PRN: Pause, Renew, Next

Do you ever wonder how our desires and our Spiritual gifts work together? In today’s episode, we’re talking about just that! It was a joy to have my brother and sister-in-law, Nathan and Dawn Detweiler on the podcast to talk about ministry, spiritual gifts, and resilience. Nathan, Dawn, and their three children live in Slovenia. In today’s episode, they share about their ministry journey from church planting to a children’s Lego ministry. Nathan also talks about how he started his YouTube Channel, Bite Sized Bricks. If you’d like to learn more about Nathan and Dawn and their ministry, you can subscribe to Nathan’s YouTube Channel or you can find him on Instagram. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Are you curious about diving deeper into your story? In this episode, we’re talking about storywork and how our personal narratives shape our spiritual journeys. I am so thankful for this conversation with guest, author, and spiritual director Jenn Suen Chen. She’s recently written a book called, Dim Sum and Faith: How Our Stories Form Our Souls, which we talk about in today’s conversation. In this episode we’re exploring themes of storywork, culture, resilience, spiritual growth, community, and more. Jenn’s gentle presence and valuable wisdom are a gift that ministered to me, and I’m sure you will also come away from this conversation feeling encouraged. So grab a cup of warm tea or coffee, come in close, quiet your soul, and get curious about your own story as you listen. If you enjoyed this conversation and you’d like to learn more from Jenn, I encourage you to check out her book and website. You can also find her on Instagram. If you love this podcast, please share it with a friend! You can also support PRN by donating at: buymeacoffee.com/pause. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus!

One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is 2 Corinthians 4, so you can imagine my delight when I found out that today’s guest, Rev. April H. Cranford, recently led her church through a worship series about this passage. They called it the Treasured Clay Worship Series. She says,”throughout the series, we explored the divine power that resides within us as clay pots, each of us carrying the treasure of Christ.” In this episode, April and I explore themes of disability, worship, advocacy, leadership, and soul-care. I’m really thankful for this conversation, and I hope you come away with a renewed gratitude for the body of Christ. If you enjoy this conversation and you’d like to know more about April or sign up for her substack, you can visit her website: aprilhcranford.com. This is the last episode of Season 7, and I’m so thankful to have spent another season with you. I’m taking off the summer to spend time with my children, but Lord willing, I’ll be back with Season 8 in August. Enjoy your summer! May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus!

It’s been a couple of months since we did a Scripture meditation together, and it seems fitting to focus on themes of suffering and resurrection this week as we approach Easter. We’ll begin our time together with a breath prayer and then transition into the reflection and meditation time. If you’d like to follow along in your Bible, we’ll be reading Philippians 3: 7-16 together, and we’ll spend the most time on verses 10 and 11. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

When’s the last time you were curious? To be human means you are a question asker, and in today’s episode we’re going to reflect together on both the beauty and the frustration of this process. I hope you come away from this episode with a new perspective on learning. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Ruptures can occur in all of our relationships, but have you ever considered that you can have ruptures within your relationship with yourself as well? Today, we’re continuing our series on being a human in process by examining this idea. We’ll also talk a bit about the importance of attunement and grace. If you enjoy this episode, and you’d like to hear more about the rupture and repair cycle, you can go back and listen to my previous episode on this topic: Rupture and Repair. Additionally, the Being Known Podcast has a whole series about Rupture and Repair in their Season 11. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.

Today we’re looking at the other half of the fight or flight response by considering fear and stress. What are they? What purpose do they serve? In what ways are they often misunderstood? We’ll talk about all of this and also look at some examples of where fear shows up in the Bible. As always, we’ll begin by doing a slow down exercise and end with a benediction. Next time, we’ll dig a little deeper by talking about anxiety and worry. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.