Send us a text Nineteen-year-old Anna Sackett recently left the comforts of home to study midwifery as a missionary in the Philippines. This conversation, just a few weeks prior to her departure, offers us a gentle reminder that our hope and joy is not in having discovered our dream or even what’s next on our journey, but it is solely and totally in Jesus. The alternative is true as well: if you haven’t figured out your dream, you need only to look to Him for all you need. You’ll hear from Anna ...
Oct 09, 2019•42 min•Season 6Ep. 131
Send us a text Charlena Ortiz teaches us how she’s learned to trust Jesus as her sustainer, sought the unforced rhythms of grace in the pursuit of her dream, and discovered patience with herself and with Him in the process. In this episode, Charlena offers a helpful question to ask yourself if you’re still trying to figure out your dream. And she explains how we might gain clarity on the lies we believe and, instead, turn up the volume on what is true—based on Scripture. You’ll also discover how...
Oct 02, 2019•59 min•Season 6Ep. 130
Send us a text If you’ve been putting off starting or kept your dreaming all to yourself or known you need to take a step, but you just haven’t figured out how to do that, this conversation is for you! In this year of testing out monthly solo episodes, we’ve covered a lot about the emotional and spiritual journey of pursuing our God-shaped dreams. Today, we’re talking about finally getting busy and just taking steps toward the dream. I’ve got a handy worksheet that will help clarify what your ne...
Sep 18, 2019•31 min•Season 6Ep. 129
Send us a text Lesley Pyle’s dream was born out of her own desire to be at home with her baby instead of reporting to a job. In 2007, she founded HireMyMom.com with a strong desire to help professional women find flexible, legitimate, home-based work. Lesley’s story teaches us the value of not waiting until you have it all figured out before taking a step in the direction of your dream. She talks about learning along the way and how her passion made up for the expertise she didn’t have when she ...
Sep 11, 2019•39 min•Season 6Ep. 128
Send us a text To all the doers and dreamers, Haley offers the important reminder God gave her that “I am not my work.” This episode is a real and honest look at how we go about building our God-shaped dream and what to do when you aren’t sure how to begin. Haley talks about starting before you feel ready (and why it’s a good idea to just take the leap). You’ll discover the value of trusting God with the outcomes, understanding your need for grace, finding your approval in Him alone, and allowin...
Sep 04, 2019•54 min•Season 6Ep. 127
Send us a text We’ve been talking about fear and what it says about our identity or, rather, how we’re placing our identity on something besides Jesus when we allow fear to stand in the way of what God created us to do with our lives. This solo episode falls in line behind #122 and provides some next steps about what to do once you realize that you have, in fact, trusted in something beside the Lord to give you hope, wholeness, satisfaction or purpose. There are three simple (I didn’t say easy) ...
Aug 21, 2019•33 min•Season 6Ep. 126
Send us a text This week’s conversation with Brittany Rust builds upon last week's episode. In this one, Brittany teaches us how she built a foundation of intimacy with Jesus by being in God’s word and through prayer, and she shares how those two actions plus the practice of listening and responding in obedience have grown her understanding of what God is calling her to do next. In addition, you’ll learn about the value of waiting on His timing – even when it’s difficult to wait – as well as wha...
Aug 14, 2019•46 min•Season 6Ep. 125
Send us a text Have you ever wondered how to hear God’s voice? Or how to know if you’re on the right path? Or what He’d want you to do next? Tabitha Bigbee, a faith-based life coach and founder of Every Day Faith, offers up grace-filled thinking on how to get in God’s Word every day so you can be transformed by it. She has established her own everyday faith practices and freely shares them with us, providing opportunities to strengthen your faith muscles and find clarity from the Father on what ...
Aug 07, 2019•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 124
Send us a text Alia Joy is an author who believes the darkness is illuminated when we grasp each other’s hand and walk into the night together. She writes poignantly about her life with bipolar disorder as well as grief, faith, marriage, poverty, race, embodiment, and keeping fluent in the language of hope. God’s power is made perfect in your weakness. We know the Bible verse, but most of us would rather run from weakness than embrace it. Years ago, Alia might have told you the same. She never e...
Jul 31, 2019•56 min•Season 6Ep. 123
Send us a text Who am I? is an age-old question. It is easy to respond with a summary of your roles, achievements, degrees, career, or job title. But I think we could all agree that those simple answers do not begin to explain who God made you, what passions ultimately motivate your decisions, or what you value most in this world. If you know Jesus, the churchy, Sunday school answer about our identity is that we are children of God. But what does that really mean? And how do we begin to accept, ...
Jul 17, 2019•39 min•Season 6Ep. 122
Send us a text Writer, mama, and former silent-struggler Laura Harris shares her vulnerable story about the night on the bathroom floor when she realized that she was on the verge of depression and had to speak up about it. Laura is a writer, mother of three, and Christ follower. Her words from the heart and parenting advice have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Huffington Post, Motherly, Scary Mommy, and Babble. She uses her faith, her passion for writing, and honest life experie...
Jul 10, 2019•52 min•Season 6Ep. 121
Send us a text Heather Boersma says the dream she is pursuing today wasn’t on her radar two decades ago when a pastor prayed it over her. Since then it has been a journey of learning, trusting and listening to God, faltering, and then remembering to trust and listen to Him again. In this episode she talks about the importance of intimacy with God, especially if you’re struggling to make progress or looking for a road map with next steps toward your dream. What she shares will open your eyes to t...
Jul 03, 2019•46 min•Season 6Ep. 120
Send us a text Not long ago I was asked by a listener to share on the podcast about how I came to know Jesus. Some of you listening who know me personally have probably heard at least a part of this story. For a lot of you, we’ve never met; you only know what you see (or hear) about my life as it is today. But that’s not the whole story—it never is. What’s remarkable to me is that 25 years ago I would have either told you I was a Christian or that I didn’t need religion to be a good person—funny...
May 29, 2019•41 min
Send us a text Fear is a common feeling once you start chasing God-shaped dreams, but this fear is not from God. We have a very real enemy to seeks to steal, kill and destroy you and your dreams. Thankfully, we also have a good Father in heaven who loves and cherishes you, and He wants to empower courage in you, especially in the face of fear. In this episode, you’ll learn four strategies to overcome the fear and anxiety you feel related to pursuing a God-shaped dream. You will learn how to crea...
May 15, 2019•36 min•Season 5Ep. 119
Send us a text Whatever your leadership role, this conversation with Esther Littlefield will teach you about fulfilling your God-given purpose despite the fear that threatens to cripple you or halt your dream altogether. Esther’s example of leading a bible study when she didn’t feel ready teaches us that you can use your gifts anywhere, whether in motherhood, a full-time job, or serving in your church or community. You don’t have to wait. Just start small, be obedient, and let Him bring the resu...
May 08, 2019•42 min•Season 5Ep. 118
Send us a text Creative business owner Laurel Smith had a dream about making jewelry before she even possessed the knowledge or tools to do so. Over the next 14 years that dream grew into the reality that is Laurel Denise today. However, its God-given purpose didn’t become clear to her until years later. Laurel’s story reminds us that understanding your purpose and calling takes time. In this episode, you’ll learn about how, in that season, she also experienced a shift from achieving to slowing ...
May 01, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 117
Send us a text God has a plan for His people and His Kingdom; that means He has a plan for you and your life, too. You likely have a dream of your own, a passion that burns deep inside and makes you want to leap from bed in the morning. Maybe your dream is a desire to change the world for the better, or make beautiful things, or teach others what you have learned on your journey. Whatever it is, God put it in your heart on purpose. When that dream begins to bubble up, you might be so busy doing ...
Apr 17, 2019•32 min•Season 5Ep. 116
Send us a text LISTENER SURVEY - DEADLINE IS APRIL 15TH! Please take a few minutes to respond to our listener survey. You’ll be entered to win your choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signature Devoted Dreamers coffee/tea mug! Ministry coach Christa Hutchins is the woman you’ll want by your side if you’re feeling overwhelmed in managing the details of your dream. She loves to serve Christian women who speak, write or lead, helping them develop strategies to accomplish their goals and dreams. B...
Apr 10, 2019•39 min•Season 5Ep. 115
Send us a text TAKE THE LISTENER SURVEY Please take a few minutes to respond to our listener survey . You’ll be entered to win your choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signature Devoted Dreamers coffee/tea mug! Deadline to enter: April 15th! Entrepreneur Amber Brannon returns to the podcast to share how she’s grown in her faith since our last conversation in 2017, and how God has transformed her dependence on Him personally and in her business. In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of b...
Apr 03, 2019•48 min•Season 5Ep. 114
Send us a text Please take a few minutes to respond to our listener survey . You’ll be entered to win your choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signature Devoted Dreamers mug! * * * * * * * There is purpose for your life; you are not here by accident. I believe there’s enough in God’s word to back this up, so today I’m talking about the two perspectives I’ve been wrestling with related to this topic and how we decipher our God-shaped dreams. The first perspective is that He uses our gifts and t...
Mar 20, 2019•33 min•Season 5Ep. 113
Send us a text LISTENER SURVEY Please take a few minutes to respond to our listener survey so we can get to know you better. You’ll be entered to win your choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signature Devoted Dreamers mug! ABOUT THIS EPISODE God created you for a reason. This is our theme for the month of March, and in this episode, Julie Watson shares how she fought back fear and a lack of confidence to pursue the dreams God has given her for the one life she has to live. Through Julie's stor...
Mar 14, 2019•45 min•Season 5Ep. 112
Send us a text God created you for a reason. This is our theme for the month of March, and in this episode, Ashley Hales shares how her life today feels far more ordinary than what she dreamed as a younger person – and why that’s exactly where God wants her right now. Through her story we learn the importance of pressing in to the greater story of the gospel because of how it impacts our lives and relationships with others. She reminds us of our identity in Christ through the story of the prodig...
Mar 06, 2019•44 min•Season 5Ep. 111
Send us a text This solo episode is tied directly to my last solo episode (#107 , so go listen if you haven’t already). In this one I’m talking about our value and worth because we are daughters of the Most High King. You’ll hear a few more bits of my story prior to becoming a Christian, and then even after Jesus rescued me, about how I rested my value on something that was ultimately going to fail me. I share the best response I ever got from a Christian man who knew he couldn’t bear the weight...
Feb 20, 2019•25 min•Season 5Ep. 110
Send us a text In this episode, Cari Jenkins teaches us about our identity in Christ. She approaches this topic in a way that is both gentle and convicting, and she reminds us that He sees us and knows what we need. You'll learn from Cari's experience that when you listen to the Spirit and trust His lead, it might result in something completely different than what you planned or hoped for. She confides in us about her recent heart-wrenching decision to have a hysterectomy (as a single woman who ...
Feb 13, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 109
Send us a text In this week’s episode, April Matt, co-founder and director of the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Along the Way, reveals the value of asking good questions as you prepare to pursue your dream. And, more importantly, she reminds us to listen to the answers; in doing so you might uncover something you never considered. You’ll also hear why your dream is worth pursuing, even when it gets hard, you have bad days or feel like quitting. Finally, April teaches us the importance of knowing ...
Feb 06, 2019•59 min•Season 5Ep. 108
Send us a text In this solo episode, I’m talking about identity, specifically our identity in Christ as daughters of the Most High King. You’ll hear how I struggled early on as a Christian to even understand what this means and how to live it out. To explain what it means to find our identity in Christ, I also share what it’s not, meaning you’re going to hear a bit about my messy life before Jesus (um, yes, it’s still messy AFTER Jesus but just in a different way now!) I share a bunch of verses ...
Jan 30, 2019•33 min•Season 5Ep. 107
Send us a text In this episode, Holly Christine Hayes shares the difficult truth about pursuing a God-shaped dream – that it’s hard and it may require everything of you. As a result, she teaches us the importance of examining your season of life, considering the realities of your dream, and what we might do instead if this isn’t the season for stepping out. You’ll discover the value of surrounding yourself with people who are better than you and the importance of staying watered and rooted if yo...
Jan 23, 2019•59 min•Season 5Ep. 106
Send us a text This month's theme is You Are a Daughter of the King. I love how well this interview fits that topic! In this episode, Krista Hengesh, founder of Live Salted—a college and millennial women’s ministry – talks about the incredible amount of faith required to step out into what God has called you to do, especially when you don’t know what the results are going to be. We cover the reality of the spiritual warfare we’ll face when we are walking in His will and seeking to make Him more ...
Jan 16, 2019•57 min•Season 5Ep. 105
Send us a text Happy New Year and welcome back to Season Five of The Devoted Dreamers Podcast. This episode is a quick update on what you can expect from the podcast for the remainder of this season, including a new publishing schedule, monthly themes, solo episodes, and the Dream Letter, which is launching later this month. Be sure to subscribe to get yours! Next week I’ll be back with another interview, this time it’s my conversation with Krista Hengesh of Live Salted ministry. CONNECT WITH ME...
Jan 09, 2019•9 min
Send us a text I’m wrapping up the podcast for 2018 this week; this is the last episode of the year, and I’m trying something a little different. Back in November, I was invited to speak to a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in Golden, Colorado. The MOPS theme this year is Find Your Fire – an excellent fit for the conversations we’re having every week on The Devoted Dreamers Podcast. So, I recorded that talk, and I’m sharing it with you this week in lieu of an interview. I’ll be back o...
Dec 12, 2018•52 min•Season 5Ep. 104
