Celebrate the Joys of Friendship
Peace in His Presence
Welcome to the final and fourth episode of The Blessings and Burdens of Friendship series. For this series, Michelle invited Christina Hergenrader to be a guest host. In this final episode as we celebrate the joys of friendship, Michelle and Christina, invited their mutual friend, Audrey Duensing-Werner Director of Family Life Ministry. In this episode, we dive into the story of Mary and Elizabeth in the Bible, highlighting the incredible bond they shared as friends and the support they provided each other during significant moments in their lives. We explore how their friendship...
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Gracefully Reconnecting: Difficult Conversations and Friendship Forgiveness
Peace in His Presence
Michelle and Christina tackle the complex terrain of forgiveness and reconciliation within friendships. It's a topic that often leads to hesitation and discomfort, as we ponder whether our cherished friendships can endure the trials and tribulations that come with difficult conversations. Friendships, like fragile stained glass windows, are susceptible to breaking. However, Michelle beautifully draws a parallel between enduring friendships and stained glass windows. Just as a shattered window can be pieced back together, friendships can emerge stronger and more beautiful after facing...
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Church Music: For the Care of Souls with Phillip Magness
Peace in His Presence
Michelle interviews Phil Magness about his book, Church Music: For the Care of Souls. This was a special interview as Michelle has been friends with Phil and his wife Cheryl for almost 30 years. Michelle learned much about worship from Phil when they served at a church together many years ago. In this interview, they talk about: Why Phil wrote this book The importance of Sunday morning worship but also personal worship. Going to church, even when it's difficult The gifts God gives to us in worship Phil's prayer and hope for those who listen and read his book
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How Many Friends Should You Have?
Peace in His Presence
Michelle and Christina continue their series on the blessings and burdens of friendship, by taking a look at the question, "How Many Friends Should You Have?" What Michelle and Christina, discovered through their survey was that women of all ages and stages of life, wondered how many friends should I have? Which often leads to wondering, why don’t I have more friends? Christina takes the lead spot, sharing a time from her life when she achieved her dream of becoming a writer but felt lonely and left out. During that period, God helped her understand that her worth wasn’t found by the...
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Grace-filled Connections: Unwrapping God's Gift of Friendship
Peace in His Presence
Michelle has invited Christina Hergenrader to guest host a special podcast series called "The Blessings and Burdens of Friendship." We're diving deep into this fascinating world of friendships, sharing stories, insights, and, hopefully, a lot of helpful advice along the way. One thing that's been on our minds is this idea we like to call "wish dreams." You know, it's that perfect, almost fairytale-like image we all have of what friendship should be. We search high and low for that ideal friendship, sometimes so diligently that we miss the incredible connections God has already placed in...
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Trusting God in Uncertain Times: Finding Peace in His Constant Presence
Peace in His Presence
Often, our worries come from not being able to control a situation. The truth is that we cannot plan for all the uncertainties we will face, but we can trust our Immanuel, the God who is with us, to give us His strength and peace through all the trials and troubles we will face in this life. When our minds become stuck in "what if" thinking, we see things from our finite viewpoint. We forget that God is infinite and that we can trust Him even when life is uncertain or doesn't make sense. In this episode, Gretchen Ronnevik interviews Michelle about the eighth chapter of her book, Immanuel....
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Resting in the Faithfulness of the Good Shepherd
Peace in His Presence
Does your heart feel shaken and shattered? Perhaps you feel bruised and battered from all that has happened over the last few years. You are weary and tired, and you long for peace. God promises to be your Good Shepherd, and you can rest in His unshakable faithfulness towards you today and always. In this episode, Sharla Fritz interviews me about my book Promised Rest; we discuss how the Good Shepherd gives us His peace. Listen to these beautiful promises from Psalm 23, and these are not some far-off distant promises. They are for right here, right now. For every moment,...
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When Your Heart Is Anxious Jesus Gives You His Peace
Peace in His Presence
Author Lindsay Hausch, interviews Michelle in this episode about the 6th chapter in her book, Promised Rest. We look at how God is our peace. In this episode, we delve into the story of Gideon, a man who found himself hiding in a wine vat, trying to thresh wheat due to the oppressive Midianites. We explored how Gideon's encounter with an angel of the Lord, who is Jesus Himself. As we reflected on Gideon's story, we couldn't help but be reminded of how God looks at us with love and compassion, even when we may struggle with fear and anxiety. Just as Gideon questioned God and asked for a...
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When Life Feels Impossible God Gives You Hope
Peace in His Presence
What are you facing right now? Is it a problem you cannot fix? Friends, I've learned a precious truth over the years: God's grace is sufficient for every circumstance. He will provide all you need to get through each moment. Christina Hergenrader interviews Michelle about her book Promised Rest: Finding Peace in God's Presence, and they focus on how God provides for us, even when life feels impossible. In this episode, Michelle & Christina discuss the power of faith, promises, and peace that can be found in God's Word and how these truths remain relevant even amid today's challenges....
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When Life Doesn't Make Sense you Can Trust God
Peace in His Presence
Have you ever wrestled with these questions? How can I trust God when life doesn't make sense? How do I trust God when He doesn't answer my prayer right away? How can I trust God when He doesn't fix my problems in the way I thought He would? If you've struggled with these questions or ones similar, you are not alone; I've wrestled with all of them. In this fourth episode of the Promised Rest Series, Katie Koplin interviewed me about God's name of El Shaddai and what does that mean for us in our lives? How does knowing God as El Shaddai help you through the joys and sorrows of...
info_outlineIn this episode, I talk to Heidi Goehmann who is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed independent mental health professional about reflection and how it impacts our mental health and how it helps us emotionally and spiritually.
We talk about this through the lens of the Five R’s of Reflection that I have in my book, Promised Rest.
The following is a condensed version of the five Rs:
- Rejoice: what are you grateful for?
- Release: what cares or concerns do you need to give to God?
- Reframe: are there thoughts about yourself, others, and God that need to change?
- Remember: What do you want to remember about God’s name, characteristic, or action?
- Rest: What promise of God can you rest in today?
Heidi and I also want to invite you to join us the week of August 29th for a Mini reflection challenge on Instagram. We will be sharing more details as it gets closer but for now, make sure you are following us there.