A Mess, Nonetheless

Miss and Rach have had such a great year podcasting with you all in mind! They wrap up the season, in this episode, by sharing what they've learned throughout the year and the exciting things they will be bringing to you next season! Thanks so much for journeying with them, "see" you in the fall!
Show Notes:
What do you want to hear or see next year?
Community group is coming
“See you in an hour” is coming
Speaking/retreats
Shout outs to ministries 
Rachelscloset.com
@rachelsclosetisanti
Challenge: Enjoy your summer, focus on your people, focus on jesus. Let him use whatever is current in your life to transform you. 

Isn't it so hard to be in relationships sometimes, or with people who seem to always be on the opposing side of what we're saying? In this episode Miss and Rach talk about parenting and other relationships. They share how Grace can and SHOULD be brought into every situation, with basically the promise that it will always be worth it!! They also talk about the gift that validating is to relationships - both in person, online and across the board!
 
Show Notes:
PROVERBS 22:6
Start children off in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (NIV)
HEBREWS 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharp as a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV)
JOSHUA 1:8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)
COLOSSIANS 3:21
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (NIV)
EPHESIANS 6:4: 
Fathers, do not exasperate your children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (NIV)
Definition of exasperate: Irritate and frustrated someone intensely 
TITUS 2:2-7-8
In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (NIV)
Challenge: Practice validating, in both the easy ways and the challenging ways. Be intentional about keeping conflict at bay when you can, by validating. 

We all know the feeling, someone says something and the next thing we know we have a ball in the pit of our stomach - our feelings have been hurt! Miss and Rach discuss why it's important to pay attention to these feelings, what we need to do about them and how we can focus on our faith during these times. 
 
Challenge: Ask yourself & God 1. Is that even true? 2. What is the person’s intent/character? 3. Does any of “this” even change my worth?

Who hasn't compared their current body to a former body? We've all been there. Rachel and Miss talk about how it isn't honoring God, or to our bodies, when we always long for something we used to have. They talk about the Bible and how they've grown in this area, and where they still struggle. They share the freedom they have had and how you too can make huge strides! We think you'll be challenged and encouraged after this episode!
Show Notes:
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
 
Phil 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Jeremiah 33:3
3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
Challenge: Ask God where you aren’t honoring the body you have been given, where you aren’t being Holy in your mindset toward your body, and where you need to repent of sin.

Do you find yourself feeling sorry for yourselves fairly regularly? Does it feel like a go-to when things are hard? Melissa shares quite freely how she has struggled in this area and the ways that it wreaked havoc on both herself and her relationships! Perhaps you're more like Rachel, and this isn't really your struggle, but you have kids or a loved one who feel bad for themselves often. Tune in to find out more about this issue, what Melissa has learned from the Bible and ways you can be challenged today!
Show Notes:
James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Challenge: You need to move out of feeling sorry for yourself, it will hurt your entire life. 

We aren’t a parenting podcast, but we think all of our listeners can resonate with this episode, parent or not. If you don’t have kids, these principles can apply to all difficult relationships. Sometimes people around us are just hard, and even rude. How do we love them, what’s our role and what example has Jesus left us for these types of situations? Listen in, we hope you’ll learn something valuable. 
Show Notes:
Challenge: Love your kids/people where they’re at, don’t expect them to be perfect, know it’s not about you, and don’t take their rough times personally.

Have you ever considered that you have toxic thoughts that are steering your life in a direction that isn't healthy to you or pleasing to the Lord? In this episode Miss & Rach talk with Hannah Baldwin (livingfromtheoverflow.com) about the impact our negative thoughtlives can have on our daily lives. They each share where toxic thoughts have led them and how they gained freedom in this area. We think whether you’ve considered this an issue in your life or not, you're going to learn something that will cause you to dig in deeper. 
Show Notes:
2 Cor 2:5 Take our thoughts captive, make them obedient to Christ.
Eph 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.“
Matthew 12:34  “....For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Whatever you focus on only grows.
I get to decide what I focus on.
Am I magnifying God’s goodness, or am I magnifying my problems?
Today is a great day! It is the day the Lord has made! I rejoice and am thankful for it! (Psalm 118:24)
Why is it a problem to have negative thoughts leading our mindset?We are told in scripture that we have the mind of Christ. But no where in scripture does it tell us that Christ acted out of negative thinking patterns. His thinking was perfect and in line with the Father’s will. When we operate out of negative thinking patterns, we are not operating out of the mind of Christ that we have been given. So to entertain negative thoughts, to complain, to assume the worst, to think life isn’t fair or to think we have it worse than anyone else just simply isn’t God’s best for us. Yet so many of us walk around with thoughts like that taking up a bulk of our inner and outer narrative.
What are the ramifications of not taking our thoughts captive?Here’s the cool thing about the brain - it is always listening and acting accordingly. So if we are taking our thoughts captive, that is, if we are recognizing the thoughts that are out of line with God’s will for us, and we repent of them, and make them obedient by thinking on the things of Christ, we are teaching our brain to align with the mind of Christ. But when we don’t, just like any sin that goes unchecked, it can snowball into an unrecognizable mess. A very tangible example of that is my own story - I had absolutely no idea that my thoughts could effect everything from my perspective in life to my mental health and even down to my physical health. share about victory with food restrictions and mental health - even in my grieving journey.
What are some things we can practically apply to start changing our mindset today?Philippians 4:4-9 is one of my absolute favorite passages when it comes to mindset. Paul talks all about what can happen when we align our thoughts with the things of Christ - we can become people who are content and walk in peace.“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
 
Challenge: Am I magnifying God’s goodness in my life, or am I magnifying my problems?
Take time today to evaluate your thoughts. Set a 2 minute timer and just let whatever thoughts you think come and go. Don’t overthink it. Once these 2 minutes have passed, set another 2 minute timer and write down everything you can remember about what you thought about in the initial 2 minutes. Evaluate which ones are in line with truth, and which ones are not. Pick even just one thought that you want to take captive today to make it obedient to Christ - that is to work with the Holy Spirit to capture this thought every time you recognize it and repent of whatever you need to repent of and then recite whatever is true in its place and walk freely in the forgiveness that has been extended to you.

Do you struggle to say no? When you do have to say no, do you feel you need to give a bunch of reasons for why you do? What about if you don’t have a “real reason” for saying no, you just know you need the margin in your life, do you feel guilty? If you struggle with any of these things, you won’t want to skip this episode. Miss and Rach talk about the ways saying no is Biblical and why God might even ask us to do so at times. We hope you’ll walk away with some freedom in this area that you didn’t have before.
Show Notes:
Jesus Says “No” to the EnemyJesus said “No” to turning stones into bread to feed His hunger.
He said “No” to putting God to the test.
He said “No” to gaining the world He so loved the easy way.
Jesus said “No” to Man’s Agenda and TimetableJohn 6:14-15 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Jesus “No” to Pleasing the Crowd. In Matthew 12:38~39 and 16: 1~4 Jesus said “No” to giving a miraculous sign to the disbelieving leaders.
Jesus said “No” to Pleasing His family. Jesus was not willing to stop His mission to please His family. Mark 3:21 indicates His family came to take charge of Him as they thought He was mad. When they arrived He didn’t respond to their plans for Him. He said “Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister and mother”. It’s hard to say “No” to those who love us and think they know what’s best for us. We have to step out in faith and be obedient to God’s call on our lives.
Jesus did not involve himself in all business: John 12:13-14 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
Jesus said “no” to his own desires when it came to the cross. He chose us and God’s ultimate plans over his.
Challenge: Examine your schedule, are there things you said “yes” to that you probably shouldn’t have? What kinds of things do you feel are hard to say “no” to? Where does your deep rooted belief about saying “no”  come from? 

We said we are on spring break, and we are, but wanted to pop in and say "hi", sharing a little bit about our time with our brothers! 

Being overstimulated is a way of life: noise, kids, announcements, text messages, phone calls, etc. Sometimes it feels impossible to escape it. But there are ways to advocate for your mental health when you feel yourself reaching max capacity. Rachel and Melissa share the ways they struggle with overstimulation, some key phrases that have helped them, and how the Bible has challenged them to reframe their thinking.
Show Notes:
How to deal with overstimulation:
Boundaries boundaries boundaries.
Recognizing what you need. 
Communicating expectations.
Phrases to use:
Can you ask me again at ____time?
Now’s not a great time, can I make a note to get back to you?
Sorry, it’s not you, it’s me. 
6 Reasons Jesus Chose Solitude Over People
To prepare for a major task Luke 4:1-2, 14-15. After Jesus was baptized He spent 40 days praying in the wilderness. After this He was tempted by Satan and then began His public ministry.
To recharge after hard work Mark 6:30-32. Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to do ministry. When they returned He encouraged them to separate from the people who were following them to rest.
To work through grief Matthew 14:1-13. After Jesus learned that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded, He went away by Himself. Yes, even the Son of God grieves.
Before making an important decision Luke 6:12-13. Early in His ministry Jesus spent the whole night alone in prayer. The next day He chose his 12 disciples.
In a time of distress Luke 22:39-44. Hours before Jesus was arrested He went to the Mt. of Olives and went a short distance away from His disciples to pray. He was in great emotional agony knowing what he was about to face.
To focus on prayer Luke 5:16. Many times in Jesus’ ministry He spent time alone in prayer.
Challenge: Spend some time thinking about what puts you over the edge and advocating for yourself.