living out our faith look like in real life? Listen in. In today’s Advent episode, we take a look at Mary’s faith journey. How do we exercise our faith? Faith starts in the mind with knowledge about God, facts about His character and understanding who He is and what He can do. Then faith moves into consent: We intellectually agree with the facts we know and the reality we understand, and then consent takes roo...
Dec 05, 2023•11 min•Ep. 184
We have hope because God is the Author of our story, and we are not. We have hope because we are not alone. We have hope because Jesus is the protagonist of our story. We have hope because God is the Author The Author and Finisher of our faith is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word is Jesus, and the language the Author speaks is Christ. When God spoke and wrote the story of redemption, His speech wasn’t in the mode of sentences or nouns or verbs or articles or pre...
Nov 28, 2023•10 min•Ep. 183
What does it mean to take up space? Do you have a fear of taking up space? Do you want to be seen as low maintenance? Listen in. Taking up space means to be more than furniture; to be human. In the words of Pinocchio to be “a real boy.” It means to kindly and directly – without apology or embarrassment – share needs, wants, preferences, and dreams. Friends, God created you to take up space. We are allowed to take up space. To be human means that our physical body, emotions, thoughts, and spirit ...
Nov 14, 2023•17 min•Ep. 182
Why is it hard to be vulnerable? What are the characteristics of a safe person? If you fear being vulnerable but want to try, listen to Jamie Ivey. Being vulnerable with safe people in the midst of your mess is a sacred space. Saying “I’m struggling too” is a saint’s cry. Wherever you struggle today, Whether it’s struggling with sin and temptation, a hard season in your marriage, or doubting God’s goodness and sovereignty in the midst of a cancer diagnosis, God longs for you to tell Him about it...
Nov 07, 2023•49 min•Ep. 181
Even today, I imagine you experienced grief. Perhaps you’re back at work, even though you loved staying at home Or you miss your daughter, who’s off at college Or a friend has stood you up and blocked you out, and you feel unsettled by the loss. Or you are so sad about your pet who has passed away, Or maybe you’re grieving your spouse or parent who is slowly slipping away because of a diagnosis. Today, I’m grieving that the rhythms and routines I once held dear are met with sighs or a jam-packed...
Oct 31, 2023•39 min•Ep. 180
Have you ever felt embarrassed by your tears? What is going on when we do not like to cry in front of others? Listen in. If Jesus wept, if Jesus calls us to suffer with those who suffer and weep with those who weep, why do we fear crying so much? The reality is that as much as we hate crying, most of us cry relatively often. As image-bearers, we resonate deeply with Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. We cry because we feel so deeply that words cannot convey our grief and heartbreak. In today’s episode...
Oct 24, 2023•16 min•Ep. 179
How happy is your marriage? How can you have a happier marriage? Listen to Arlene Pellicane as she shares how to be a happier wife. You’re listening to this episode because you want a happier marriage. Your marriage may be super happy and full of joy, and you want to increase it. Or, your marriage may feel like it’s on its last breath, and you are so ready for Jesus to breathe laughter and smiling and hope back into your relationship. You and Jesus and your spouse know where you are in your marr...
Oct 10, 2023•39 min•Ep. 178
You don’t want to leave your marriage to chance. You want to design an intentional marriage, but how? Listen to Kevin Thompson in today's episode My marriage isn’t perfect. Ryan and I aren’t perfect. We struggle and get frustrated with each other. AND ALSO, we work on the relationship that we have. We are bound and determined to remember that before we were mom and dad, we were Ryan and Jill, two fun, Jesus-loving people who thought the other person was too awesome to get away. As much as we’ve ...
Oct 03, 2023•43 min•Ep. 177
Have you ever wondered how the Enneagram can improve your marriage? Listen to Beth McCord as she breaks down how to use this tool. You don’t need me to tell you that seeing the same situation through a different lens can cause friction. So what do we do with this? How do we grow in our marriages without getting super annoyed at someone who sees life differently? I can think of no one better to speak about offering grace in marriage than today’s guest, Beth McCord. In today’s episode, you’ll rece...
Sep 26, 2023•50 min•Ep. 176
I feel like I’m the poster child for the sentiment, “I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine,” when clearly it is not. Friend, I cannot tell you how much energy I spend avoiding pain, trying to make the bad, hard thing disappear, or pretending it’s all okay. But what if the most gracious, most life-giving gift we can give ourselves today is to acknowledge that we are struggling, that everything is not fine, that we need the Lord, and we need His people, our people? Perhaps we need to quit outrunn...
Sep 12, 2023•40 min•Ep. 175
Y’all, our world feels crazy and seems to get crazier by the year. Our children experience questions and come up against worldviews we never had to face at their age. As much as I want to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand, I refuse to do that to my girls. I want to be mentally tough in the Lord. I want to combat lies with truth. I don’t want to be apathetic or resigned, but strong and courageous because I know the truth that my God is good. So, how do we become resilient and emotionally...
Sep 05, 2023•39 min•Ep. 174
The first words in the Bible speak of the cosmos hearing God’s spoken words and obeying: “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” At the heart of Israel’s prayer life is God’s call to listen in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The writers of the Psalms ask God to listen to them and then write how He hears them and acts. As God’s sheep, we hear His voice; because we listen, we follow Him. So, yes, listening is important to God. It is vital to...
Aug 29, 2023•38 min•Ep. 173
As a Grace In Real Life podcast listener, you want to grow in your faith and become more and more like Christ, but how do you do that? In your hardest moments, in the most mundane, what does it look like to trust the Lord? I can think of no one better to share about how to trust the Lord in shaky circumstances than today’s guest, Maleah Stephens. Maleah’s story is one of bold faith, love, survival, and hope. Her’s is the story of hearing that her firstborn had a congenital heart defect that woul...
Aug 22, 2023•49 min•Ep. 172
If you’re anything like me, you’re like, “I’m not sure I need to listen to this episode. I don’t feel like I struggle with setting boundaries.” As a 47-year-old, I know my strengths and weaknesses, I invest in emotionally healthy people, and I don’t get sucked into drama or volunteering. And also… I wonder about the Bible’s call to help others and sacrifice myself with the reality that I get burned out and overwhelmed. I often fear turning down an opportunity because I don’t want people to think...
Aug 15, 2023•43 min•Ep. 171
You may be hard-wired for efficiency, effectiveness, and checking tasks off the list. Being playful and silly and giving into whimsy is not your strong suit. We have fun AFTER we work. But the work is never done, and fun is the first to go when our calendar is full. And yet… when we don’t play, when we don’t laugh, when we don’t lighten up, seriousness scrunches up our souls. And it seems as if playfulness is the only way out and back to our true, God-made self. So how can we become more playful...
Aug 08, 2023•45 min•Ep. 170
PLEASE KNOW: This is the last podcast until August 2023. Grace In Real Life is taking a break in July 2023. What does it mean for God to tend to your heart? How does God comfort you in real life? How does God heal our hurting hearts? I’ll never forget the first time I heard the phrase, “Allow the Lord to tend to your heart.” A friend of mine said it, and I was like, What is she talking about? What does that even mean? I’ve pondered that phrase for six years now: What does it mean for the Lord to...
Jun 27, 2023•40 min•Ep. 169
What is forgiveness, really? Is it something more than feeling like we should apologize? Is it more than just saying we forgive someone who hurt us even when we don’t want to at all? Forgiving others and asking for forgiveness are ground zero for receiving grace. Because isn’t the Lord’s forgiving of our sins the ultimate gift of grace? Forgiveness is foundational to our understanding of what it means to receive and live from grace. In today’s episode, you’ll receive practical strategies and anc...
Jun 20, 2023•47 min•Ep. 168
