by kathilipp | Mar 6, 2018 | Clutter Free Podcast, Identity, Podcast |
It all started in the garden with Eve…doubt and comparison crept in with the question, “Did God really say….?”
We see it in the Bible with the story of Rachel and Leah too. They didn’t need social media to allow comparison to grow a wedge between them. We need to decide who’s truth we are going to align our lives with, ours or God’s?
Join Kathi and Nicki Koziarz as they talk about comparison and how we have the false perception that to do something great for the kingdom of God, we need to go viral, live big or have thousands of followers. Nicki urges us to see how what God is doing in each of us is so special and unique, that we can’t dare to put a classification on what He’s doing in our lives.
Book Giveaway
Nicki Koziarz is a wife and mom to three girls plus a handful of barnyard babies. They live just outside of Charlotte, NC. She is an inspirational author, Bible teacher, and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries. Nicki leads from her own brokenness that somehow God is making meaningful. www.nickikoziarz.com
by kathilipp | Jan 16, 2018 | God, Identity, Podcast |
In this episode Kathi chats with Kristen Kill, author of Finding Selah, The Simple Practice of Peace When you Need it Most. After the birth of her oldest daughter, before post-partum depression was widely diagnosed, Kristen remembers the fog that surrounded her. Rather than cry out to God, she retreated, tiptoeing around God, afraid to speak.
Kristen shares the need for us to create a space of rest, a space of quiet in our lives so we can re-sync with Jesus throughout our day.
Join us for this thoughtful episode and be encouraged!
FREE DOWNLOAD
Kristen has generously offered a Free Download Print by Rachel Jacobson from Portland, OR for our listeners. Click here to download.
WIN!
Three giveaway copies of the book to 3 random people who comment the answer to this question in the comments section below: “How today are you going to create just a place of selah in your life?”
Kristen Kill is a woman transformed by the delight of God. A contributing editor at The Better Mom, and co-host of At Home, a popular podcast with Sally Clarkson, Kristen is passionate about encouraging women who feel stretched thin with the truth that, even in the tension, God is singing over them with love.
After spending the last seven years in the hustle of New York City, Kristen and her husband, Josh, are learning to go slow as they raise their five kids in the Pacific Northwest. Her days are filled with homeschooling, walking her slightly anxious hound dog, and putting off the cleaning for one more day.
Find Kristen writing at kristenkill.com and follow her on Instagram @kristenkill.
by Guest Blogger | Mar 16, 2017 | Guest Blog, Identity |
HURT:
Maybe it is the new year, but I’ve plugged along with decluttering my cupboards. Then one day, while at a friend’s house, she asked me to grab something from under her kitchen sink. Upon opening the two doors I found literally five items (if that) inside a bare white cupboard. It was beautiful. My jaw dropped.
I immediately envisioned opening the doors underneath my own kitchen sink. Cue the shower scene music from the movie Psycho. Eek, eek, eek… I have a billion items under there. I own every cleaner under the sun and then some. My heart was deflated. I left her house feeling completely terrible about my own organizing capabilities. Wondering, what is wrong with me?
HOPE:
The next morning I was ramping up to work on a design project but my organizing ability was spilling over into my work and making me feel insecure. I read my daily devotional. It talked about how God uses us best when we are operating in our “sweet spot.” In fact, the devotional quoted my go-to verse.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
This verse always reminds me Christ gives me the strength I need, especially whenever I approach a challenge and in spite of all my weaknesses.
But this time when I read it, in light of the words in the devotional, it occurred to me: Christ accomplishes much when we need his strength, He can accomplish so much more when we are leaning into our strengths and operating out of our sweet spot. The place where we are supposed to operate as opposed to operating out of this place that isn’t unique to us, it isn’t where we are gifted.
HEALING:
I sat down to start the design project I felt to inadequate to accomplish. I ended up painting a picture inspired by flowers found on my morning walk. I must admit, I have not painted a true watercolor in years, and I was scared. What if it didn’t turn out as I envisioned? I am guilty of not even doing something if I don’t think the end result will turn out perfectly.
But this time, recognizing only Jesus is perfect, I mustered up my courage and his strength. I sat down to actually do the work I was called to do. God sparked in me my passion, my very own “sweet spot.” When I witnessed his creation through me I knew without a doubt I was doing what he called me to do.
I cried, tears of joy that resonated in my heart. “I am an artist.” I had been so defeated about not being organized and I hadn’t embraced my true calling in a really long time. I am an artist. I work great in organized chaos. I may not have a completely bare cabinet, but I am truly gifted in art. Now that I found my sweet spot, I will be brave with my God-given talents and no longer wish I was someone I am not. Someone I was never created to be.
One Small Win: Christ accomplishes much when we need his strength, He can accomplish so much more when we are leaning into our strengths and operating out of our sweet spot.
Julie Landreth has a passion for healthy and thriving relationships – especially in marriage and friendship. She is a speaker and a “wife coach” who loves sharing with women her passion for prayer and ways to actively cultivate a thriving marriage. She leads a growing number of women in San Jose, CA, through her curriculum: Consistency and Persistency: The Art of Praying for your Husband.
Having been married 12 years, she and her husband have cultivated a marriage filled with intentional love, effective communication, sustainable fun, and a date night every Friday night for the last nine years. She also finds deliberate ways to spend quality time with her nine-year-old son who shares many of her artistic talents. Follow her on Instagram: @julielandreth.
by kathilipp | Feb 14, 2017 | Identity, Podcast |
Live Full, Walk Free: Set Apart in a Sin-Soaked World
What if Paul’s extraordinary letter to the church in Corinth was written to believers living in modern day Las Vegas—or the ‘Sin City’ in our hearts?
Author, Bible teacher and speaker Cindy Bultema, whose own life has been touched by drugs, promiscuity and addiction, pulls back the curtain of time to unearth the riches of 1st Corinthians for us today, living in a shockingly similar culture of immorality, idolatry, and indulgence. With warmth, vibrancy, and lively insights into the ancient world, Bultema walks with us through scripture touching on themes of identity, unity, purpose, and purity. This study will equip you to live for God in a sin-soaked world and handle each situation with grace.
This Bible study book may be completed individually or with a small group, as well as alone or with the Live Full Walk Free DVD series.
Kathi and Guest, Cindy Bultema discuss Cindy’s book, Live Full, Walk Free: Set Apart in a Sin-Soaked World.
Cindy discusses how she hit rock bottom and almost lost her life. All her life she just wanted to fit in and be special to someone. She just wanted someone to “pick me!” She was told by friends that a snort of cocaine would help her drop the pregnancy weight and she ended up almost dying.
Listen in as Cindy talks about living happily and successfully in a world that screams “You are not enough.”
WIN!
Cindy has provided 3 copies of her book, Live Full, Walk Free: Set Apart in a Sin-Soaked World for our listeners. In the comments below please share a lie you believed and a scripture that tells you the truth about the lie. Three winners will be selected.
With over 15 years of ministry experience, Cindy is a popular women’s speaker, author, and Bible teacher. But don’t let her cheerful smile fool you—Cindy has endured single parenting, overcome bondage to addiction, and survived tragic loss. She is now a married mother of 4 and this summer marked her 20th anniversary of being cocaine-free.
Cindy is the author of two Bible studies, Live Full Walk Free: Set Apart in a SinSoaked World and Red Hot Faith: Lessons from a lukewarm church.
Live Full Walk Free is a journey through 1 Corinthians, equipping women to live a set-apart life for Christ in our sin-soaked world.
Red Hot Faith explores the early church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) and equips women with easy strategies and tips to fuel the fire of their faith.
Cindy lives in Michigan with her husband and their four kids. Most days you can find Cindy walking her beagle Rocky, attending one of her boys’ hockey games, or serving hot lunch at her kids’ school. Visit Cindy at www.cindybultema.com.
by kathilipp | Jan 31, 2017 | Hard Stuff, Identity, Podcast, The Me Project |
I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is
From the moment a woman wakes until she falls, exhausted, on her pillow, one question plagues her at every turn:
Am I enough?
After all, the pressure to do more, be more has never been more intense. Online marketing. Self-help books. Movies, magazines and gym memberships. Even church attendance and social media streams have become a means of comparing ourselves to impossible standards. Am I pretty enough? Hip enough? Spiritual enough?
We fear the answer is “No.”
Who are you? Do you know what makes up your identity?
Kathi is joined by her friend, author and speaker Michele Cushatt, author of the new book I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is to discuss the idea of identity.
How do we decide who we are? What is at the core of who we are? Why is having a secure identity so difficult? Michele and Kathi discuss ways to build our self-value based on truths rather than the constant assaults on our identity through media, marketing, advertising and comparison to others.
It’s a big topic and it can change the way we live our daily life, our relationships, and our worldview.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Download the 60 days of I Am verse cards or purchase the set at the links below.
Verse cards with easel
I Am Book + verse cards with easel
I Am Verse Downloads
A storyteller at heart, Michele Cushatt inspires audiences with the warmth of her transparency and presence. Her unique style makes you feel like you just spent an afternoon with a good friend, sparking tears one moment and laughter the next. Having experienced both the best and worst of life, she’s unafraid to disclose her imperfect spaces, so that you know you’re not alone in yours.
Michele released her second book
I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is, on January 24, 2017. She also authored
Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an Unexpected Life with Zondervan Publishers two years ago. Learn more about her book I Am at
www.iambook.net and Michele at
www.michelecushatt.com.
