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Dear Daughters

Dear Daughters is the place for you to hear about the kinds of things that are practical and helpful in living a godly life. it’s also a starting point for conversations I hope you have with the people in your life you love or lead.
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Now displaying: 2021
Dec 8, 2021

After the last two episodes about holiday blunders and setting healthy boundaries during the holidays, this week we’re talking all about Christmas!

I’m sharing a few important reminders for the Christmas season, like to keep Christmas simple and to not miss the wonderful gift of Jesus. And I share three secrets to the season.

I’m also answering some questions like, Christmas Day or Christmas Eve? and matching pajamas or ugly Christmas sweater?

So thanks for listening in! I hope that you experience the joy and wonder and peace that Jesus brings.

SHOW NOTES

 

Nov 18, 2021

Holidays are just a little bit happier with pie, don’t you think?

In last week’s episode we talked about holiday blunders. The week before we talked about setting healthy boundaries during the holidays. This week we’re talking about all things pie! Maybe you’re a pie expert or maybe you’re like Tori and you’re making a pie for the very first time. Either way, this episode is for you! I’m sharing tips and answering questions you asked. Here are just four of the things I want you to know—and there’s plenty more, so listen in…

  1. Try a custard pie first (like pumpkin or buttermilk)—they’re the easiest kind of pie.
  2. The pie crust might just be the most important part of the pie.
  3. Use a glass pie dish (go thrifting or estate sale shopping to find one).
  4. If it looks a little messy, that screams homemade pie.

I’m praying that your holidays are filled with joy and wonder and peace—and pie! And I hope you are surrounded by friends and family who will share that pie with you.

SHOW NOTES

Nov 10, 2021

You want to be your best but sometimes the holidays can mess with your best intentions.

In last week’s episode we talked about setting healthy boundaries during the holidays. This week, I'm here to talk about all the things we tend to do that can make the holidays more difficult (I’m calling them “holiday blunders”)—and how to experience the holidays in a healthier (and more enjoyable) way. Here are some of the blunders. Can you identify with any of these?

  1. Forcing old family expectations.
  2. Missing the point of gift-giving.
  3. Trying to be someone you’re not.
  4. Taking on more than you can handle—and not asking for help.
  5. Not discussing expectations.
  6. Ignoring grief that is triggered by the holidays.
  7. Giving the holidays more significance than any other days of the year.

I hope this helps you experience the holidays in a new way. I pray that we are able to set healthy expectations and keep the holidays simple so we can fully enjoy this beautiful season. And I continue to pray that your holidays are filled with joy and wonder and peace.

SHOW NOTES

 

Nov 4, 2021

Ready or not we’re headed into the holiday season once more! I hope the next couple episodes of the podcast help you to have the most beautiful holidays.

The holiday season is joyful and wonderful but it can also be stressful and exhausting if your priorities get out of whack. That’s why I want to take a couple minutes to talk about setting healthy boundaries. Here are a few things discussed in this holiday episode:

  • Why boundaries are important during the holidays.
  • How to stay connected to God during the busyness of the holidays.
  • How to give a kind “no” when it’s one thing too many.
  • How to choose where to spend your energy during the holidays.
  • Ways to honor and set aside time with your priority people.
  • Ways to set a boundary in conversation.
  • How to practice soul care before the holidays.

I hope that you get to spend time with family and friends and all the people you love this holiday season. I hope that your holidays are filled with joy and wonder and peace. My prayer for you and for me is that we are able to set healthy boundaries so we can fully enjoy this beautiful season.

SHOW NOTES

Oct 20, 2021

This week I am sooooo excited to spotlight Brandy Barr’s incredible story on the Dear Daughters Podcast. She found the way to extend ongoing forgiveness and grace after her husband’s infidelity. I am honored for her to share her hard yet hopeful story with you.

Brandy is a spiritual mama. Here are a few things you should know about Brandy:

  • She was born and raised in Tyler, Texas, and moved to Austin in 1993 after she married her high school sweetheart.
  • After 7 years of marriage, she discovered that her husband cheated on her. After counseling and another betrayal, they divorced.
  • She is the mother of two boys, Taylor (21) and Jackson (16).

. Then something happened that surprised even Brandy. God prompted Brandy to get to know the woman her husband remarried. Here are a few of the incredible things that followed:

  • Brandy invited the woman and her daughter to church.
  • Brandy baptized the daughter.
  • The women asked Brandy for forgiveness … and she was able to extend grace.
  • She accepted Christ and Brandy baptized her.
  • They all have Sunday dinners together.

The verse she went back to over and over is Matthew 6:33. So that’s what she tried to do every day.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Brandy says that’s how God makes it good and he had not forsaken her. I pray that you seek God first. I pray that you can forgive when it feels impossible. And I pray that you listen to the Holy Spirit so He can help you live your one beautiful life.

SHOW NOTES

 

Oct 12, 2021

Anxiety can make you feel all alone. Like you’re the only one. But you’re not. You are not alone. I had the privilege of meeting some of the loveliest, bravest women at my workshop last month and I want to spotlight some of the important things we uncovered together.

Here are a few of the things to know…

  1. You can be free.
  2. You are not alone.
  3. There is joy on the other side of anxiety.
  4. Listen closely to the hope you hear from God. 
  5. Finding peace and freedom isn’t one size fits all.

I pray that you can find joy and freedom and peace … it’s not one size fits all, so my prayer is that you discover the steps you need to take, however big or small, so that you can love and live your one beautiful life.

SHOW NOTES

Oct 7, 2021

Welcome to the Dear Daughters Podcast: Round Top Round Table edition! My daughters Sara and Emily are here with me to inspire you to all kinds of creativity! And we’re also here to let you in on all our secrets to make the most of the Round Top Antiques Fair.

Emily revealed that she feels like the best version of herself at Round Top (and loves the kettle corn). Sara loves staying in Round Top because she gets to flex a different creative muscle and be imaginative there. I love how freeing Round Top feels. It’s a whole beautiful experience! We hope you get to experience that feeling someday, too, in your creative mecca – wherever it may be.

SHOW NOTES

For even more details, visit my site here

Sep 29, 2021

Welcome to my first Spotlight Mentor Session. If you’re on the lookout for a mentor, it’s an opportunity for you to hear what it would be like to have a mentor sit down with you and ask questions about your life. If you’re curious about being a mentor, it’s a chance for you to hear how easy and natural it is to create space for a younger woman to reflect on her life.

I’m thrilled for you to meet Jaclyn. She’s 19 years old. She goes to the University of Texas. She loves Jesus. And she has a lot of questions about life and loves the opportunity to sit with someone a little older and wiser to talk to about all the things. I think a lot of us wish for that, too.

Let’s start with who a mentor is…

  • Someone a couple steps ahead of you.
  • Someone who is curious about your life.
  • Someone willing to listen and ask the right questions.
  • Someone who wants to be with you in the good as well as the messy parts of your life.

This week we’re drinking coffee and talking through a few of Jaclyn’s questions:

  • What does it look like to live with joy?
  • How do I handle confrontation with love?
  • How do I handle my anxiety in a healthy way?
  • What does it look like to be light in dark situations?
  • How do I protect myself but still stay tender-hearted?

I hope that you have someone a little older and wiser in your life. And I hope that you find practical ways to live with joy and peace, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

SHOW NOTES

Sep 22, 2021

Raise your hand if your kids are teaching you things about yourself that you didn’t know you needed to know.

Thanks for listening in to the Dear Daughters Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here for the Spotlight Series. This week, let me introduce you to my new friend, Sarah Bragg.

Sarah Bragg is a mom, a horsewoman, an author, and an encourager.

  • She just moved from Atlanta back to Tennessee, where she grew up.
  • Sarah has been married to her husband Scott for 16 years. They have two daughters in middle school, Rory and Sinclair, and a hound dog named Murray.
  • She wrote a new book called A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself and hosts a podcast, Surviving Sarah, to encourage women to grow and become their most authentic selves … and equip them to do more than just survive life.

Join me and Sarah as we talk about what we can learn as we parent … not just about how to be a better parent but also about how to become our most authentic selves. We talk about the importance of being kind to ourselves and we talk about how to breathe and take a step back when we get overwhelmed.

I hope that you find this conversation encouraging and helpful to living as your most authentic self whether you are a mother or not. My prayer is that you can learn about who you are and love who God made you to be.

SHOW NOTES

Sep 15, 2021

How do you find freedom from your fears…and stay free? What things can you do to help you manage anxiety? And how do you best love someone who struggles with fear and anxiety?

These are the questions you asked and I’m here to answer them!

Thanks for listening in to the Dear Daughters Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here. Especially because we are starting a Spotlight Series this September. To start things off we’re highlighting YOU and will answer all sorts of questions that you are wondering.

We’re continuing to field your questions related to various topics this season. This week we are continuing to talk about fear, worry, and anxiety. If you missed the first part of this episode, be sure to go back and listen here.

These are a few things we talk about this week:

  • How trauma and anxiety in your mind connects to trauma and anxiety in your body.
  • How a creative outlet or hobby can help you handle fear.
  • How to walk in freedom from your fears and anxiety.
  • How to love someone who struggles with fear and anxiety.

I hope that the things I have learned can help you overcome your fear and anxious thoughts and I hope that you ask God to help you when you are fearful or anxious. I continue to pray that you laugh without fear of the future … and I hope that you pray this prayer for fear-ers in your life, too.

SHOW NOTES

Sep 8, 2021

How do you give your worries and fears to God … and not pick them back up again? When you feel worry or fear, what can you pray? What are the signs that you are over-worrying and not just planning?

These are the questions you asked and I’m here to answer them!

Thanks for listening in to the Dear Daughters Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here. Especially because we are starting a Spotlight Series this September. To kick off the series we are highlighting YOU and will answer all sorts of questions that you are wondering.

I’m here with sweet Tori Dear, who I asked to take care of Madeline the Cat and within three hours of meeting her – I asked her to join the Susie Davis Ministry team.

She will be fielding your questions related to various topics this season. And this week (AND next week!) we are talking about fear, worry, and anxiety. Because we’re not meant to be bossed by worry.

Listen in as Tori relays your questions like the ones below. I hope that the things I have learned can help you overcome your fear and anxious thoughts.

  • How did you overcome anxiety and fear?
  • How do you give your worries and fears to God … and not pick them back up again?
  • What words have you used with your kids to talk about fear and anxiety?
  • How do you find healthy people you can reach out to for support?
  • When you feel worry or fear, what can you pray?
  • What are the signs that you are over-worrying and not just planning?

Ask God to help you when you are fearful or anxious. I pray that you invite the Spirit to overwhelm your heart and mind with peace. I pray that you are able to leave your anxieties with God and that you are able to shift your focus from the “what if” and “oh no” to all the wonder in life. I pray that you laugh without fear of the future.

SHOW NOTES

Aug 31, 2021

Guess who’s on the DD Podcast with me this week … my youngest daughter (and current roomie!), Sara Davis Regan!

Sara and I talk about everything from funny stories about sharing our space again to how to make the most of where you are and the way creativity can save your perspective to the benefit of having people provide wisdom and encouragement in every stage of life.

I pray that you get creative when things get hard, like how Sara and David turned “the Katy Wilderness” into a place of abundance in their lives. I hope you let God reframe the way you see things … that you find the connection between the goodness of God and his plan for your life and the joy to be found right where you are.

SHOW NOTES

Jul 29, 2021

Have you ever thought about this? You are the one person that has the most impact in your walk with God. And that’s why it’s so important that you pray for yourself.

Praying for yourself is not selfish. It’s like putting the oxygen mask on first so you can care for others.

There are so many reasons why you should pray for yourself. Here are a few:

  • Because God speaks to you through prayer.
  • Because you love yourself … or because you don’t.
  • Because it helps your spiritual growth.
  • Because there are holes in your life that need to be filled (by God).
  • Because how you are doing affects everyone around you.
  • Because prayer fills you with the Holy Spirit.
  • Because prayer deepens intimacy with God.
  • Because prayer giants in scripture prayed for themselves, too.
  • Because prayer is soul care.

I pray that you would love yourself … pray for yourself … and love to pray for yourself. I hope you are able to be yourself in prayer and that you find what works for you to help you talk to God.

SHOW NOTES

Jul 21, 2021

God knows your children and loves them more deeply than you can imagine. He knows what’s best for them and will take care of them. Prayer is a way to invite God to move in the heart of your child and to entrust your child to God.

Prayer is an amazingly effective parenting tool. Prayer not only blesses your child but also changes your own heart as a parent.

If you’re new here … welcome to the Dear Daughters Podcast July “mini-mester” edition! I’m hosting a month-long series on prayer with my husband (and prayer specialist) Will Davis, Jr. I’m so glad you’re here.

Will and I talk about what prayer can do and share prayer promises with scripture when your child is making you anxious or for …

  • your child to walk in the truth and light.
  • your child’s future spouse.
  • your child to love to pray, love to worship, and love God’s Word.
  • your child to hate sin.
  • your child to grow in wisdom.
  • your child to love and follow Jesus.
  • life perspective.
  • a servant’s heart.
  • grace for your child.

I pray that your joy is made complete … not when they make the honor roll or when they get into a good college or when they have a successful career … but when you know your child is walking in the light with God. I also hope that you know you are God’s beloved child. And I pray you feel the abounding love and grace your Heavenly Father has for you.

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SHOW NOTES

Jul 15, 2021

Why does marriage seem so hard? And what is one thing you can do to bring more peace and joy into your marriage? That’s what we’re talking about today on the podcast.

Marriage is the physical representation of God loving the Church and the Church serving God. Marriage is so good but also incredibly hard because in essence, you are trying to become one with someone who is not you. That’s why it needs prayer.

These are just a few things Will and I talk about …

  • What a healthy marriage looks like.
  • How prayer can help marriage.
  • There is grace for all parts of your marriage (even failed ones).
  • What to pray for your spouse and your marriage.
  • Prayer promises for your marriage.
  • Dealing with disappointments in marriage.

My prayer is that your marriage becomes more and more like the model of Christ and the Church. I hope that you pray for and pray with your spouse. I hope that you pour out grace on yourself and your spouse and every part of your marriage. And I hope that you and your spouse have hearts to know God.

SHOW NOTES

Jul 7, 2021

Welcome, welcome! After a little break in June, I'm back with a focus on prayer this July.

Prayer is simply communication with God. It opens you up to God’s presence. And it doesn’t have to be complicated.

For me, it starts the minute I open my eyes. Prayer is a conversation I have all day. Will says it’s as natural as breathing, that we’re created to interact with God through prayer.

This week I’m sitting here in my little home office with my very special guest: my husband (and prayer specialist) Will Davis, Jr.

Listen in as we start a conversation about prayer and address questions like:

  • What is prayer?
  • How does prayer cut through any doubt or disappointment in God that may have come from personal experiences?
  • How can prayer make a difference in your life?
  • What should we pray?

My prayer for you and for me is that we learn how to say “on earth as it is in Heaven” so that God’s reality may be our reality … that our lives reflect the rhythms and the peace of Heaven. I hope that you can be more and more at home in prayer with God.

SHOW NOTES

May 5, 2021

As you know, I have been revisiting my favorite spiritual classics … books written by authors who have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. This week I am diving into the works of J.B. Phillips … but this week is a little bit different because I have a very special guest joining me: Peter Croft, the youngest grandson of J.B. Phillips.

J.B. Phillips is a man who left an incredible legacy that changed so many lives, and Peter started a non-profit that highlights that faithful life. Today on the podcast Peter shares some insight into his grandfather’s work and stories of his incredible life. A few facts to start:

  1. J.B. Phillips was a Greek scholar and graduated from Cambridge University.
  2. He was a pastor in southeast London and led a youth group during the. They couldn’t wrap their minds around Paul’s letters, which shocked him and prompted him to communicate these letters in a way the young men would understand. He saw their lives change because they understood scripture.
  3. In the 1940s, with the help of C.S. Lewis, he wrote the first popular modern translation of the Bible. He first wrote Letters to Young Churches with an introduction by C.S. Lewis. Four million copies were sold and he ended up writing the whole New Testament, completed in 1952.
  4. Phillips wrote a total of 26 books, including his translations. He described his translation works as “rewiring the house with the electricity still on.” And in Ring of Truth he wrote that “if he was convinced of the truth before he started his translation work, he was a hundred times more convinced after it.”

Peter says this of his grandfather: “The act of translating for him clearly had an effect on his soul… The way the Scripture spoke to him was amazing… He wanted people to experience the Scripture as a living document.”

One of the verses that really came alive for me in his translation is Romans 8:18: “In my opinion, whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has in store for us. The whole of creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their home.”

I hope that you experience the Bible as a “living document.” My prayer for you and for me is that all of creation can stand on tiptoe and see us living a faithful life, carrying out the work that God has for us.

And won’t you please join me in praying for Peter and the good work he is doing?

SHOW NOTES

Apr 22, 2021

The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life is a book about you. And it’s a book about God. It’s a guide to help you celebrate your story, both the joyful and painful parts. I wrote it to help you discover all the things that show God’s great love and endless grace for YOU.

I launched The Grace Guide one year ago this week … right when we all needed a bit of extra grace for ourselves and others each day. Thank you for taking the time to celebrate on the Dear Daughters Podcast with me this week!

My hope is that you’ll find the everyday peace and joy that comes from believing God loves you always and has grace upon grace for you.

So … let’s celebrate one year of this little book offering BIG grace, The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life!

SHOW NOTES

Apr 15, 2021

spiritual mama is what I call a woman just a little further down the road with wisdom to share and a dear daughter is a young woman in search of spiritual guidance. I wrote Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation as a bridge between these two generations.

I knew I couldn’t possibly walk right alongside every dear daughter in the world but I could write a book to encourage them and share what wisdom I have gleaned in my life…and hope that they, in turn, would use that book as a tool to be a spiritual mama to someone else.

This book is so important to me and I want to take this week on the Dear Daughters Podcast to celebrate because my beautiful little book is two years old!

We’re not meant to walk through life alone. Everyone needs a spiritual mama, no matter how old you are. I believe that woman helps you do these things:

  1. Reclaim the vision for your life.
  2. Meditate on whatever is true, right, noble, pure, and lovely.
  3. Listen more closely to the voice of God in your life.

When the Holy Spirit in one woman recognizes and responds to the Holy Spirit in another woman, safe places become sacred places.” ~ Sophie Hudson

My hope is that you find a spiritual mama who can be a safe, sacred place for you … and I pray that you seek out the dear daughters in your life.

A big happy birthday to this little book, Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation!

SHOW NOTES

Apr 8, 2021

Need more prayer in your life but not sure where to start? I’m pleased to introduce you to a fabulous old book called A Prayer of Chain Across the Ages written by Dr. Selina Fitzherbert Fox, who herself was pretty fabulous. She’s another author I’m featuring this season who fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end.

Dr. Selina Fitzherbert Fox lived an incredibly interesting life devoted to serving others. There is so much to learn about her … here are a few highlights:

  1. Dr. Selina Fitzherbert Fox was born in 1871.
  2. In 1899, she received her medical qualification from the London School of Medicine for Women and the General Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. By 1903, she had qualified as an M.D. from Durham University.
  3. In 1900, Dr. Fox spent a year in India as the Assistant Medical Officer at the Lady Kinnaird Memorial Hospital in Lucknow for the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission.
  4. In 1901, she was appointed medical officer of the Church Missionary Society’s missionary training school, where she stayed for two years.
  5. The Society decided the mission was too expensive and to focus its attention on missionaries overseas instead. So, Dr. Fox founded the Bermondsey Medical Mission in 1904 and devoted the rest of her life to it. By 1907 over 6,000 patients has been seen along with nearly 4,000 home visits. In 1929 the hospital was officially opened as The Bermondsey Medical Mission Hospital by the then Duchess of York, later known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
  6. At the outbreak of WW1, Dr. Fox was appointed as Women Superintendent and Deputy Medical Officer to the Aylesbury Prison for women.
  7. In 1958, Dr. Fox was admitted to the hospital she herself had founded and died in December 1958 at the age of 87.

Wow. She sure didn’t waste one minute of service to Christ. What a life! 

My hope is that upon learning about these heroes of our faith, we are inspired to live anew with perspective and hope in our own lives.

SHOW NOTES

Mar 31, 2021

It’s nearly Easter. And I want to talk about someone today on the podcast who inspires me with her life and art and work.

As you know, I have been revisiting my favorite spiritual classics … books written by authors who have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them.

This week I’m introducing you to Corita Kent.

  1. Corita lived from 1918 to 1986. She was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. 
  2. At 18 years old, she entered the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually teaching in and then heading up the art department at Immaculate Heart College. 
  3. She created hundreds of beautiful serigraphs because she wanted her art to be affordable and widely available. She didn’t number any of her works because she didn’t want any one print to be more valuable than the others.

I have been collecting her work via collaborations with author Leslie Brandt. These are charming books with Corita’s art AND Brandt’s paraphrase of sections of the Bible. 

My hope is that we stop running from God and follow after Him. I pray you remember that God loves you and is just waiting for you to trust Him … and I pray that you do.

SHOW NOTES

Order your copy of The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life!

My book, Dear Daughtersis a template for those multi-generational conversations and relationships you’re craving. Get a copy of Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation

Mar 9, 2021

A sweet listener emailed me and asked if I would feature Elisabeth Elliot on this season of the podcast … well here she is!

As you know, I have been revisiting my favorite spiritual classics … books written by authors who have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them.

Elisabeth Elliot is an amazing woman who lived a faithful life, and I am so excited to share her words with you. Two books I want you to know about are Let Me Be a Woman and Discipline: The Glad Surrender. Here are a few interesting things about her:

  1. Elisabeth was born December 27, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium, where her parents served as missionaries.
  2. While at the college, she met Jim Elliot. After graduation, Elisabeth went on a missionary expedition to Ecuador with other students from Wheaton, including Jim Elliot. In 1953, Jim and Elisabeth were married and continued to serve in Ecuador. They had a daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard.
  3. Jim was killed by the Auca tribe in Eastern Ecuador. Elisabeth did not give up on the people of the tribe and she continued to live in the region with her daughter and Rachel Saint, the sister of another one of the missionaries killed by the Auca tribe.
  4. From 1988 to 2001, Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program called Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, NE. Today, we can listen to reruns of the program on the Bible Broadcasting Network.

Elisabeth was not afraid of tackling the hard things and speaking the truth. She experienced tragedy and felt fear but she lived with faithfulness and courage because she had this outlook on her beautiful life: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” Elisabeth also said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”

My hope for you and for me is that we let Christ change our hearts and make us into the women he wants us to be. And I pray that you can live faithfully and fearlessly because you trust God with your one beautiful life.

SHOW NOTES

Mar 2, 2021

If there is one thing I learned over the last year, it is the importance of stepping back from the news and media to re-engage in a habit of reading spiritual classics. The authors who I’ll be featuring on the podcast have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them. I want to invite you to come along with me this season and dive into the wisdom of these faithful followers of Jesus.

This is a book that was a stalwart for me while in college at Baylor and I still rely on it today. It is God Calling edited by A.J. Russell. Here are a few things interesting things about this book.

  1. A.J. Russell was an editor for a London newspaper in the early 20th century. While we have him to thank for the book, Russell did not write God Calling.
  2. Two women met every day to pray and listen for God together. Then they would write down what they heard God say. Those pages became God Calling. There is an entry for every day of the year.
  3. The first copy of God Calling was published in 1935. Read more info about the history of the book here.

My hope is that you take time for prayer and to be alone with God. I pray that you listen for His voice and hear what He has to say to you. I pray that you know that God is with you and that you let that knowledge bring you contentment and fill you with rapture.

SHOW NOTES

Order your copy of The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life!

My book, Dear Daughtersis a template for those multi-generational conversations and relationships you’re craving. Get a copy of Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation

Feb 5, 2021

Welcome to the Dear Daughters Podcast in 2021!

If there is one thing I learned over the last year, it is the importance of stepping back from the news and media to re-engage in a habit of reading spiritual classics. The authors who I’ll be featuring on the podcast have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them. I want to invite you to come along with me this season and dive into the wisdom of these faithful followers of Jesus.

This next book is one that I read and reread over and over. It is The Art of Divine Contentment by Thomas Watson. Here are three things you should know about Thomas:

  1. Thomas Watson was born in 1620. He was an English, non-conformist Puritan preacher and author … I counted over 17 books! History says he was brilliant … genius-level smart. 
  2. Around 1647 he married Abigail Beadle, daughter of a minister of Puritan convictions. They had seven children in the next thirteen years, four of whom died young. In 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in Christopher Love’s plot to recall Charles II of England.
  3. In 1686 he died suddenly while praying in secret.

Thomas writes so many quotable, one-line truths in The Art of Divine Contentment. Here are five of my favorites:

  1. “It is our work to cast care. It is God’s work to take care.”
  2. “A gracious spirit is a contented spirit.”
  3. “Here is the difference between a holy complaint and a discontented complaint: in the one we complain to God, in the other we complain of God.”
  4. “Comfort depends on contentment.”
  5. “Contentment lies within a man, within the heart.”

I want to share three ways I have found contentment:

  1. Taking my troubles to God in prayer.
  2. Taking care of what I have.
  3. Talking to my spiritual director or a close friend who has wisdom beyond mine.

I think we are people who struggle greatly with contentment. It’s an area that requires a lot of study and a lot of time. I hope this inspires you to seek true, divine, contentment.

My prayer is that you cast your cares on God, that you nurture a gracious spirit, and that you find contentment so you can love your one beautiful life. I pray that you have a smile for God.

SHOW NOTES

Order your copy of The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life, a guide for extending God’s grace to yourself and others.

My book, Dear Daughtersis a template for those multi-generational conversations and relationships you’re craving. Get a copy of Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation.

Feb 1, 2021

Welcome to the Dear Daughters Podcast in 2021!

If there is one thing I learned over the last year, it is the importance of stepping back from the news and media to re-engage in a habit of reading spiritual classics. The authors who I’ll be featuring on the podcast have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them. I want to invite you to come along with me this season and dive into the wisdom of these faithful followers of Jesus.

This next book is oh so lovely. It’s Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer. Here are a few interesting facts about Edith:

  1. Edith Rachel Merritt Schaeffer was born November 3, 1914, and died March 30, 2013. She was a Christian author, wife of Francis Schaeffer, and mother of Frank Schaeffer and three other children.
  2. In 1970, Edith and Francis founded L’Abri in Switzerland. L’Abri is a Christian organization that hosts guests worldwide. In the ’60s, L’Abri’s guests included backpackers, hippies, and even celebrities like Timothy Leary and Eric Clapton.
  3. Barry Hankins, a professor of history and religion at Baylor University, wrote, “Without L’Abri, Schaeffer would never have drawn the audience that made his many books possible.” He said that without Mrs. Schaeffer, “there would have been no L’Abri.” Hankins described Mrs. Schaeffer like this: “On one hand,” he said, “she held a very traditional, biblical view about women’s subservient role. On the other, she was assertive, even competitive with her husband ... She embodied marriage equality … She would never use the term, of course, but in some ways, she was the model of a sort of evangelical feminism.”

I am most enamored by Edith’s idea of hidden art at home. She believed that we were all created by the Creator to be creative, whether that’s gardening or decorating or painting or writing … Don’t you just love that?

Edith wrote, “Art in various forms expresses and gives opportunities to others to share in and respond to things which would otherwise remain vague, empty yearnings.” How do you like to create?

My hope is that you find ways to both express and share in many forms of art every day. And I pray that you are forever in awe of the Creator.

SHOW NOTES

Order your copy of The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life,a guide for extending God’s grace to yourself and others.

My book, Dear Daughtersis a template for those multi-generational conversations and relationships you’re craving. Get a copy of Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation.

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