Episode 148 :: Taylor Turkington :: Stories of Lament, Longing, and Learning to Trust God and His Word in the Chaos
Release Date: 03/28/2023
Episode 174 :: Douglas McKelvey :: Stories of Leaning into Advent, Lament, and Living with Every Moment Holy
Simply Stories Podcast
Today, I have the absolute pleasure of sharing my conversation with the one and only Douglas McKelvey. Douglas is a songwriter, author, and liturgy writer extraordinaire. I have never met someone like Douglas. His gift with words and passion for Christ cultivates a visceral invitation to be more present in this life, to find your fight again as you walk this weary way, and speaks to our hope of the next life with Jesus. Douglas shares with me his story of what led him to Nashville, TN, his journey from songwriting to fiction writing and the idea of unpacking his belief that every moment...
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Episode 173 :: Carole Holiday :: Stories of Learning Who You Are Again After Loss and Living with Grief
Simply Stories Podcast
A self-proclaimed “accidental author”, Carole Holiday was living a very full life as a wife, mother, and nana, until one day, everything fell apart. Her marriage to her childhood sweetheart of over 35 years ended, followed by losing her job and ultimately filing for bankruptcy. Then she developed heart issues because of all the stress, and a continued windfall of loss, and grief in losing close loved ones, until it felt like there was absolutely nothing recognizable about the life she had known. In her book I Don’t Know Who I Am Anymore, Carole shares her story, but it...
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Episode 172 :: Mike Nappa :: Stories from the Valley of the Shadow, and Blessing Those Who Mourn
Simply Stories Podcast
Over the last several years, I don’t think there is anyone who has not been touched by loss or some kind of grief. Today's guest, author, and literary agent Mike Nappa is incredibly familiar with loss and living with grief. In 2016, he lost his beloved wife, Amy, to cancer. In his learning how to live life without her, God has shown him why grieving is such an important part of losing a loved one. As Mike says, he learned how to cry into his keyboard and produced one of the most poignant books that bears witness to grief that I have ever personally encountered. It is called ...
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Episode 171 :: Gary Miracle :: Stories of Taking Heart, Persevering in Suffering, and No More Bad Days
Simply Stories Podcast
Gary Miracle is an author and a speaker who passionately believes in the power of storytelling and how it unites us and spurs us on when life is tragically hard, and also reminds us who we are and who God made us to be. In this episode, he shares his story of growing immersed in church culture on Sunday but then suffered from an identity crisis the rest of the week as he chased perfection, and changed personas in order to be affirmed by anyone and everyone. Finally, later in his life and career, now a married man with kids, Gary reached his breaking point and reached out to his friend Bart...
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Episode 170 :: Justin & J.L. Gerhardt:: Stories of Encountering God at the Intersection of Story and Worship
Simply Stories Podcast
Justin and J.L. Gerhardt are on the podcast today, and you will love hearing from them! There is an epic retelling of their meeting and falling in love complete with 90’s Hearthrob meet cute and all. More than that, Justin and J.L. share about their journey of God leading them both into ministry with words, calling their family to travel the world, and unleashing their creativity and courage to press into new ways to encounter God and His Word. This journey has given birth to various creative outlets for the Gerhardt family, but the one we talk about the most in this episode is Justin’s...
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Episode 169 :: Nikki Anders :: Stories of The Journey to Bethlehem
Simply Stories Podcast
I am so excited to share with you a really special conversation with the incredibly talented Renaissance woman Nikki Anders. Nikki is an award-winning musician, songwriter, and music producer in the TV and film industry. She shares some of her experiences in the music industry as a solo artist and member of the music group Avalon, her and her husband Adam’s time working on “Glee” as well as many other films, and now are the creative team behind the new movie musical “The Journey to Bethlehem.” Nikki shares how the Lord closed and opened so many doors over the last seventeen...
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Episode 168 :: Travis Thompson :: Stories of Mental Health, Addiction, Faith and Healing
Simply Stories Podcast
Travis Thompson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who practices in Middle Tennessee. He is a PhD candidate who works with clients from many backgrounds to find the deeper meaning of their struggles and embrace long-term recovery from the pains that they experienced. His work is focused on being healed from past hurt and toward future success. During our conversation, Travis shares his journey of wrestling with his own mental health as a teenager, his recovery and healing journey, and entering the world of becoming a mental health professional serving and helping others like...
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Episode 167 :: Kelly Balarie :: Stories of The Power of God’s Word and Taking Every Thought Captive
Simply Stories Podcast
I have a powerhouse on the podcast in the form of Kelly Balarie. Kelly is an author and a speaker who is passionate about Jesus and the Word of God. She is a sister in the trenches and a self-proclaimed spiritual cheerleader. Every book she has written, she writes from a place of “this is where God has been faithful to me in this season.” Or “this is what God has been teaching me,” full of authenticity, and powerful scripture-saturated insights for women who desire to walk well and be filled to the fullness of God. In our conversation today, you’ll hear about her...
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Episode 166 :: Dr. Clarence Shuler :: Stories of Finding Hope in Dark Places and Cross-Cultural Relationships that Can Heal
Simply Stories Podcast
Dr. Clarence Shuler is the President and CEO of his nonprofit BLR- which stands for Building Lasting Relationships. Their mission is to equip others for discipleship in various venues. He and his wife both speak and write about marriage, but also dealing with infidelity, and divorce, but they especially love to minister to singles in the church. Whatever it looks like, the Shulers are committed to “loving people with God’s love with no agenda and see what happens.” During our conversation today, Dr. Shuler shared his story of coming to Christ through a relationship that would impact...
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Episode 165 ::Kayla Craig :: Stories of Curiosity & Questions in Faith & Holding Every Season Sacred
Simply Stories Podcast
Today I have the absolute joy of sharing with you my conversation with Kayla Craig. Kayla is a modern liturgist as the woman behind Liturgies for Parents online. She is a Mama of 4, a supportive pastor’s wife, and just this week she released her second book Every Season Sacred. In our conversation today, you’ll get to hear Kayla’s heart as she shares about what it looks like to pursue an honest and abundant life full of wonder and work. In all the spaces she occupies, she offers an open invitation to be curious, to express our questions, doubts, or confusion as we walk out our faith...
info_outlineTaylor Turkington is an author, Bible teacher, teacher of Bible teachers. She is is passionate about training women to interpret and teach the Bible informally or formally through her ministry Bible Equipping. She has a love for the word of God that is so life giving and it pours out onto the pages of her book Trembling Faith: How a Distressed Prophet Equips Us to Trust God in a Chaotic World. Its a book that unpacks the book of Habakkuk in the Bible and offers an invitation to investigate what it means to lament.
For those of us who have ever even considered lament, we sometimes get hung up on doing it “the right way.” Whether that be in regards to formality, worrying about the right kinds of prayers or various Biblical application tools to use, or what have you. Taylor would offer however, that “lament is informal and natural and its expressing our great need because of the people that we are. Its saying this world is not right, but God, you are right and good. And there is a discrepancy here, and I need You to do something.” We unpack the gift of what lament offers in deepening our relationship with God, and coming to God with our emotions is a healthy practice.
Taylor also shares the historical context of the prophet Habakkuk, the uniqueness of the book in the midst of the minor prophets, and Habakkuk’s raw sharing with God, and his belief in God’s goodness despite how messed up the world still is and how real his heartbreak continues to be.
This episode I think is such a powerful gift as many of us are approaching the last lap of Lent and are following Jesus straight into a week ripe with lament, for the joy set before the Messiah, in the days leading up to the His death, burial and resurrection.
Connecting with Taylor:
Book Trembling Faith: How a Distressed Prophet Equips Us to Trust God in a Chaotic World
Sponsor for this Episode: Hopefuel
Use the code 'SIMPLY15' for 15% off
References:
-There are spiritual gifts of teaching
-Sons of Josiah, staring with Jehoahaz… not good
-King Jehoiakim… REALLY not good, hello Babylonian invasion
-“Katrina Babies” Documentary (and a picture of the power of community in cultures of color)
-Dr. Jemar Tisby - (our episode, his podcast, his substack, his books The Color of Compromise, and How To Fight Racism he is such a powerful teacher)
**Quick note- the audiobook release has been delayed! But forthcoming :)
-Resources for Trembling Faith
Scripture References:
Hebrews 4:12- The word of God speaks
Isaiah 7:14, 52:13-15, 53:1-12- Isaiah talks about Jesus
Matthew 28:19-20-All believers are called to learn God’s word and share it with others
Ephesians 4:25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11- Using the Word to encourage
Acts 2- Church is a group of people who are called to minister to each other and to the world
1 Corinthians 12- You have a spiritual gift, go use it!
Job 42:1-3, Proverbs 20:5, Romans 8:28- You were made on purpose for a purpose
Luke 10:27-Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength
Luke 1:39-56- Mary and Elizabeth proclaim the King
John 4- The woman at the well goes and evangelizes Samaria
John 20:18- Mary Magdelene gets to go and tell the Disciples Jesus is risen
Habakkuk 3- Habakkuk points to the choice we have in how to respond and what we choose to believe
2 Kings 2-23- The revival under King Josiah
Psalm 102:1- Lord, please help
Ephesians 5:14, Isaiah 51:17, 52:1, 60:1, Malachi 4:2, Romans 13:11- Awake, oh sleeper
Psalm 130:6- More than watchmen wait for the morning
Habakkuk 1:2, Psalm 13;1-6, Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31- Examples of “God act, wait on the Lord, how long oh Lord”
Matthew 4:17, Luke 12:35-40, Luke 4:14-30,Isaiah 61, Matthew 5:43-48 -God has come in Christ and He is working now, be ready, love your enemies
Habakkuk 1:1-4-Why do you make me look at violence and do nothing
Job 38:4-42:6- God doesn’t explain everything to Job
Habakkuk 2:4- the arrogant won’t live, but the righteous live by their faith
Habakkuk 1:3- My friends are surrounded! Help them!
Exodus 22:22-23, Psalm 82:3, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 25:40- You are breaking the Law of God when not caring for others in scripture
Matthew 19:26, Romans 8:32- We are sought after by a limitless God
Psalm 147:5-God is all knowing and all seeing.
Habakkuk 3:18-19-But they decide “I will rejoice in the Lord because He gives me strength”
Psalm 42:7- Deep calls unto deep
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