S1 E7 Transcript

Welcome to Life Reclaimed, a place for honest conversations about faith, healing, and real life.

We are three friends learning to walk in freedom and trust God through the messy middle.

Pull up a chair.

We’re glad you’re here.

Let’s dive in.

Hello and welcome to the Life Reclaimed podcast.

Ah, you know, this may be split into two different sections. And so we just wanted to let you know, we’ve had a big group and we’ve had to share mics. So it is possible that you may hear some and some audio discrepancies that is not our normal.

So we are apologizing ahead of time, but stick with us because we’ve got some great people and we’ve got some great stories.

So I am Kim and I am here with my friends – Brenda, Cindy.

And today we have some special guests around the table with us. These are our friends. They are in our Bible study, our small group. They’re our good friends.

And we just want to say a big thank you to each of you for joining us today. So excited that you guys are here.

And would you be so kind as to give us your names?

Tonya. I’m also Kim, but I’m going to go by KC today. Amanda, Jess. This is Mary.

And we are so glad you guys are here.

Thanks for coming in.

So we’re going to do a quick check in for today.

What is a moment within your community where you felt really supported or encouraged?

Anybody got a story?

I’ll start.

Let’s see.

Oh, my gosh. It’s been over a year already, and I learned unexpectedly that I was going to be a grandmother, which is a blessing. But in the moment, it was hard.

And I came to my community, to my Bible study group of ladies, and they were completely supportive, you guys sitting here at the table, completely supportive of me, encouraging, praying over me, blessing me with a grandma baby shower.

It’s been a joy and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it was a hard time to walk through. And so I just got support and encouragement from my ladies.

And we love throwing grandma showers.

So it was pretty fun for us.

We love parties.

We do.

We do.

We love to celebrate.

Anybody else?

Well, this is Tanya. And I personally have a story about my Bible study group and how I felt supported in a time where I was carrying a heavy load and very lost with the medical issues of myself and family members and a move in a job loss and just really needed to be lifted up by the community of my friends and my peers.

Wow, that sounds like a lot to go through in a very short amount of time. And what an honor and privilege it has been to be with you during that time.

And I am so blessed for you, Kim, Cindy, Brenda, all of the ladies in our group.

Oh, I’ll say tonight because I’ve had a crazy work and travel scheduled the last couple of months and I’ve been away from these lovely ladies and I am so excited. I walked back into the door this evening and just felt very encouraged and welcomed.

So thank you.

Amazing.

Well, we have missed you and it is so good to see you in person again. Thank you for coming back. Thanks for spending time with us.

I have one.

So I, when my older two were older two boys were very young, we went to a church of 50 people that was the size of our church.

Wow.

And we were going through a hard time and someone from the church, I don’t know if it was one person or if they rotated, they made us dinner once a week for about a year.

Wow.

And I thought that is community. I mean, a group of ladies who brought a casserole to someone’s house and I would go pick it up from there and it fed us for several days and I was so, so grateful and remarkable that a small church like that would support us for a year.

That’s so sweet.

What a blessing.

Yeah.

This is Jess. So I will say in our the last three years, my husband and I walked through a really, really heavy time. He was in a terrible vehicle accident.

And we were pretty new to the Rescue area, El Dorado County, and we just had some really close people step in and be there for us, my best friend, which I’m so grateful for, our neighbor across the street, who’s now the godmother of our both of our girls, and just our family were there.

And I’m so, so grateful. And also since then, we’ve been very involved with the District Church and they’ve taken my husband under their wing and really given him an amazing place to have a sense of purpose.

And also just, we’re just so blessed. And it’s made him show up in our marriage and our family, and we could not be more grateful.

Wow.

I love that, the idea of a family coming together and then being surrounded by others has actually improved the relationship, not just one of the people in the community or in the group.

That’s really cool, thanks for sharing that.

Absolutely.

I think for me, lately it’s been kind of a tough season, just going through a lot of family things and just navigating some loss in our family and I’ve just found a lot of support within not only just like friends, like my best friend who’s here with us today, but also my Bible study group.

So with Kim and Cynthia, Tanya, everybody. It’s just been really uplifting on the days that you’re, you know, really struggling and feeling down to know that you have women who are praying for you.

And I think that’s been a big thing that just like gives me absolute strength, is knowing that I have expert level prayers, like praying for me, praying for my family and that’s helped me feel really supported.

Wow.

I love that.

That’s really, really cool.

We have, on more than one occasion, stopped what we were doing and started praying because of something somebody wrote in our group text.

And I don’t know about you guys, but I found it very valuable to be able to know you guys have my back when I need it, and you’re praying for me, or that you guys feel comfortable to share things and we can pray for you.

I think that has been really transformational.

If I can just speak to that for a moment, I absolutely agree. And having moved out of the area and still been able to stay connected with everyone and be allowed to stay on the group text and know what’s going on in such a trying time for me and just knowing that, you know, I am supported and reached out individually as well.

And there is really something to be said for just knowing that there is a group of people praying for the best for you.

All right.

Well, last episode, we talked about habits that help us heal.

And today feels like the natural next step because healing doesn’t just happen in isolation. It often grows in community.

Many of us have experienced loneliness or isolation at times, but what’s beautiful is what God has put together in our community. Does anyone want to speak to this?

I have a loved one with a substance use disorder and have been part of a recovery community for several years.

One of the repeated sayings in recovery is the opposite of addiction is connection.

Satan seeks to separate us. He wants us to feel isolated, alone, different, unwanted, like outcasts. But community and that connection engages us.

It helps care for us and it unfolds us.

And when hard things come against us, it’s’s easy to want to withdraw, to feel shame or isolation, but healthy community brings care, it brings connectedness and understanding that we are all on a journey. That we can offer grace rather than judgment, love rather than rejection, and hope rather than despair.

I love that.

I love that.

That’s really good.

Hold on. Before we go further, I’d love to hear from you.

If you could choose two words to describe your journey from before a small group or close community to now, what words would you use?

So I actually thought about this and they came to me very easily. And at the beginning of this journey, my word is heavy because I felt like I was caring so, so much.

And now my word is trust because I gave it to Jesus and he’s carrying it for me now. And I don’t feel weighed down and I don’t feel like the burdens are overwhelming me any longer.

And I trust that things will work out. And in fact, they are. And they’re working out better than when I was trying to control the situation.

So heavy and trust for me are the two words that resonate.

I will never forget our first meeting.

And I remember feeling so, um, what am I doing here? I, you know, not knowing anybody at all and just taking that step and I was really fearful.

And now, just to have the friendships that we have and the connectedness, it’s amazing to go from one extreme of complete isolation to really community like we have. Now.

Absolutely.

I feel wholeheartedly the same.

And there were so many people there for friendship.

Yes.

When we asked, what brings you here?

Right.

And how many of us said, we just want friends and open, honest, genuine, non-judgemental.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

And not to say that we didn’t want to learn from the Lord, but we really needed each other.

And I feel like Tanya, that first day we met, we literally, I hugged her and I was so excited because I moved to a new place. I didn’t know anyone in this area. And being a teacher my whole life, you can’t go to the grocery store or the gym without running into somebody you know.

And so to go to live somewhere where you didn’t know anybody, and then I just put it out there like, okay, I’ll start this Bible study. And then Tanya signed up.

She was the first one to sign up and then she came to my table at church when I was in between services and I was so excited. I was like, a friend. I was so excited.

Well, I felt so very welcomed because I was new to the church, and new as in like I had attended one time prior to meeting Kim and I had one meeting with our pastor at District Church.

He had a meeting with me at a coffee shop and suggested that I join a small group and here we are now.

I love that.

Yeah, and I will say, too, this year, I began a complete new journey. I traveled from the East Coast to California to begin a new venture.

That is a big change.. So could you say that again? You traveled where?

From Virginia to California.

And at a time in my life, when some people thought I should be planning for retirement, I was stuck. Stepping out and making a bold new step. And as I moved thousands of miles away from loved ones, I knew one of the first things I needed to do was find a community.

So I joined this group, too. And my schedule’s been a bit crazy this year with a new job and frequent travel. But the connection of this group, the prayers, the messages, the group text, where someone shares a song, or a prayer, or thought, or just a funny happening, has given me so much of a sense of community.

And even when I couldn’t be here in person, I have just felt so warmed and touched by this group, and I’m incredibly thankful for all of you.

I love that.

I love it.

It’s so sweet.

So I think what came to mind regarding like the two words of like the in describing the journey, like before your small group and after. I think for the before I would describe it as lost.

Like I was feeling really lost and confused about a lot of things in life and things that were going on in my sphere. And I really just had come to Jesus period where I prayed to God.

I just said, you know, if it’s not for me and if it’s not for you, just remove it. Just remove it from my life. And I had to kind of get isolated for a little while and I watched God remove a lot of people. And I think what it ended up doing is it brought me a lot of peace.

And then I felt called to basically start a new community. And that’s that how I got involved with a small group at church, to you ladies. And yeah, it was terrifying that first day.

And it was actually, that first day was really heavy because I remember like going and it was a heavy day. It was the assassination of Charlie Kirk is when I first met all of you ladies.

So our like entire church is like in tears. I’m in tears. And I’m just thinking like, what am I doing?

But I mean, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

And I’ve just cultivated connections and made friendships that have impacted my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined have helped my family, my child, my marriage, like our whole world.

And I’m just so thankful because I feel like God closed doors so he could open new ones, and that’s what this has been.

So I think the second word would be peace. I feel a lot of peace in this community.

I love that.

That’s so good.

I think for me, I would, my word before would be maybe superficial, like superficial my relationship with Jesus. And since joining a small group, I’ve been so grateful to meet some amazing women who help you feel safe and supported and have your back.

And it can be really nerve-racking.

You’re going into meeting a group of new ladies and feeling accepted and feeling like you belong. And that’s something I’ve always struggled with in general.

And so after meeting these wonderful women and feeling just automatically accepted, it’s been so good for me to dive deeper in my journey with Jesus Christ. I’m so grateful.

So now I feel like my word would be accepted. It feels good to be accepted.

So I think that my two words are timid and brave.

And I think that although I’m a pretty extroverted person and the church environment is just different. And so when I, before I wasn’t in a church community, I was just watching church online.

And so I hadn’t really done the small group thing in a church setting or not since I was a bit younger. And so starting, just feeling kind of timid, uncertain, getting to know a group of new people.

And then that slowly evolved into feeling brave, not just because I was spending time with these people that I really enjoyed, because they brought out something in me that I didn’t expect.

And it enhanced my life in these ways that being able to watch other women that I respected, navigate life and share about it openly made me feel brave and like, I could do the same.

Wow.

That’s so good.

Oh, man.

And I’ve seen that.

I’ve seen that growth in you for sure.

You.

You are very timid, as you say.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it’s really neat how, how much more you say now and stuff.

Love it.

Thank you.

Actually, one of my favorite nights was when somebody said something and and you felt an injustice and you rose up and came to her defense. And I have to tell you, I sat there like a proud mama. I was so excited that you were like, no, that is not how this works.

And you just came to her defense and you protected her.

Who is that?

I was like, is that Mary?

It’s so good.

Thank you, Kim. I remember that night.

Yeah, that was good.

I think for me, my two words are depleted.

That’s a good word.

You know, just lacking the female friendships, that part that fills your soul and, like Mary said, getting to watch other women be role models in God’s Word is so filling.

And my flip side of that now would be I’m I’m so full. Like just love that my heart is full every time I am with you all.

It’s walking out so joyful and high hopeful and really just having a sense of peace that I’m not alone.

Yeah.

Wait.

So you’re saying there was a sense of community?

Yes.

I feel like we’re talking about community tonight.

You just nailed it.

Perfect.

So that’s super powerful.

What do you think helped move you from the first word to the second?

Like, if you could describe just briefly, the transformation, like, was there something in particular that brought you from that first word to the second?

I think what brought me from the first, from feeling timid to brave was just being willing, willing to participate, willing to open my heart and just willing to share myself, I think, and not know what the outcome is.

I think we always think about that in romantic love.

Sure.

But there’s so much more that’s so important in our life. And women, especially godly women, it’s so important and meaningful. And I think I was just willing to be open to that.

I love that.

Oh, that’s cool.

I think that’s scary, right?

Being willing to be vulnerable, to be honest, to be willing to say the things that we’re struggling with.

So many of us try to hold it all together and pretend like we have it all together, and we don’t actually share, you know, those things that last 2% that Jenny Allen talks about where it’s really in our head and it’s ingrained and we’re not willing to talk about it.

And so I love that willingness is what transformed.

I love that.

You know, what’s so interesting is you can figure out how depleted a group is when they come together.

And the the first couple people, tell us a little bit about yourself. And the first couple people say this or that. And by the time when one person finally goes deep and then the rest of the people follow and we’ve never met one another before.

And here we go and we’re crying ,and passing the Kleenex around.

We barely know each other’s names, but you’re desperate for connection.

Yes.

That’s the deal.

We are, we are born with that in us, that we need that human connection, emotional connection. And so, you know, when you find it, it’s awesome. And I never forget that night..

I won’t either.

That was going to be, what was the moment for you?

And I would argue that probably that first night was a large percentage of my moment.

Yeah.

You know, but you walk away going, okay, was that real? Was that enough? Is who’s judging who? You know?

Like all those fears that we have towards one another. And then you come back again and you experience the same thing and again and again. And I think it was probably halfway through and I was like, these ladies are real.

This is where the real friendships are going to form is right here in community with each other. And I think that was the turning point for me of just, I can trust them. They have my back and they’re going to support me no matter what.

I love this.

This is so good.

Man.

So we’ve had a couple of first nights where the first, the very first night there was a group of us. And then as we’ve done different studies, we’ve added different people. And so they had their first night.

And so for us OGs, that very first night, I’m pretty sure almost every one of us was in tears, just sort of telling our very brief story, but there was just so much healing we needed.

And I think watching the Lord grow each one of us, even our friends who’ve just joined us recently, watching the Lord grow each one of us through the community has been really exciting because we are no longer the same people we were on that first night.

And I love that.

Oh, absolutely.

That is so true.

Well, and also, if you remember, there were a lot of people that first night.

Yes.

And just because you go to a group doesn’t mean that that’s going to be your group.

You’ll feel it.

Yes.

And it’s not like a weeding out. Or anything like that. You know, it’s that’s not what it’s about, but you find your fit. And if it’s not your fit, try another one.

But somewhere there is your group. And for us, we got down to a number that was safe and felt, you know, not overwhelming.

And, and it was just perfect.

Love it.

So good.

All right.

I just want to go back to something you said because I think it’s really, it just kind of caught my attention when you said that you, the intention was to start a Bible study where we would learn about Jesus.

But instead, you know, we made these friendships, but honestly, that is how we see Jesus.

Yes.

You know, we see him in one another, and when we can live it out, it’s so good for us. But then it’s good for everybody else too, because they feel the love. And so you were doing what you really wanted to do.

Thank you for pointing that out, Cindy.

I was thinking that same thing.

That’s funny.

And I’m so grateful.

I want to point this out to like my bestie here, Amanda.

She also is on the same journey as me.

So talking about community, it’s been great to have a friend that’s not in my same small group but is also going on a deeper dive with Jesus and is there to hold me accountable and be that voice of reason when I’m not thinking straight or not in my right mind.

I’m so grateful for that friendship to have that.

It’s very special, and it’s hard to find.

I agree.

And I think it’s kind of fascinating because on our journey, our conversations have gotten very different than they were a couple years ago and the accountability looks different and it just feels so much more connected to God’s word than it was to the superficial ties that I think that we were both really stuck in and getting really tired of.

Wow.

That’s amazing.

What a journey.

What a testimony like that you girls have made so much progress, not just in your relationship with each other, but with the Lord and how fun it is to support each other and just for the record, Jess is not actually in our small group, but we wanted her to come talk about community because we know how important it has been by vicariously knowing her through Amanda.

I actually met you through Amanda, but love your daughter and your husband. Your family is just really sweet. And so we’re glad that you were able to join us.

And thanks for coming in because we know how much you mean to Amanda. That means you’re important to us too. 

Grateful.

So grateful.

For me, it was opening up and giving control to Jesus to God and realizing that I’m not in control anyway. And so, you know, why am I spinning my wheels or feeling anxious?

And I’m not in control of who’s entering into my life or leaving my life or any of that.

So I feel that listening to the lessons that he’s shown me that I’ve learned from conversations with you ladies, I feel that I now love myself through the eyes of everyone else and realize that Jesus, God has loved me all along.

And so I can let go of trying to be perfect or control situations. So for me, that’s why I’m no longer heavy.

And I trust. So that’s that’s my story.

I want to say unknown and known.

And I think about that because moving here across, you know, the country and coming into a brand new place, I didn’t know anyone.

No one knew me. And it would be really easy to just kind of drift away and not, not feel connected. I could actually be very happy to live like a little hermit.

Me too.

I’ve been coming into this group. I feel known, I feel seen. And I I think that’s just such a picture of our heavenly Father.

And I think of, I can’t find the verse right now, but I think of Hagar and the wilderness when she felt so alone and forsaken and God saw her and reached down to her.

And there’s such a difference when you feel like you don’t belong or you go unnoticed or you fly under the radar to somebody being able to call you by your name, somebody being able to say hello, to welcome you and have that connection.

And so I think that’s the difference that I see from, from being in community where you just kind of are an unknown coming to being seen and being valued and being known.

That was so well said.

Well, and picking up on what you said, what brought you from the unknown to known was really vulnerability on your part.

And like you said, instead of flying under the radar, making that conscious choice because we all have a choice to get out, go, be with people, you know, when we’ve been with people all day long or whatever, but, you know, it is a discipline too, you know, to listen to God.

And if you feel like you’re being led, go.

Yeah, I so agree with that because you can all wait until all the things line up for you to take an action.

But I would say, don’t wait.

Don’t wait until you feel completely comfortable ready because you’ll never feel comfortable and ready to go. But just go ahead and take the plunge. Step into community.

And sometimes healing begins with simply just showing up. And community doesn’t require perfection.

It requires honesty, like you were saying, vulnerability, willingness, and one small step can change everything.

So I think as far as helping me move from the first word to the second, I think it really honestly was a high level of intention.

I really like the proverbs. It’s Proverbs 27, where it says iron sharpens iron. One person sharpens another. And for me, it was being intentional about who I’m around.

And that’s what really called me to this small group because I wanted that for my community. I wanted to be around women who were focused on Jesus, who I could do life with.

And I felt, I thought it was just kind of incredible because even just after a few sessions of coming here, I was like, I don’t really know these women very well, but these are my people.

And like, if one of them called me and needed something, like I would be there. Like, I don’t know them, but like, it just felt like it just, I don’t know, it was just people to do life with.

I love, I love, love that.

Amanda, I’ve heard you say a couple times that you’ve referred to me as one of your best friends. And I took that as the highest compliment because you said that very early on.

And we didn’t know each other very well. But what I loved about it is you feel so comfortable when you come here, that you feel welcomed and you feel loved, you feel valued, you feel seen, and you know that not only would you do anything for us, but we would definitely do anything for you.

And so I just want you to know how much we have enjoyed you, your conversations, and your depth have brought so much to our conversations. We love that you are here.

You always bring us something interesting to think about. You bring us a perspective that we love to dive into, and we just have value your time with us.

You just like laid it on real thick, because I don’t feel like I have any depth right now on this podcast. And so I feel like you’re setting people, listeners up for disappointment.

Not true.

I just want to piggyback on that because I think that’s the thing that stands out to me about you, Amanda., is your vulnerability. And it’s hard for me as an introvert to step out into a group that I don’t know.

And I was very quiet, very, for many sessions when I came, Kim asked me. She’s like, are you okay? Like, you never speak.

And because it just takes me a long time to warm up. I just, that’s very hard for me. And then you were there and you are so vulnerable and I just admire and just, and that that just drew me to you too. So that’s a beautiful quality.

Thank you.

I think I just, I think I just needed that with this group.

I had really isolated myself and was only really sharing things with like a few people in my life, like my best friend.

And so coming here feeling safe and feeling like I was with like-minded people that would understand my, I guess my faith and like what God was calling me to, because I felt like that was something I couldn’t share with a lot of my world. That it couldn’t, I couldn’t explain decisions that I was making or ways that I was feeling called, because they couldn’t connect on the faith level.

Wow.

Profound.

I think for me, you know, before joining a small group, I always had a relationship with Jesus, but it was definitely more surface level.

You know, I grew up in church. My grandma was a deacon of a church, as well, I was in choir.

So I’ve always been surrounded with it and in and out, but we just really dove deep and actually part of our small group, we would talk about the sermons from each weekend and really dive into them and what they meant to us and you really dissected it to understand it, which before, I don’t know that I really paid as much attention.

And so from going from that superficial word now to feeling accepted, it’s because this group, you can be vulnerable and feel safe and people have your back.

And it’s just a, and I’ve’ve never felt more accepted than I do at this church. And I’ve been to a lot of churches, but it just feels like home, and I’m so grateful, I’m grateful for the small group.

I’m grateful for this group. I mean, we really just met and I felt very welcomed from the beginning. So thank you.

I love that.

That’s so good.

Well, if I can just say, it reminds me of something CJ said once that coming to church for the, you know, 45 minutes on Sunday is really not doing the work that we need to do.

It is in the small groups. It is in the community and talking with other people and having the opinions and bouncing them off and, you know, to what we were saying with Amanda.

There’s been so many times, Amanda, that you have said something that has like so resonated with me.

And I mean, all of the ladies, but I think it just, sometimes we can go to church and we can hear it and CJ’s great, you know, and he delivers a great message or we can read the Bible or what, but just having the human connection and knowing the people and knowing their own stories and where they’re coming from made such a huge difference to me.

I think like a huge part of it was, honestly, Kim, like the way you organize, no, I’m serious.

Like yeah, yes, you.

The way you would organize our group and like you would get everybody’s wheels turning and just the prompts that you would have and the things that you would open up, the conversation that was happening because of your leadership.

Like, I don’t feel very profound at all, but like, I feel like you would make, you would make our brains work and our hearts work in ways that like the, the outside world, like it just wasn’t doing it.

And so it and it felt like a safe place for that to happen. And so I’m like insanely grateful.

Oh, that is the kindest thing. And I appreciate that you said that.

I spent.

No problem, besty.

Yeah, yeah.

I spent the entire time we were looking for this house and building the backyard and doing all the things. I was in such prayer saying, God, what do you want to do with this house? Who do you want to bring to this house?

I actually call this house the decompression house. This is our place to decompress. And I wanted everyone who walked in to be able to decompress.

That’s why it’s very minimal. They’re not very many things to look at. You know, the distractions are little, but it’s also because when you walk in the door, I want you to feel loved and just like, this is your home.

And I think, very funny that you guys were attributing some of the things to me. I literally am attributing all the things to you guys. I think the Lord showed up.

I mean, each one of us, we were all going through something very big and very different. And the Lord showed up for each one of us in such unique and amazing, amazing God ways.

It was so cool to see what he was doing in everyone’s lives. I couldn’t wait for the next week. 

I just thank you for your heart in wanting to do that and to make a safe place for us and what a blessing you have been to us.

And when you sought to bless us, you really, you really have.

Thank you.

So sweet.

Can we just say that Kim feeds us every single week?

She makes…

Physically and spiritually.

Yes, exactly.

I’m talking about, yes.

The actual food consumption right now, but she makes food. If you can bring something that’s great, you don’t have to. She doesn’t want you to have the weight of that to not come because of that.

And because of just all the little extra ways you are, it makes, how can people not feel welcome and safe? Because it’s always okay, the hug when you can walk in the door. 

You’ve got to have a hug.

It’s a good hug.

I think it’s… for me, it was the knowledge. Like, I felt like I would sit there and you would do a lot of background context.

And so I felt like we, I definitely was diving deeper into God’s word than I ever had. Before and I felt like just so drawn to it and then also safe because like you were the one leading it.

And like, I don’t know. I feel like every time I would come, it was just like, oh, this was meant for me. Kim made this just for me.

And to, it’s funny because then I’d like go to church and I’d be like, oh, I already learned that from Kim, you know, like whatever the pastor would say. Like, oh, I know this part of the Bible.

We already, Kim already talked about this. So, but yeah, like your knowledge, like I just like, I just wanted all of it.

And so, I mean, I think there’s so many attributes of things that you’ve done for this group and ways that you’ve led. But that was a big one for me.

Okay, so you’re going to make me cry. We’re going to have to change topics.

Okay.

But just as a note, you know it’s the Holy Spirit and this happened three, maybe four times specifically.

The Lord said, hey, you should talk to them about this. I would teach on that. You know, we did two minute theology a couple of times.

And I would teach on that. And then we would go to church and CJ would teach on it.

And I don’t know CJ all that well. We’ve had a handful of conversations, but you know that’s God. If he’s saying, hey, talk about this, and then you go to church and it comes up again.

That is, that is totally not me. That’s just me being obedient.

Yeah.

And that’s the Holy Spirit doing his work.

So thankful, thankful.

And it was really cool because it’s funny. Not only would you tell me, but Jeannie would tell me, there were several people who’d be like, hey, you just talked about that.

I didn’t know what he was doing talking about this week. You know, we had some cool conversations about cool stuff in the Bible.

Okay.

What has community meant to you?

I think the most basic answer I can give is just who I do life with of like, these are the people in my life and they’re there in the good times. They’re there in the tough times, and then they are the ones praying for you.

Like, I can’t even explain the armor that I feel like I have when things are hard because I know I have a group of people praying for me. So I just think it’s the people that are the ones that bring you joy and the ones that lift you up. And the ones that hold you accountable.

Like, honestly, that’s a huge one for me too.

Yeah.

Wow.

That is so well said. Said it.

Just, you know, a safe place to feel my feelings and express them, but also to get knowledge from trusted sources that I know, I mean, can you, you know, Brenda, Amanda, Cindy, you, you, I haven’t spent a lot of time with you because I’m out of the area, Kim but, not to exclude you, but you, you’re just so knowledgeable.

You know, we’ll be talking about something. And then one of you will throw out a verse or, you know, a part of of the Bible. And again, you know, I’m much newer to this journey, but that for me, I absolutely love it when I hear one of you say something and say, oh, that’s just like this part of the Bible, you know, and you did it.

That Cindy on what I think it was episode one of the podcast, and I had watched Church online because District Church is online, if you ever want to check it out.

It’s amazing.

Shamless plug.

But, and CJ happened to mention, you know, David in this story and you in the podcast, and it was the first podcast that I listened to.

And it was the same. It was almost like the Holy Spirit is guiding things that I don’t know if it’s what we all need to hear at the time or what, what I need to hear or maybe all, you know?

Right.

And I do believe it because when I go back and listen to some of them, I don’t really remember saying particular things. And so I do feel it’s, it’s the Holy Spirit.

And, and really, if you’re hearing it at church and you’re hearing it at your, you know, you’re meeting with your friends and then you’re hearing it on the podcast or whatever, it’s like, he’s telling you to listen up. That’s what I heard.

Listen up.

Okay.

Dive deeper.

Yeah.

I think community for me is having, you know, people who remind me of who I am when life is heavy. 

I know that a lot of times I’m disconnected or I’m hard on myself or I don’t feel worthy and having a group of like-minded people who have a strong and deep relationship with Jesus to remind you that you are a child of God, would you say this about your best friend or you, what would you say to her if she was feeling this way?

And I’m so grateful for that. I’m also grateful that my bestie is also being on this journey with me.

She, a lot of the times brings a different perspective that may not be how I’m feeling in the moment, but it’s pulling me out of that headspace that’s not healthy and not safe and not very Jesus-like.

It probably came from Kim.

Maybe it came from Kim’s Holy Spirit through me.

Well, I’m grateful, Kim. It’s working.

But having those people that when you’re walking through the hard times aren’t just listening to you or just agreeing with you and even if it’s not the right move.

But because they’re on that same journey with Jesus and are more gentle and more loving and want to, you know, live a faith-based life helping you on that journey so you’re not alone.

I’m so grateful for that community because it was very surface level before and it wasn’t this deep.

Yeah.

And I feel like with community, you can be real. You can be who you are. You’re not going to shock us.

You’re not going to to say something that is going to make us reject you. It is really being able to be real to walk through things with one another and be there to support and encourage.

And as you said, Amanda, uplift one another.

It’s interesting that you were talking about healthy, and I didn’t introdroduce it, that this is, we’re still in season one and our season one is all about getting healthy.

And we, Brenda, Cindy and I, for sure believe that community is a huge part of getting healthy. I have those tapes in my mind that say things about me that I’m learning to not believe anymore.

And I have been really, really working hard on that for the past like six years that I now take my thoughts captive, and then I compare them to the word of God and ask, is this true?

Is this who God says I am? Is this what God would say about me? You know, and that has really profoundly changed my headspace because I can say some very, my inner critic is mean.

It is so mean.

I would never say it about any of you. I would never even think it about any of you. But my inner critic is so hard on me. I really have to put her in check on the daily.

On the regular.

So I hear what you’re saying and I love that you are learning from being in community that the things that we have believedved might not actually be true.

And if we can help each other with just that one thing, imagine how our lives could change.

If we could change how we see ourselves and see ourselves more from how God sees us as opposed to how we have decided from whatever voices or whatever thing has put that in our mind, man, our lives would be different.

100%.

Well, I have seen it. I mean, personally, you know, I have seen exactly that happen and my life has completely changed 100% from when I first met you, what, 18 months ago maybe.

So, yes. That’s true.

That’s so good.

So good.

Yeah.

I’m going to say safety. I’m going to say safety because community comes around me when I need help. Community gets me back up when I’m fallen.

Community holds me accountable when I’m going off the rails. 

And also, sometimes when I didn’t even know I needed it, I had a group of women who flew one of my friends up.

They came and stole me early in the morning.

They brought me to someone’s house where they had a full spread of breakfast, and what I didn’t even know is how badly I needed their support and how much the effort that they took to show me they were there for me.

I mean, I’ll never forget that day. Never. It meant so much to me.

Wow, that’s awesome.

That is amazing.

It was incredible.

What is something your friend group or small group does that makes it feel different from just casual relationships?

When I had thought about this, I thought about how different it is to connect around faith than to connect around work, or boys, or like just hair and makeup, and just the things that we are kind of socialized to believe are important.

But not just faith, but walking through a study that’s like pulling things out of you, like that God meant to come out of you alongside other people that you’re getting to know.

It’s so unique. It’s so special and it is completely different than a different type of relationship. And it’s really something to be protected and valued, I found.

I love that.

That’s such a great answer.

I personally learn a lot more from my small group than, I mean, not that I don’t love my friends, guys, you know, I mean, they’re amazing, but I learn not only about God, but about myself, I think, so much more. Because when I’m with friends or hanging out, we’re doing whatever you do with your friends and you’re hanging out.

And I mean, not that you guys aren’t my friends, but it’s, it’s purpose driven. We have a purpose and there’s an outline and Kim keeps us in check going through.

And so, I mean, I don’t get that from just hanging out with my friends or even my family. Some of my family is also, has also begun to go to church.

And so there are…

Yes!

There are actually two of my children started going before me. One of my children had a medical trauma and so with that, my other two kids thought that going to church was helping them.

And I took a note out of their book and did the same thing. But yeah, I mean, just with regular friends, I didn’t feel the comfort. I didn’t feel the complete acceptance that I do from my small group.

So thank you.

Yeah.

I loved that word that you, um, well, just two words that you used, Tanya, the purpose driven, because I couldn’t agree more. Like it is a very purpose-driven time.

And I think for me, what’s different about it is it’s a lot more growth because you’re not just focused on existing with each other. You’re focused on growing together, growing your relationship with God and his word.

And like even just this last series, you know, we were focused on spiritual disciplines. Like, I don’t focus on any disciplines with like, you know, your, your regular sphere.

And so I think that’s where it really is about growing you. But the biggest thing is about growing a relationship with Jesus.

It’s so interesting that you say that because we chose in our small group a word of the year and mine this year was growth. So, yeah, you’re hit the out on the head, Amanda Totally.

I love, you know, the difference between the two.

And I have amazing friends and I am so, so grateful for those friends, but the time is spent very intentional, very much diving deeper into the relationship of Jesus, the Word showing up consistently, constantly praying for each other.

That’s huge.

You know, not everyone has the same belief system. And although most of my friends, luckily, a few of them do, and I will say, I’ll ask for prayers. Please pray for me.

But with this group, we do a prayer circle every week and we pray for the next person in line and what they’re walking through.

And so that consistency of that friendship and community is just so amazing.

That’s really special and super important.

I’m so glad that you have that community with a small group of women.

And I think there are probably a lot of listeners who maybe haven’t joined a small group yet or maybe don’t have that community yet. And so I really think it’s amazing for anyone who’s found that group.

It doesn’t have to be our group. It could be another group, but someone that you’ve really connected with and are learning and growing.

I love that that’s your… Tanya, I love that’s your word for the year.

That’s so cool.

Well, I will say, when you do have that spiritual connection and that yearning and desire to grow, you can go deep, really fast.

I mean, I think, you know, I’m, again, I’m new to this group, to this area, just been here for months, but already, you know, being able to share at a deep level, to being able to feel like you have these deep connections, that just doesn’t happen outside in the regular world.

And so having Christ as the center of our focus and our relationship just forms a bond that is different from any other.

So good.

So that’s why everybody’s on the podcast because you guys are all good at this.

Let’s Pray,

Lord, Heavenly Father, we love you and we praise your holy name. We thank you so much for the creation of community, the creation of friendship.

I thank you for these amazing women that you’ve brought together to be our community.

Lord, I just pray for blessings upon each of them.

I pray for the women on the other side of this microphone that they would find their community, that you would lead them to where they need to be, so that they can find healing so that they can also help others to heal.

Lord, we just praise you. We thank you once again for these amazing women. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks for sitting at the table with us.

We’ll leave you there for now.

May God meet you, not just in the quiet places, but also through the people he places around you this week.

As we close, we pray that you would notice Jesus meeting you in the ordinary moments of your week.

He loves you.

He sees you.

He is fighting for you.

To answer the reflection of the week, go to lifeclaimed.net.

And you can send us an email or voicemail from there.

If you would like to stay with us, subscribing helps you catch each new conversation as it releases.

Until we are together again, may the grace and peace of Jesus go with you. 

S1 E8 Transcript

Welcome to Life Reclaimed, a place for honest conversations about faith, healing, and real life.

We are three friends learning to walk in freedom and trust God through the messy middle.

Pull up a chair.

We’re glad you’re here.

Let’s dive in.

Welcome back to the Life Reclaimed Podcast. We’re so glad you’ve joined us. This is part 2 of Episode 7: Community as Medicine.

We have a big group gathered around the table, and they have great stories to share, along with lots of laughter. Because we’re sharing microphones, you may occasionally hear some microphone bumps or background noise. We apologize in advance for any distractions, but we hope you’ll stick with us because this conversation is worth it.

If you haven’t listened to part 1 yet, feel free to pause this episode and go back and start there first. And now, let’s continue our conversation with Brenda, Cindy, and our friends, Tanya, KC, Amanda, Jess and Mary.

What’s something that has made you laugh, feel seen, or feel supported?

I think that there’s a lot of little moments that could come to mind, but when I think about just feeling seen and supported, I think about listening to the woman in the group answer questions and navigate through life out loud, kind of gives you permission to do it on your own, to like work through the gray area.

And there were a lot of times I’d come in with something weighing on my heart that would kind of, sort itself out as we went through our discussion. So I found that to be just helpful and supportive in its own way.

Also, like, you feel seen, even though it’s not, maybe I didn’t want to talk about it, but someone else did, it’s how I feel like in my heart that, you know, they get it.

I love that.

I was going to say that’s one thing that makes me laugh almost every time is that somebody could be sharing their story or something silly that happened to them or, you know, even from, I went to bed with the dishes in the sink and I got up with dishes in the sink.

Anybody can relate, or the socks are on the floor again.

Like all the little things that we deal with as women through the day, I’m like, oh my gosh, we can laugh at that because we’re not alone.

Right.

Like you feel understood in that moment when you, you’re sharing those things and you can laugh about them.

Now we can laugh about them.

Yeah.

Right.

I think I could think of a million different times that I’ve laughed or felt supported, but I think like what immediately just came to mind about feeling supported is just Cynthia, like without knowing you for very long and then running into such a difficult time with my family and you you were just right there guiding us through it, helped me transition my child to a new school and get her acclimated, took your time with us, and it just made me feel so safe in that time when my life was chaos.

Like it was a really scary moment for myself and my husband with our daughter and getting her set up in this new school to have her do homeschool instead and just you by our side.

Like I I felt like God put me in this group and put me with you because of like that that was something like I just felt like it was sorry. I don’t have the right words. That was such a God thing that like, because I found out, I think the first, so not our first night that we we met, but our first night that we did groups, you were the person I sat across from who it was like, okay, like go ahead and ask each other questions.

It was almost like icebreakers.

And like, we were, no, no, it was great.

But like one of the things that she was saying is like, you know, what, what she does for a living.

And I was like, oh, okay, great. You know, like, she works with a charter school. And I was like, okay, great. And then later on, finding out of like, oh my gosh, I need your help. And you were right. There.

God knew.

Yeah, you know, he when it does.

Yeah.

It’s been a privilege to work with your family too.

I mean, and that’s what’s so great about community is it does end up extending into your family and and, you know, just supporting one another in different things, like helping one another get a job or, you know, I know, I happen to know somebody that, you know, could help you or whatever it is.

So it was a God thing for sure.

Yeah.

That’s such a great story.

I love that.

Well, you don’t have to give complete details here, but did anything about stepping into this kind of close community feel hard at first?

Oh, yeah, definitely.

I mean, I’m a people person. I feel like I’m an introvert that’s learned how to be an extrovert in my job. So I’m used to kind of, you know, talking to people and making them feel beautiful.

But when it’s something that’s out of my comfort zone and I’m walking into this room of women, I have no idea what they are like. It’s scary.

Yeah.

So I, I was, I was scared. But I was immediately welcomed and all that fear that I had just went right away. And it’s been great. So highly, highly encouraged.

If you’re not already in a small group, just take the first step because it can be so healing for you and just a wonderful experience.

I think for me, one of the things that I was really fearful of is honestly the commitment level. And that was probably one of the excuses I used for a long time was like, oh, you know, I usually, I usually work late or like, will I have the time for this?

And the reality is, is it’s all about being intentional and it’s about making the time for it.

And once I really got started, it’s so interesting because I feel like there’s a lot of things that I will be like, oh, you know, I’m probably not going to do that anymore or I will step away from.

And, you know, because I like the comfort of being at home. But I would look forward to this every single week. And I didn’t ever feel myself like not wanting to go. It filled me like being there, being around you guys, what we would learn.

And it’s like every time I would go, I’d be like, yep, I was supposed to be here.

I have to say I’m not able to physically be here, but I am so thankful you guys are doing this podcast because I have Kim, Brenda, and Cindy, with me weekly and it just warms my heart.

They’re in the car with me. They were in the shower with me today. Sorry, guys, but it just seriously, it just has such a feeling that comes over you when, when you just know the people and you feel just so accepted and safe.

And yeah, I don’t have the words to really describe it other than that. Accepted and safe.

Love it.

And I’m glad to hear you guys every week. Love it.

I think for me, it felt vulnerable and risky because it’s just a group of new people. It’s just intimidating, I think, especially if maybe you have never been a part of a church before in an intimate sense. Like maybe you’ve gone to church in some capacity, but you’ve never been in a life group, or a small group before.

It’s vulnerable because you know that it’s going to be a little more real and a little more personal than just sitting in church and listening on Sunday, which is also important, but it just feels, it feels very vulnerable.

I think there’s a difference between sitting in a sermon and receiving and then being in a small group where you are participating. And I think that transition is really, really different. And that vulnerability, you have a couple of options, right?

You could not be vulnerable and kind of keep your distance and not really be truthful and go through the motions.

Totally, I can name a bunch of people who probably that’s how we do it and probably I’ve even been that person several times, you know, but I, I feel like for me, if I’m going to do the work, I want to do the work, right? I want to be as honest, and as open as I can be so that the Lord can heal the things in me that need to be healed.

So the fact that you jumped in and decided to participate, amazing.

So good.

When you were saying that, Kim, it made me think about like the difference between being in church and receiving and then coming and giving, it’s, I think the willingness to be seen. I think that is what is frightening to most people about community. It’s like, how willing are you to be seen?

It’s hard.

Well, I think the other fear in that is how willing am I to share?

Because I’m afraid of what people are going to say?

Or be judged.

Are they real?

Is this faith authentic that they’re showing?

Are they going to use it against me later?

Exactly.

And we’ve been blessed to be in our community that we don’t because we’ve figured out we’re all at the same place.

We’re all sinners. We’ve all sinned. We’ve all repented. We’re all pursuing God and our salvation and recognizing that it’s love that matters most.

Yeah, so good.

What I’m hearing is that this kind of connection doesn’t just happen. It’s built through consistency, trust, and showing up. Why do you think community heals?

I think we touched a little bit about recognizing we all are in the same boat, that we all need each other, that we all have a story, that we all have something we struggle with.

And I think the community can come together to support and encourage and grow your faith all at the same time, especially if you’re a community praying together, seeking God together, holding you accountable, you know, all of those pieces.

I think community can heal more than you know.

I just want to add that I think community heals because you’re held in your experiences.

That’s a good word.

It’s so healing.

Yeah.

I think part of it, too, is when, when you find yourself isolated and pulling away from community, that’s the time and the place where you feel the most stuck.

And I think when you are seeking freedom, it’s in the community, when you have that confessional moment and they can in agreement with the Lord, you know, allow forgiveness and help restoration process and, you know, get you the help and support or whatever you need during that time.

I feel like that is actually love, right? That’s Christ’s love in human form as opposed to isolation.

And that’s community through that is reminding you’re valuable and loved.

Yeah, yeah.

It’s good love.

I agree.

I don’t know.

Yeah, I love the way you said that, Kim. That makes so much sense.

Well, I think you’re not meant to carry the hard times in life alone.

And I think just, you know, isolation can be very damaging and you think you can handle something on your own, but then when you’re able to be in this type of community, you have those who are there to uplift you and surround you with faith and love.

And it’s so important.

And laughter. Laughter is healing. And when you’re with the community and the fellowship of others, it just brings a joy. And I think that’s like medicine to the soul.

I think that community heals because God uses people.

God works through the communities.

And I think the Bible is just story after story of how God uses people.

And so the things that you’re needing help with, the things that you’re needing healing with, he’s going to meet you there with community.

Wow.

There goes, Amanda, giving us her profound thoughts again. 

And messing up the microphone.

I think, for me, the part of healing, there’s so many different things, if you’ve experienced any kind, well, we all have any kind of trauma.

We all have. I mean, life is hard. If you have a place where the relationships are deeper and you’re able to really confide in people, you feel safe there.

That is definitely healing.

Sometimes you need to confess.

Confession is healing.

And just having others pray over you, Definitely healing.

So, again, I mean, we’ve said it over and over.

It’s just a different level than, you know, just your friends that you have at work or wherever, when you come into a community like this, definitely more opportunity, I think, for healing.

That makes me think of the verse where two or three are gathered. There he is in our midst. And so really gathering in community just releases his power in such a mighty way.

Say it.

Mic drop.

Mic drop, KC.

Well, we’ve touched on it a little bit. Let’s expand.

Why does community bring joy?

Joy is different, too, than happiness.

You can be going through a difficult time and you might not feel real happy, but there’s something when you are with your close friends, your community, those who know what you’re going through that can bring you a peacefulness and a joy that they’re security in that and that you’re going to be okay.

For sure.

I love that reminder.

You’re going to be okay. It’s going to happen. It’s actually in a song, like a current song. And I every time I get to that line in the song, I’m like, oh, okay, you’re going to be okay.

You’re going through this.

You’re going to be okay.

Yeah, exactly.

I think, I think community allows us to celebrate the little things and the big things. And I think that helps perpetuate the joy.

For instance, if we’re going through something and somebody sees the like, hey, look, you’ve made progress. You know, we can celebrate those little wins, or even the big wins, the births and the, you know, all the fun things that we get to celebrate.

And I think that just brings in a little more joy than staying alone on your birthday.

True.

Absolutely.

Yes.

Or having your group forget your birthday.

I forgive you.

I think, too, I always anticipate the joy when I come to the group.

Oh, that’s so good.

I like that.

Even no matter what messy is going on in anybody’s life, I feel like when we walk through that door, we instantly know that we’re loved and that there’s such an anticipation for it.

And I haven’t been let down yet.

Right.

God is good.

It’s like being at a sporting event. Go, Jesus.

Why does being in community change how we carry life?

We’re not carrying it alone.

Right.

That’s the big difference.

Right.

Yeah.

The season may still be hard.

When I walk in and when I walk out, but knowing that my burden has been shared, knowing that my burden has been prayed for, and knowing that sometime during the week, someone’s going to text me and be like, how you doing?

You okay?

You know, yeah.

Life is heavy.

I And I think when you isolate yourself, it’s heavier.

Yeah.

And when you have community, there’s like a weight that’s lifted, knowing that I know I keep saying it, but knowing that you’re just not alone in it.

So you’re saying we weren’t meant to do life alone?

No No.

And for some of us, that takes a long time to figure out because when we experience things, it’s our flesh that says, I don’t need anybody. I can do it on my own.

Some of us were told that. Be independent. Be strong.

You don’t need anybody else.

I agree with that.

And I think that being self-sufficient is something that we’re sold. An idea that we’re told that is a lie because you do need to be self-sufficient for to be an adult human.

But there’s so much more that we need other people for. There’s so many studies on this. And it’s just not, it’s not enough.

Just being by yourself and having everything you want, it’s still not enough. You still, at the end of the day, what you always hear people going back and saying is that they want someone with them to share it.

And it’s just community changes everything because it’s like the color in life brings home.

I love that. That’s good.

I love that.

I think that has a massive impact on how we carry life.

And I think that’s where it matters who your community is with.

I know that when I was, you know, in a community where like just what you described as like superficial, everything just feels heavier and it doesn’t feel right and it’s easy to get lost really quickly.

Whereas being in a community, like like our small group, man, it just feels like safer in the sense of like, if things are heavy, like I have people that have my back that are praying for me, that if I needed to, would listen to me, would cry with me, would hold me accountable, would, you know, speak truth into me?

And that it just changes how you, how you move through life. And so I think it has an impact.

And so being intentional about the community that you’re around, it matters.

And we don’t have to do life by ourselves. We are there to support and to carry one another. And it makes me think of the story of the paraplegic who wanted to go to Jesus for healing, but he couldn’t get there.

And his friends actually picked up his mat and took him to Jesus. And I think that’s community. They’re carrying, they’re lifting us.

They’re taking us to Jesus.

We don’t have to carry this big thing of life all by ourselves. We have others who walk with us and help us.

It’s a great example.

Mm-hmm.

That was so good.

So many mic drops.

I know.

What I love about that story, I just want to jump in. So the people, the friends that are carrying this paraplegic and they cut the hole in the roof and they lower this person down to Jesus.

What I think Jesus is honoring in that moment is their faith.

Yeah.

Right? It’s the faith of the friends who were like, we’ve got to get this person to Jesus. We have got to get this person healed.

And when I think of how Jesus not only looked and felt for the paraplegic, but knowing that someone on top of that roof has the faith that if we just get this person in front to the feet of Jesus, their life is going to change forever.

Yeah, and I love that idea that, you know, we just can’t do it.

Sometimes.

We don’t even see it. We don’t have the energy. We don’t even have the words to pray sometimes. And others who come along beside us and who lift us up and they do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. And they’re interceding for us on behalf of our needs to our heavenly Father.

And I love that.

I love that.

So good.

If I said joy in community is not constant happiness or perfect relationships, but it is being known, being supported in hard moments, laughing again after hard seasons or not carrying everything alone, like we’ve talked about, what would you say, is there anything missing from this list of what joy is or joy in community is?

I was going to say, I think part of it is just being able to be yourself…

Yes

…is part of that joy in community. You don’t have to put up shields. You don’t have to put up walls.

You can just be, I just think of the moments we’ve laughed when we’ve just been silly or said a joke or, you know, it doesn’t all have to be around those heavy moments before or after in the middle.

It’s just being present.

Love that, I think, is joy in community.

Well, I mean, it depends on what community we’re talking about. I think if we’re talking about the community that like that we have here, I would like to add safety to that list because that for me was the huge one.

It’s really hard for me to open up and let people in and accept help. And so I would add if we’re talking about our community that we have safety.

So why does sharing life with others change how we experience both the hard and the good things?

I’ll give you an interesting example.

I was, again, when my older two were little, we were going through a hard time. I had a group of people from my school that I worked at. I worked at a Christian school. They asked what my kids were going to get for Christmas just in a regular conversation.

And I said, oh, I don’t, I don’t have money for presents this year. We’ve had a really rough year and, you know, so a couple days later, I got a knock on the door. I opened the door and on a white sheet was a gigantic pile of toys and things for my boys, they brought it all in. They set it by a tree that they brought in and then they left and I literally was like, man, 

Wow.

Like, that’s community when they show up when we just in passing mention something and then they’re going to be proactive enough to do something about it. I thought, wow, you don’t, I don’t know. You know, you don’t go through life alone when you’ve got people like that in your corner.

And that really helped us carry, you know, that Christmas. They had presents to open.

I think for me, you know, being able to share with you all that I had purchased a house and you knew, you know, going that I went through a lot, trying to get it and just the stress and everything.

But when I finally had it and, you know, I just mentioned, maybe we could have the Bible study at my house. Everybody was up for it and it was, you know, let’s have a housewarming party.

And just, it was just wonderful. It’s what I always wanted. And so I felt just completely celebrated and loved in that.

That was a good party.

That was one of our good nights.

It was.

That’s that they weren’t all good.

With all this extra special.

It was extra special.

I think what was extra special about it was when we started from that day to where the Lord had brought you, that journey, we got to walk with you through that journey.

So I think why we were so excited to celebrate with you is because we felt like we had gone on the journey with you, though we know you were the one traveling.

We got to go along in the car for the ride. And so it was really special for all of us to get to celebrate that with you.

Yeah, I agree.

I think that without all the details, I, when I first came into this group, I was healing from a concussion. I was actually a full, almost a full calendar year’re out from it.

But if you’ve ever had an injury that has lasted beyond a normal healing time frame, there comes a point where you have to make a decision of are you going to wait until you’re totally healed to go back to normal life or are you going to just do it?

And so what I came, I wasn’t expected that to make me emotional, but I, it took me about six months to actually tell everyone what I was going through.

But I, you know, I was navigating something with my health that I never navigated before. And I think choosing to just be, to be seen and to be honest with myself and the people that I was around was so important and powerful because if you wait until everything’s perfect, then you’re never really going to have community.

And if it’s not a concussion, then it’s going to be something else. I mean, life just continues to happen.

And so I think just being able to be totally open about something I was wasn’t really sharing with anyone because it had been so difficult for me to navigate even by myself. I think it just made me feel so safe, seen.

And it helped me move through it and just accept that there was an accident and something bad had happened, but I could still keep moving forward. So I think sometimes we want to wait to build a community when everything’s good.

And I think the cool thing about this group or a small group or a church group is that you find yourself doing it kind of no matter what, maybe the money you really need the most is when nothing’s perfect at all.

Yeah.

I think if we wait for it to be perfect, you’re going to be waiting the rest of your life because nothing is going to be perfect.

Well,, there’s always a little bit of messy. It’s not the right time. It’s not the right timing. It’s not the right season. I’ve got all these obligations. I’ve got this.

There are lots of things that keep people from getting plugged into communities.

But I just want you to know it was such a joy that you allowed us to help walk with you and carry that burden with you. And what an honor it it has been to pray for you as you’re healing.

And we are so thankful that you did open up and talk to us about it and allow us to add you to our list of, you know, prayers so that when you’ve got more than one person praying, right, knowing that you’ve got this group behind you who are lifting you up is really, really important.

So thank you for your vulnerability.

Yeah.

It makes a huge, it makes a huge difference. It’s so worth the the discomfort, you know?

It’s uncomfortable because it’s hard to be open.

Yes.

I think if, yeah, anyone who’s not had room to be open in a lot of spaces in their life, they maybe know what I’m talking about, but I appreciate that.

If the right people will be safe.

So it’s worth it.

It’s always worth it.

For sure.

I love that.

That’s cool.

Look at us.

Yeah, the celebrations.

Like we’ve had babies being born in this group.

We’ve had houses being bought.

We’ve had job jobs.

I mean, it’s, you know, I mean, graduations and just, we’ve had so many celebrations and it’s, those are the best because it’s joy, and laughter and, and love.

Well, I think the joy part is, it’s interesting because you, you can be in communities and people don’t share in your joy. And that’s a tough tough one of I found myself with people when it’s like when you were having wins that I would actually see them pull away.

And that was really tough.

And so I think that being in a community of when they are going to celebrate, you know, whether it’s job promotions or a saved marriage or, you know, like, yeah, amen.

Like, you know, I want people in my community that are going to find the joy in that with me rather than a community that is going to pull away.

There are unfortunately some communities where you might find others kind of clinging to you when you’re going through a hard time and not so much when you’re in a joyful time.

And that is, that’s pretty tough. Thankfully, we’re able a lot of times, to have that shown to us so we know the community not to stay involved in.

Yeah, but when you’re in it, it’s, it’s hard to discern that.

It’s harder to discern that.

It’s hard to pick up on that.

So I think one of the things that’s been amazing about this community is how much we’ve celebrate each other, um, how we celebrate, you know, you know, closing escrow or we celebrate, you know, uh, grandbabies house.

Yeah, housewarming, you know, graduations and, and just all the things, all the beautiful ways that like God is blessing our lives and working with our lives to have a community that’s like, yes, I want that for you because he wants good things for us.

So we should want good things for us?

I think part of it is the answers to our prayers.

Yes.

And I think we prayed for that house. We prayed for those children. We prayed for that job. We prayed for that husband to come and join you. We prayed for those things to happen.

And then when we see the Lord work, it’s like watching the miracle, right?

So then we get to celebrate and be in the joy with you, not because we did anything, but we we’re so grateful for what the Lord has done in each other’s lives.

And I think that’s why we’re not jealous for each other because we’re so thankful, right? We’re so glad that the Lord is moving in that marriage, that the Lord is healing that sick child, that the Lord has come into that family and brought unity.

Like, we are so grateful when we see the Lord move.

It’s, I think it’s a different perspective.

Absolutely.

Well, I mean, isn’t, isn’t jealousy and bringing someone down? I mean, that’s ego and that’s, you know, that’s the, that devil in your ear, you know, having you think that way and act that way.

I mean, we should always lift everyone up with, with everything they’re doing. If we all just rallied around and lifted people in need. I mean, that’s what Jesus wants us to do, right?

I mean, that’s the whole point.

For me, I didn’t really think that, and I’m sorry if it came out this way, I didn’t really think it was jealousy.

It was more brokenness of that.

And we all have that.

And like, I know that I’ve walked through seasons where it was really hard for me to celebrate people, not because I didn’t want good things for them, but because I was also just not in a great place and I was not following Jesus and I was struggling with things .

And so it was really hard to cheer people on when I honestly am not focused on much gratitude in my life.

And so, but I attribute it more to brokenness than jealousy.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

And I can resonate with that one a lot because I went through a very difficult, broken season where a lot of good things were happening for people around me. And I was genuinely happy for them.

I just was not able to be present for the celebration. 

Actually, before we move on, I just want to say, either through jealousy or through the brokenness, that’s unhealth.

Yeah.

Right?

And so if we are seeing the unhealth in ourselves or in others around us, that’s more work on our knees, ladies.

We’ve got to get down there. We’ve got to pray for the healthiness to come. But also, it’s a sign that we’re now actually starting to recognize it.

We can now see the healthy versus the unhealthy, which before we might not have even have noticed it.

Right.

But now that we’re starting to work on becoming more healthy, it’s going to show up more.

You’re going to be able to identify, ooh, this is healthy behavior.

Oh, this is unhealthy behavior.

And the root of it could be anything number of things. Satan messes with us in all kinds of ways from the, you know, jealousy, to the brokenness, to the I’m not worthy to the, I mean, pick a thing. He’s, he’s going to work on it, right?

But the idea that we’re now starting to really look for that healthy relationship that celebrates the wins with us, that to me, is showing growth, even just in ourselves.

Without all the details, can you tell us about a time you’ll never forget when community really came through for you or carried you through a messy season or celebrated something amazing with you?

Last year, I went through a very difficult season in my work life. I felt betrayed by a longtime colleague, and I’ve just felt discarded in a very, very public facing way. I felt like a door was just shut on me and I couldn’t see a way out.

And my community really supported me and encouraged me.

They reminded me about God’s truth, about who I am in him when I couldn’t see it for myself. And they stood by me in a dark season. And now that I’m in the light again, I feel like I’ve been actually through a season of healing.

They are rejoicing with me, and I’m just so thankful because I wouldn’t have made it through without my community that started with me where I was before and then coming here to this community.

So thank you.

I mean, immediately what comes to mind is Jess.

I went through probably the hardest year of my life last year. And this has actually been on my heart recently because Jess is talking about moving.

I was wondering.

I know.

I was wondering when we were going to get to this conversation.

Jess is talking about moving out of state and I will always want her to go where she feels called, but immediately like what comes to me is like, who is going to pick me up off the ground when everything goes not well? Because like during that season, I was, I mean, I just, it just reminds me of a time when I was literally on the ground in my closet sobbing and my best friend shows up and picks me up off the ground.

And I’m just thinking, who in the world is going to pick me up off of the closet floor?

And it’s funny because like when I recently had that thought immediately, I was just like, Jesus, like, it’s going to have to be God.

And like, although I physically want her there with me, like when it comes down to it, like that’s who we should be relying on. But man, there is such strength and community and having her there for me during that messy time, I could not have gone through it without her.

Couldn’t.

Did we bring tissues?

I love you, friend.

It’s funny that Amanda says that because in my mind, and I kind of touched on this a little bit, but I went through probably one of the hardest seasons, about two to three years ago with my husband’s accident.

It changed a lot of things, the dynamic in our household, the dynamic in our marriage.

And no matter what, my best friend was there to always be saying that she was there for me, for our marriage, unlike what the worldly views and how others live through what normally people would say, throw in the towel, be done, but she’s always been for me, for my marriage.

And even if I move, I may not physically be able to pick her up off the ground, but she is still one of the three people that I communicate with on the daily and I don’t talk to many people on the phone.

It’s my mom, and Mandy, and my husband and that’s about it and that will never change. She is definitely my rock and she’s my rock on this journey with Jesus.

And I’m so grateful, so grateful.

I love you, friend.

I love you, too.

So I’m just curious, is there a reason that somebody might be in a good community and thinking about leaving it, you said that you might be thinking about moving?

Can you talk to us a little bit about that?

Yes, I mean, I was just telling my girlfriend here a minute ago, like, it’s so interesting.

I had a very aha moment the other day because in church, our pastor has been talking about you have to let the old version of yourself die before you can have the new version of you.

And that has been so strange for me because a lot of my identity has been in my job. And that’s all I know how to do. And who am I if I don’t have that identity? And so moving to a new community is incredibly scary for me.

Everything is here.

My family’s here, and my friends are here, and my business is here, everything that I’ve had for the last 20 plus years. And so a friend brought this up to me. She’s also a life coach.

It was so interesting because she word for word said what our pastor said with letting the old version of yourself die before entering the new one.

And so with this move, we’ve been talking about what that chapter looks like for me. And, you know, I might not know what that chapter could bring me, what joy it could bring me, what new experiences it could bring me if I don’t leave this chapter.

So it’s just another chapter in my journey.

And having, I’ve been so blessed with the most amazing community, I could not have a better community than the one I have now, but I just got to pray that God is going to lead me on this new chapter, if it’s for me, if it’s for our family, that it will happen just the way it is supposed to and that he will bless us again with a phenomenal community.

That’s amazing.

I love that you’re trusting God in that journey and that you’re being open to the idea.

I know for me, sometimes when my husband tells me, we’re trying this thing, I’m like, uh, it’s not a good idea.

But knowing that the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, the Lord has every resource. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and he has the ability to not only replenish what is lost, but even give something even more incredible and amazing when you’re willing to follow his lead and where he takes you.

And so while we don’t want you to leave our group or leave, you know, the area, that’s just a selfish want, but we really love that you’re leaning into letting the Lord lead your family.

I’m trying. Definitely trying.

It’s been a journey, and I’m just so blessed for what I’ve had along the way, but I’m excited to see where the new chapter can take me to.

I love that.

I think that it’s interesting because you guys have been there for one another through a lot together. And in my experience, I do have really special, dear friends who have walked with me through some horrific times.

But what I do see too, is God brings people into my life that might have just been an acquaintance or, you know, somebody from work or whatever. And that person in that moment is the person that is supposed to be in my life.

I had a friend come into my life and she saw what was happening in my life and she’s the one that kind of called me out on it and said, you know what?

This is function.

This isn’t okay, what you’re living in. And had I not, you know, met her and she had gone through something very similar and so her life experience really helped me in that.

And it’s, and I love her. I love it whenever I can see her, but I don’t get to see her as much now.

She’s kind of moved out. And now I have other friends moving in and filling that void.

And so God is so good to bring just the right people at just the right time when we need them.

And, and I and I say this very respectfully and carefully, but I do believe if you just, you know, if you do end up moving, of course you’re going to talk to one another. You’re going to call, but God is also going to enrich your lives with new people that are going to really fill that void because that’s what he does.

He does.

Absolutely. And I I trust that fully.

And, and like, even when I like think about that, that is something that just like immediately comes to my mind of like, okay, I’m going to , like, just won’t be here.

What are you going to rely on?

Well, ultimately, I need to rely on God and I need to trust that he will strengthen relationships that are, are there, that maybe I’m not, I’m not looking at right now or he will put new community in my life that I might that I might need.

So I know that definitely looking at it like as an opportunity, but I I think the biggest thing is just stressing God’s plan.

And if God’s plan calls Jess to another place, then I will be okay, but it will be, it’ll be, it’s not the same. You don’t experience life with someone out of state to the level that we do. Like, you know, her, her kid, my kid, like the way we just know each other, our husbands know each other, like family vacations, like dinners.

I mean, when we were, we used to live down the street from each other. At one point, we lived together. And so it’s like.

And so it’s like you, you experience life to a deeper level versus I feel like the out of state sometimes can feel like you’re catching one another up on life versus like having all those experiences.

And so it’s, it’s going to be, it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be a loss, but I trust God and he knows what he’s doing.

I’d like to introduce you to this new technology. It’s called FaceTime.

It’s not the same as a boat day, Kim.

I’m totally.

FaceTime won’t give you leftovers, Jess.

Shut all these leftovers in our house.

I need dinner, so I love it.

Well, back to Cindy’s point, you know, that that God brings in the people you need when you you need them, maybe to show you something.

And in what is that, you know, reason or season?

Yeah.

And so I personally felt that same way. I had met someone and they brought me to church a few times. And through that relationship, you know, is where I found my relationship with Jesus and the church and just went off on my own way.

And that person is really no longer a pivotal person in my life. You know, I mean, we still are, you know, nothing bad happened or we’re not, you know, but we don’t talk all the time anymore.

And I really feel it was the reason to show me this so that I could trust and have the faith after everything that was going on in my life.

And I couldn’t, I couldn’t have done it without God.

And, you know, he did show me that.

So I’m always thankful.

Love that.

One of my favorite verses is in Philippians and it says, and my God will meet all of my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

And I just love that because he’ll meet them all.

He’ll meet our our spiritual needs. He’ll meet our financial needs. He’ll make, he’ll meet our relationship needs. I mean, and he’s according to his glorious riches.

So he’s not at a loss for how to do it. And when he does it, he exceeds our expectations.

And so it’s a promise.

Are we dropping the mic again?

If someone is listening and wants this kind of community that we’ve built here, what advice would you give them about how to find this type of community?

Just do it.

Well, so for us, I know how I found it and was suggested to find it is the  YouVersion Bible app.

We talk about the YouVersion Bible all the time.

The YouVersion Bible app is a great place for resources.

Also, your church website, that’s where the small groups are listed.

And just do it.

Just find a small group and have the courage to go and know that everybody there was just as nervous as you when they first went, but the relationships that you form and build and nurture and grow through through doing it are just absolutely priceless.

Yeah, and I’ll say moving to a new area, it seemed a little daunting to me to just walk into a big church where I didn’t know anybody and automatically feel like a part of the community.

And I came from a really close-knit church.

So I was watching that online and, but I knew I needed that inner, that person-to-person communication and connectiveness.

And so that’s what I did. I went and looked for churches online and saw what small groups they had. I thought, I can start small first and then build from there.

And that’s exactly what I did. And that’s what brought me to District, but starting here with a small group first.

And I looked through them all and I wanted a close-knit group of women who would encourage and I could feel community with.

And so I’m so thankful.

I would say start by praying about it. I prayed about it. And God is just so good.

And I just thought it was really funny because I wanted to be in a group and I just started scrolling through the ones at the church and I had bought my daughter this book.

I knew she needed to read this book. She wasn’t so interested, turns out. And so as I’m scrolling, I see Kim is going to be leading us in this book and God just, I mean, that God spoke to me.

You know, I’ve been praying about it and God said, that’s your group.

So, yeah.

I do love that too.

I was so new that I don’t, I didn’t know how to pray before I came to this group. And as you know, Kim’s popcorn, prayers, which is where someone will start and then we go on and at first for the longest time we wouldn’t there, well, I say we. There was a few of us that would not say anything. And then I think it might have been Brenda that was like, okay, everyone’s going to say something now.

And Kim’s like, okay, we’re going to say it. And so I didn’t know how to pray before.

And really, you don’t know how to know how to pray, but when you don’t know, you don’t know. So just hearing everyone else pray or pray over me or our group prayers, that was, that was amazing for me.

For me, I felt, I felt called to start finding a new community, but I knew like at first I wasn’t ready. And so I really kind of prayed about it and listened to God. And I let it be okay when I wasn’t ready.

And then once I did, it was funny because I had a conversation with Jess and Jess had said like, oh, I’m, I’m going to this one and you should come.

Like these girls, like this is, I forget the exact term that you use, but basically like, oh, these are, these are your people.

And I said, no, I already signed up for this one and I’m just going to trust God that he put me with the right community and I’m just going to go with it.

And I mean, thankfully, it absolutely was.

But one of the things I want to speak to is like, I think being okay that if you try one and it’s not the right fit, feeling okay to try a new one.

And I think it’s kind of something that Kim and I had talked about because, you know, there was, there were a few people that, you know, would stay, some people that left.

And I know that’s probably hard as a leader, but like not every group is going to feel like the right fit. And so I think trusting that like, just because the first one doesn’t work out, like don’t, don’t quit, like maybe that’s not the right one for you and seek more.

We were just talking about that earlier.

Yeah.

I had joined three groups and this is the only one I stayed with. One just wasn’t a great fit for me. Lovely, amazing people, just not a fit. And the other one just didn’t fit with my time schedule.

Right.

But yeah, we were just talking about that same thing before.

So definitely keep trying. You’ll find one that you’re meant to be in.

Well, I feel, I feel blessed that like the first one, like it was like, oh my God, God set this up for me.

But I guess I just wanted to share that because my fear is that someone listening could, you know, try one and then it doesn’t feel right or it doesn’t feel safe or it’s not where they’re feeling lead.

And then they maybe don’t try something else.

And like, I just don’t think that’s what he wants for you.

Agreed.

I have a couple of groups that I back in the Bay Area before I came up here.I was in a group. I was trying to get connected. I was feeling really lonely.And at our church that, you know, I was attending at the time, I joined a group, not my people.

Lovely people.

Even somebody I had known like 20 years before was in that group. Like, so like, I loved them, but they were not talking about things at a deep level for me. I needed deep and I was in that place where I really needed a place where I could talk through deep things.

And so it might not even be the people.

Right.

It could be the topic or it could be the level of depth that that group is going, maybe too deep, maybe not deep enough. So there’s a lot of variables as to why a particular group may not be the right fit for you, but for sure, 100% find your people do it.

Keep going till you find your people.

I was going to say, actually, my aesthetician gave me this advice. She’s fantastic and a believer. But when I told her about navigating my faith journey being relatively new believer, she told me to go where the grass is green and reference Psalms 23:2.

He makes me lie down in green pastures and gave me this picture of, yes, we want to find community, but when you’re looking for godly community , go where the grass is green and the sheep are taken care of and the shepherd is looking out for them and nourishing them.

And I felt like that was so helpful because I’ve often gone where the vibes were good or where I felt, can I I just kind of went off my feelings. I didn’t have a very good structure for that, to be quite honest, a little bit immature, I know, but No, I just didn’t know what to look for.

And that was so helpful because it’s really what this podcast is all about is to be in healthy community, you have to be around people who want to be healthy.

And so you should go where the grass is green.

I love that advice.

That’s so good.

That is definitely advice from the Holy Spirit.

It’s brilliant.

What’s one small step that someone who is looking for that kind of community could take this week?

I think just even looking to see what’s available to you. So if you’re connected to a church, just look and see if there’s an event or a group and just know what your options are. But if you’re not in a church, just look on Google Maps, look at the churches around you.

Look at the about page, look at their pastor. What is, you know, what is he like? Is that someone you could learn from?

Just look, look and see.

I love that.

And when you step out to experience one and you don’t care for it, if it doesn’t fit for you, the vibe wasn’t right or you’re in your heart, you’re like, ooh, that was not what I expected.

Don’t give up. Try another one.

Yes.

Right.

I’ve been to 20 plus different types of churches.

It can take a while before you finally find the one that God wants you at and who’s going to fill you.

We had a season, and I call it, it was our wandering in the desert season. We had a season of four years where we were not able to really put down roots in a church. And so we just attended a bunch of different churches trying to sort of see if this was the place for us.

And when we moved up here, it didn’t take us that long. So it was definitely a different experience.

I think because of the wandering that we had done, we kind of knew what we were looking for this time around, what type of community we were looking for, what type of pastor we were looking for.

And so I think praying first, listening to Holy Spirit, and then making a choice, taking a risk, evaluating.

I don’t usually evaluate, and this was why we wandered. I don’t usually evaluate on the first time I go. It might have been a guest speaker, you know, like to an actual, like if I’m trying to find a new church.

So we go to it for about a month so that we can get like a flavor of the church for about a month so that we can see if this is maybe a good place to get plugged in.

But I have to say is, a lot of our people who joined our community at the time weren’t actually going to our church.

So they found the website, found our group, but weren’t necessarily even part of our church.

So if you’re not even in a church, find a group that is, you know, interesting to you or is studying a book that’s a topic you’re interested in or, you know, I don’t know, find, take a step, look at it, do some research, find something in your area.

I didn’t know that actually.

You did.

That’s cool.

Yeah.

It’s super cool.

It’s a good step in.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Start by praying about it.

Yeah.

Be open to it.

Yeah, I think that was my first thought was prayer.

And maybe even thinking of like, who are you feeling called to pray for right now?

What is the reason for that?

And so I don’t know.

But definitely praying as far as like what community you’re feeling drawn to.

Is it the right one?

Is it for you?

Where are you feeling led?

And if that is not something that you’re comfortable with doing it or you’re not even at that level yet, just take a chance and look into them and until you, you feel more confident or you have more knowledge about praying or where to go.

I don’t know if you guys feel the Holyy Spirit nudge sometimes.

Yeah.

But sometimes the Holy Spirit is like, mm, that’s the one right there.

You know, so if you look up online at your church or whatever and you look through the, you read through the groups, sometimes you don’t get that Holy Spirit nudge and you’re like, ah, none of those really stood out.

But sometimes there’s like this feeling that you’re like, oh, I think that’s the one, you know? And so if you hear or feel that Holy Spirit nudge, I would say, make sure you try to listen to it. Because in my experience, listening to Holy Spirit nudges is a lot better than ignoring them.

Well, and I think going in with like an open heart is important because I think that there, especially like the first time you go, like you’re nervous and, and you might interpret things in one way.

And so I think that maybe giving it a few opportunities and really praying that, you know, you go in with an open heart and just whatever, you know, God is supposed to have for you there, that it’s there and that you are able to, you know, you have ears to hear, eyes to see, like praying for that.

Amanda, one time you said to me, I knew this place was the place I was supposed to be because the mountains.

The mountains.

Because that is like, I mean, I love the mountains, but that was something that’s like been really big through this season. Like I feel like I’ve been trying to overcome mountains and walked into Kim’s house and the entire downstairs is just photographs of mountains.

And so I was like, oh my gosh, I’m supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be here.

I really loved that story.

And you had a dog.

As she’s wearing a Bernice mountain dog hat, as we speak.

Go huskies.

Poodle power.

God didn’t just create us to survive life, but to walk through it together.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

What?

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if lie down, they will keep one?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Yeah, reading it, what comes to mind first is marriage. That’s a marriage one.

Yeah.

Probably because it’s like, it’s either that or you know, Corinthians, read at weddings..

Or Ruth.

Hebrews 10:23-25.

Let us hold unswerving to the hope we is one, giving up in the encouraging and all the more as you see the day approaching.

John 13:34-35.

A new command I give you. Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Romans 12:9-18 – Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

This verse has so, I mean, we could we could do a whole episode on this verse on these verses.

It’s like a how to guide.

Yeah, right.

That’s true.

How to people.

How to people!

Okay, let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for the time that you have given us with these friends.

We are so grateful for this.

Thank you for the blessing of our community.

You know who we need and who needs us before we do.

You intend for us to be in community, to give and receive to both bless and be blessed.

And we are so grateful that that is your plan for us, Lord, in your name.

Amen.

Amen.

If there’s one thing we hope you carry with you, it’s this.

You don’t have to do this alone.

God often meets us through the people he places around us and healing grows in connection.

Our reflection of the week is, Where is one place you can lean into connection this week instead of pulling back?

Thanks for sitting at the table with us.

We’ll leave you there for now.

May God meet you, not just in the quiet places, but also through the people he places around you this week.

As we close, we pray that you would notice Jesus meeting you in the ordinary moments of your week.

He loves you.

He sees you.

He is fighting for you.

To answer the reflection of the week, go to life reclaimed.net and you can send us an email or voicemail from there.

If you would like to stay with us , subscribing helps you catch each new conversation as it releases.

And tell we are together again, may the grace and peace of Jesus go with you. 

Genesis 16:13 – (Hagar’s story) She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Proverbs 27: 17 – As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 23:2 – He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12  – Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Hebrews 10: 23-25 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

John 13:34–35 – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Romans 12:9-18 – Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

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