Send us a text Find show notes here. How do you discern God’s will when it comes to your passion and purpose in life? I regularly speak to Christian women seeking to discern what God wants for their lives, especially as it relates to a personal passion or God-shaped dream. These women share worries about hearing God incorrectly, making a wrong decision about a direction to pursue, or even lacking clarity in a vision for their life and purpose on earth. None of them wants to miss God’s plan for h...
Jun 29, 2022•50 min•Season 10Ep. 244
Send us a text Find show notes here. Are you living as a stranger in a strange land? My guest this week was struggling with loneliness and homesickness living away from her native India when her husband’s work required them to move to the States. It was in that experience that Mabel Ninan began to cry out to God, asking for His help to face these struggles and in the process realized the deeper issues of identity and belonging that came from her circumstances. In this episode, Mabel shares about...
Jun 15, 2022•48 min•Season 10Ep. 243
Send us a text Find the show notes here. Have you wanted to quit on your dream before you’ve made any real progress? Getting started can be one of the most difficult parts of pursuing a dream. In the early stages, a lot of the details are still foggy. The lack of progress makes it feel like you’re pushing a boulder uphill and pushing something heavy uphill makes you want to quit. But don’t quit before you get to the good part! In this episode you will be encouraged that you’re not the only one w...
Jun 01, 2022•36 min•Season 10Ep. 242
Send us a text Find show notes here. What can you do to intentionally place yourself in God’s good care? Mindy Caliguire is President/Co-Founder of Soul Care, a spiritual formation ministry dedicated to increasing soul health in the Body of Christ. In this episode Mindy shares about a dream that’s been on her heart for decades, the shape it’s taken over the years, and where she finds herself in it right now. We also talk about: How soul care differs from self-care and why both are important How ...
May 18, 2022•56 min•Season 10Ep. 241
Send us a text Find show notes here. What if God has a different path for you than the one you are on right now? When you begin pursuing a passion project, there usually isn’t a clear finish line, so how will you know when the dream has run its course? Do you ever wonder what else might God have planned for you after this? You may hesitate to even ask these types of questions, especially if things are going fairly well so far. Of course, God knows everything, which can be both reassuring and a l...
May 11, 2022•47 min•Season 10Ep. 240
Send us a text Find the show notes here. Does it ever feel like you’ll never reach the finish line? If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you probably think everyone else is years ahead of where you are with your dream. It feels even worse if you haven’t started yet. But I’m here to shatter that perception and tell you that you’re right on time no matter how far along you are (or are not). The reassuring truth is that God exists outside of time and yet He can still appreciate that our...
May 04, 2022•42 min•Season 10Ep. 239
Send us a text Find show notes here. How often do you sense yourself feeling anxious? I don’t know if my anxiety has gotten worse since the pandemic or if I’m just more aware now of how everyday stressors make me feel in my body. The truth is, knowing the anxiety is there won’t actually change it, but it is a place to start. And certainly, finding the antidote feels important if you’re living burdened by increasing anxiousness and stress. If you’ve been a Christian very long at all, you know the...
Apr 27, 2022•34 min•Season 10Ep. 238
Send us a text Find show notes here. Has God called you to be bold and courageous in your dream? If you are actively pursuing a dream—or even considering it—you are possibly facing opposition, fear, comparison and even imposter syndrome. But instead of seeing your dream as a mountain too high to climb on your own—which it very likely is—what if the dream became an invitation from the creator of the universe to trust Him more fully than you have in the past? In this episode, we’re talking about: ...
Apr 20, 2022•35 min•Season 10Ep. 237
Send us a text Find show notes here. Have you seen God’s hand on your life, even through the most difficult trials? My guest today will tell you that she was so caught up in herself when the reality of her motherhood didn’t look the way she always dreamed it would. She will tell you that it became an obsession to fix the ache caused by her unmet desires. And she will tell you what God did instead of allowing her to stay there. Today Nicole Clark is the founder of a local nonprofit ministry in No...
Apr 13, 2022•38 min•Season 10Ep. 236
Send us a text Find the show notes here. Have you ever wondered if you could get paid to do the thing you love? Something I often hear from dreamers is a question about whether a God-shaped dream should be a business or a hobby—and how to decide. I recorded this solo episode first as a wrap up for my financial series from last month but also to share a bit of my business-building story. You’ll hear how I accidentally became a freelance writer in my 30s and the lessons I have learned that you can...
Apr 06, 2022•34 min•Season 10Ep. 235
Send us a text Find show notes here. What will it cost to get your dream off the ground? This episode is the third and final conversation in my financial series where I’m bringing back a previous podcast guest to share her brilliance and experience related to the money side of launching a dream! This week’s guest is dream defender and founder of Camp Well and The Well Summit Jenn Jett Barrett who shared her dreamer story waaaaay back in episode 16 . This time we’re talking about creative ideas t...
Mar 30, 2022•51 min•Season 10Ep. 234
Send us a text Find show notes here. Have you counted the cost of your dream? This episode is the second of three conversations in my financial series in which we’re talking about how to think about spending your hard-earning money on a dream and how to determine if your dream should be a business or a hobby. My guest this week is Business Coach Katie Wussow, who shared her dreamer story in episode 167 . This time we’re talking about making wise investments in your dream, whether it’s a passion ...
Mar 23, 2022•52 min•Season 10Ep. 233
Send us a text Join me for a Devoted Dreamers gathering on March 31, 2022! RSVP at merrittonsa.com/marchevent NEXT STEPS: Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call Get Connected with the Facebook Community Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes Subscribe : on Apple Podcasts * on Android MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST: Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson . Theme music by Reaktor Productions . Ad music by Komiku....
Mar 17, 2022•2 min
Send us a text Find show notes here. Is money a barrier to launching your dream? This episode is the first in a series of three finance-focused conversations in my financial series where we’re talking about how to think about spending your hard-earning money on a dream. Listeners have been telling me that time and money are among the biggest barriers to jumping into a God-shaped dream. That may be the reality for some, however, the reason I wanted to do this series was so we could have some real...
Mar 16, 2022•47 min•Season 10Ep. 232
Send us a text Find show notes here. Does comparison steal your joy and keep you from fully walking in your purpose? With 24/7 social media access to everyone’s highlight reels, it’s no wonder so many of us struggle with comparison. Today’s guest Heather Creekmore is no stranger to comparison, and God has been using this struggle as part of her God-shaped dream to help women stop comparing and start living! In this episode, we’re talking about: How easily the ideals we hold onto can become disru...
Mar 09, 2022•43 min•Season 10Ep. 231
Send us a text Find the show notes here. Do you ever wonder if you’ll ever get past the novice stage of dreaming? Dreams don’t happen overnight, but appearances are deceiving. What you see when you look at someone else’s dream from the outside is the result of years invested in learning, refining, healing, practicing, failing and getting back up to try again. You’ll never get to witness the years of that person’s wilderness experience, which is why it is futile to compare yourself to where someo...
Mar 02, 2022•24 min•Season 10Ep. 230
Send us a text When you begin to think about taking the next step toward your dream, do you ever worry what someone else might think? Whether it’s your sister who doesn’t get you, a parent who’s never understood your passions, or a spouse who already feels deprived of time with you (or a host of other potential responses from friends that have only played out in your head) running after a dream seems to trigger this fear about how people in our life will respond. Find the show notes here. If you...
Feb 23, 2022•40 min•Season 10Ep. 229
Send us a text Find show notes here. Do you ever wonder if the time you’ve spent on your dream is going to be worth it? Maybe you haven’t seen the fruit you expected at this point, or your progress has been slower than you imagined, especially given what you’ve already invested. Wouldn’t it be terrible to look back one day and realize it was all a waste of time? Want some support on this journey? Consider a 1:1 coaching relationship with me. Even if you’re not sure that hiring a coach is really ...
Feb 16, 2022•32 min•Season 10Ep. 228
Send us a text Find show notes here. Do you tend to question your dream? Or wonder if you heard God right the first time? Nearly every day I encounter someone talking about the fear of missing out on the purpose God has planned for her life. Some even describe it as a deep worry or anxiety that everyone else has beaten her to the finish line, and she’s somehow gotten it wrong but doesn’t know how to find her way back into God’s prescribed path that was ordained for her before the beginning of ti...
Feb 09, 2022•27 min•Season 10Ep. 227
Send us a text Find show notes here. Is the timing right for my dream? I hear this question all the time in my conversations with women who have a dream on their hearts but who also have a list of other responsibilities and interests that take up the majority of their waking hours. How do you determine the “right” timing to pursue a passion project? If your life is already full, how do you decide when to adjust your commitments so you can shift into what’s possible for the future? In this segmen...
Feb 02, 2022•33 min•Season 10Ep. 226
Send us a text Find show notes here. How’s your confidence? When I asked this question on Instagram Stories earlier this week, 100% of those who responded answered, “I’m working on it.” But what does it look like to “work on your confidence? Maybe it’s a little bit like saying, “I’m trying.” But “trying what?” is the next question. How do we work on our confidence? If you resonate with this, don’t miss this week’s solo episode about growing your confidence right now through the power that is alr...
Jan 26, 2022•20 min•Season 10Ep. 225
Send us a text Which of these confidence myths are keeping you from stepping into your God-shaped dream? “I have to know what I’m doing before I start pursuing a dream.” “I need to FEEL confident before I start pursuing a dream.” “I need to BE really good at {fill in the blank} before I can even think about starting to pursue my dream.” Each one of these may seem true on the surface. They definitely feel that way in the eyes of the world and our culture. But what does God’s Word say about your a...
Jan 19, 2022•20 min•Season 10Ep. 224
Send us a text People tell me my solo episodes are among their favorites! That’s why I’m kicking off Season 10 with a series of episodes focused on providing you with additional support for getting off the sidelines instead of waiting around for the right timing to pursue your dream. The time is now! It’s not a mistake. If there’s a dream on your heart, God means for you to pursue it! Welcome back to Season 10 of The Devoted Dreamers Podcast ! I’m excited to return in this season with something ...
Jan 12, 2022•19 min
Send us a text Find the Show Notes here. Which do you struggle with most: starting on a dream or staying faithful through the messy middle? My guest this week is Rachel Baker an author, a pastor’s wife and director of women’s ministries in her local church. Along her journey she has questioned her lack of training, doubted her calling, and has been tempted to give up before reaching the finish line. Like many of us, she also went through a season of not knowing where to begin. In a beautiful tur...
Nov 24, 2021•41 min•Season 9Ep. 223
Send us a text Find the Show Notes here . Do you ever want to quit when it feels too hard to keep running after a dream? First, you are not alone. You also need to know that feeling resistance about some aspect of your God-shaped dream is not a reason to give up. Resistance may, in fact, be a nudge to keep going and keep trusting that God is with you, and He will carry you through it. Like a lot of dreamers, Devin Clevenger discovered her dream because of a deep need in her own life. A recent mo...
Nov 17, 2021•35 min•Season 9Ep. 222
Send us a text Find the Show Notes here . The world of work has changed in the last decade. Yet the question remains: Is it possible to align work with a sense of calling while also navigating equally demanding personal roles and responsibilities? Michaela O’Donnell is no stranger to questions like these. Through starting her own company and listening to others, she has come to believe that we are all called to be part of God’s big redemptive work in this world. Her new book Make Work Matter: Yo...
Nov 10, 2021•41 min•Season 9Ep. 221
Send us a text Find the Show Notes here . Monica Kelsey has a powerful personal testimony and a new book Blessed to Have Been Abandoned , released in May of 2021. It’s a story that reaffirms the value of every single life, regardless of the circumstances of their conception If your dream was birthed out of pain like Monica’s was, this interview is for you. In it we talk about: How to reframe your fear of the unknown as you take new risks, Why knowing and believing in your worth in Christ is cruc...
Nov 03, 2021•34 min•Season 9Ep. 220
Send us a text My family is managing a health emergency this week so the full show notes will be delayed, but I have posted the handout for this episode here: http://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/219 Although I wrote this talk for moms of young children, this episode is a reminder that God’s plans and timing have purpose no matter your life stage. If you feel disconnected from your dream, you’re not alone. Just because it’s not today doesn’t mean it’s not EVER. Instead of despairing, think of moth...
Oct 27, 2021•57 min•Season 9Ep. 219
Send us a text Find the Show Notes here. Do you ever wonder if your God-shaped dream might be something He hasn’t yet revealed to you, or questioned why you feel blocked from God’s purpose for your life? Cindy DeBoer and her husband were 12 years into marriage when God put it on their hearts to examine if they were living out the faith they professed. What followed was a season of confession, questions, and a re-making of the life they thought they were called to. In this conversation, Cindy sha...
Oct 20, 2021•52 min•Season 9Ep. 218
Send us a text Grab the free Ready to Dream Checklist HERE. God has given you a purpose that is uniquely yours, but the temptation to control the results can disrupt any meaningful progress because the dream belongs to God first and the outcomes rest on Him alone. If you are anxious, stressed out, or worried about the future, this episode is filled with the truth of Scripture and Carla’s calming presence to remind you of the value and importance of surrendering our God-shaped dreams to Him daily...
Oct 13, 2021•33 min•Season 9Ep. 217
