13 Truths About Who God Says You Are

It’s the new mini series! 13 Truths about who God says you are!

If you’ve been around the Busy Christian Mom podcast, you know that this is a show that gives weekly powerful pep talks that packs a purposeful punch. In other words, that aren’t alliteration, if you’re looking for a pep talk that helps you live out your busy mom life in a way that makes sense, I’m your girl.

Let’s kick it off with the best biblical truth I can give you as a busy Christian mom. I call it, the Busy Christian Mom Credo. It’s all backed by the word of God, and you can do a deep dive on this credo in episodes 2-15. Here it is:

“I am the daughter of the King. I am chosen, forgiven, redeemed. I am loved, and I belong. I am bold, brave, and strong. I am seen. I’m accepted. I am able. I’m protected. Through Him I can do anything because I’m the daughter of the King.”

Busy Christian Mom Credo, Brooke Collier

Facts

The best way to learn about God is by reading the Bible. God is who he says he is. He says a lot about who you are too. And guess what? You are who God says you are. As we walk together through these 13 truths about who God says you are, we’ll work through the BCM credo, look at scripture, and find ways to live out your faith in light of the truth.

EP 87: 3 Ways to Use the Access God Has Given You

If you are a follower of God, congratulations! You, my friend, are a daughter of the King. Yep, bust out that tiara and call your mama because this is great news for you! If you’ve lived some life, you know that you can easily lose your identity in what you do and what role you play. Sister, there is so much more for you and your identity than being the the CEO of the company or the CEO of your household. This is why I’m giving you this truth today:

Truth: Since you are daughter, you have access.

Yes, God is your good, good father, giver of amazing gifts, and gives you access to Heaven as well as perks earth-side too! As you live out this truth of having access, here are three ways this can look:

• 1) Salvation access: He’s made a way for you to get to be in Heaven with him forever!
• 2) Communication access: Hooray Prayer! We have 24/7 access to God who is always listening. Shout out to Betsy Adams’ latest book, “God Hears My Prayers”.
• 3) Discernment access: tapping into the Holy Spirit living inside you is the best way to make decisions. The verse I love is Isaiah 30:21, “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” We have this conversation with our kids about “your conscious” versus the Holy Spirit.

Live It Out

Since you are God’s daughter, you have access to salvation, communication, and discernment, and more! I know some of us can get caught up in the business of life, that we miss this truth that we have access. Here’s how you can honor the access God has given you as his daughter:

• Salvation access: God saved you. A way you can honor God in this sense is to tell others about Jesus. Not sure how to start? Pray about it!
• Communication access: God made the universe, and he’s awesome enough to let you talk to him. Yeah, he didn’t have to do that. He wants a relationship with you. That means communication.
• Discernment access: The average person makes about 35,000 decisions a day. We all know that means us moms can add at least another zero on the end of that number. If you’ve been feeling decision fatigue, yeah, there are a tons a ways to figure how how to streamline and reduce decisions. My challenge to you is to start at the source. The Holy Spirit will guide you and give you direction. You pick if you want the PBJ or Turkey sandwich for lunch, but for the love, ask God to guide you in those big decisions. Don’t leave that up to your human brain to decide! A vivid memory of my doing this was choosing which college I went to. Tune in to hear the story.

Want to dive deeper on this topic of being the daughter of the King? Check out Episode 2 HERE! Remember that you are the daughter of the King, and you have access!

EP 88: Don’t Pigeonhole the Person God Made You

Like any adult, you’ve felt the blur of monotonous tasks that make it feel like you’re going everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Chores around the house, running errands, and soccer Saturdays eat up your non working hours, and the repetition week after week can make it feel meaningless sometimes. Here’s where we can feel stuck in a rut, or worse, insignificant. But, Au contraire mon frère, you were chosen on purpose for a purpose with the exact role you’re playing. As a follower of Christ, you can rest in this truth:

Truth: Since you are chosen by God, you have purpose.

You, sister, have been hand picked by the creator of the universe to be play a role in God’s kingdom story. If you’re struggling with the whole concept of being chosen by God, tune into episode 3 of the Busy Christian Mom podcast. We dive deep into scripture and talk about ways to live out your faith with the identity of being chosen.

John 15:16 says, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” He picked you to get out there and make a difference, pointing people back to Him. Chosen! Since you are chosen, you have purpose.

Live It Out

We can hold onto this truth. Your life isn’t meaningless or purposeless. God wired you the exact way you are on purpose. Your talents, giftings, passions, and personality traits are all bundled into you. Through this, you can find your purpose in how you live out your daily life.

I think this is the part where we can get it wrong. We get too caught up in the what we do instead of the why we do. When we try to pigeonhole all the things God’s given us, we can focus too much on the what we do: job, daily actions, hobbies, etc…

This is how it has looked in my life. God has given me the gifting of teacher. So, young me said, well okay, I’ll be a teacher. I went on that track and didn’t realize that teaching could look so many ways! To hear how the rest of the story goes, tune into episode 88!

Don’t pigeonhole the person God made you. Here’s what I mean:

• 1) Reflection: Talk to God and see what skills, talents, and passions make up your persona
• 2) Dig Deeper: There are multiple ways you can use your skills. Just because you have a gift, doesn’t mean it is only used one way (helps avid burnout)
• 3) Seek God’s will: Always ask God what direction he wants you to go. He may surprise you with what your skills can actually do! Your higher purpose of furthering God’s kingdom is the why, the what changes along the way.

“I am the daughter of the King. I am chosen, forgiven, redeemed. I am loved, and I belong. I am bold, brave, and strong. I am seen. I’m accepted. I am able. I’m protected. Through Him I can do anything because I’m the daughter of the King.”

Busy Christian Mom Credo, Brooke Collier

EP 89: How to Find Freedom in Forgiveness

Have you ever been hurt by someone before? I’m talking deep wound, or even if you get that bitter taste in your mouth when you hear their name or think about what happened. Or, do you have an ugly past that you’d like to forget? Do those former sins creep in your mind, and you think, “Wow, I can’t believe I did that.” We’ve all been there, but if you consider yourself a follower of Christ, your identity is not in your sin, what sins have happened to you…it’s in your savior. Today we’re discussing how to find freedom in forgiveness. We’re going to walk in this truth about who you are in Christ and how you can press on when you find forgiveness it really hard to do.

Truth: Since you are forgiven, you can forgive.

We all mess up, and we’re on track to go to hell, unless we choose to let Jesus step in and save us. When we openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). God has gone out of the way to forgive me of all the I’ve committed, including the ones in the future! When I zoom out on my past hurts, and put it through the lens of God forgiving me of my sins, it helps me gain a perspective of gratitude.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

Maybe you’re beating yourself up about something you’ve done. To my perfectionists or my recovering perfectionists: If God can forgive you, you can certainly forgive yourself, because you’re not better than He is, so just let that fact sink in for a minute. You get to choose. Are you going to forgive yourself, or are you going to replay what happened in your head over and over? This goes the same way for when someone sins against you. Are you going to replay that offense over and over in your head, or are you going to forgive, like how God has forgiven you?

Live It Out

I know I’ve struggled with this on both sides of the spectrum. Either sin I’ve done, and it’s left lasting damage, or sin that has happened to me. Sometimes satan throws that past sin in my brain, and I have to train myself to capture those thoughts and hold it to the truth of the Bible. I have to pause, remind myself that I’ve been forgiven, so I need to act like. Easy four steps:

• Capture: pause stop the thought from spiraling
• Hold it to truth: I have been forgiven, so this is no longer my burden
• Forgive: God forgave me, so drop it, satan is just trying to make you feel bad
• Walk in Confidence: you are forgiven, so you can forgive yourself

Same exact thing goes for when sin happens to you. Sometimes forgiving others can be hard! And let’s be honest, sometimes we want to hold onto that anger, bitterness, or grudge. Y’all, don’t play with fire like that. You think it makes you feel good and before you know it, you’ve burned yourself holding on too long.

Here’s how I help myself with that with this statement: I would want someone to forgive me of something I’ve done. Jesus would want me to forgive that person. Also, it’s a command, remember the verse we just heard? I’ll say it again: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

It’s not a suggestion or just, “Hey here are some helpful tips from Jesus.” It’s a command. So, when I find myself outright not wanting to forgive myself or someone else, I’m walking in sin willingly. My stubbornness is driving the ship and my gratitude got thrown overboard. What I’ve learned through all my mistakes and circumstances, when I can forgive, I find freedom. The burden is lifted. I realize that I thought I was holding a grudge, when really the grudge had a hold on me.

So next time someone jumps ahead of you in the car line, the referees are terrible, or your kid got an 89.4, take a deep breath.

• Capture: pause stop the thought from spiraling (remember that the referee are human too)
• Hold it to truth: I have been forgiven, so this is no longer my burden (this is just a game, not life or death)
• Forgive: God forgave me, so drop it, satan is just trying to make you feel bad (I’m being ridiculous for holding a human accountable for not being absolutely perfect)
• Walk in Confidence: you are forgiven, so you can forgive yourself (Yay! Now I’m not the craziest parent on the sidelines!)

See? Start small with these things, and when it gets to the heavy lifting of deep wounds, you’ll have some training completed. Remember, do not walk through this alone. If it is something horrible you’re working through, go seek wise counsel. That looks like reading your Bible, praying, counseling, community groups, etc… Do not isolate yourself because that’s exactly where satan wants you to stay. Press on, do the hard work, and learn how to find freedom in forgiveness. You won’t regret it.

EP 90: Leverage Your Story of Redemption

We’re going to dig into the topic of redemption, and how you can leverage your life experience to point people to Christ. Redemption is a fancy way to say something has been paid for. In Christianity, once you cross the line of faith, you are saved once and for all. Speaking through my experience, Jesus stepped in my place to pay the price. He saved my soul. He picked me up out of my mess and he did it at no cost to me. Here’s the truth you need to hear today:

Truth: Since you are redeemed, you can leverage your story.

This is what I also know: there may be times as you go forward in life that you can sway between feelings of unworthy of God’s love (even though you are now blameless), and feelings of superiority (even though you did absolutely nothing to remove the stain of sin from you).

Undeserving can feel like:

• you’re not worthy of love
• what you’ve done isn’t forgiveable
• the thought of unconditional love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness blows your mind

Untouchable can feel like:

• get out of hell insurance
• license to sin
• carrying yourself like your better than others

Neither of these are good places to be. In fact, with a healthy dose of humility and acceptance of God’s love and forgiveness, you can get out of your head, and start leveraging your story for God’s glory. If you’re stuck or unsure of what redemption means, listen to episode 5, and we cover all the things.

Every time I think of my story or share it, this verse always comes back to my mind. It helps me feel encouraged, inspired, and able to press on with sharing even if it’s scary.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28

No matter the skeletons in your closet, the haunted past, or the sins woven throughout your story, God is making all things new. He is working all of these things together for good. Remember, since all things are good in the end, if it’s not good, it’s not the end. Keep pressing on, be encouraged, and leverage your story of redemption.

Live it Out

“So, Brooke. Are you just saying I need to blast on my social media my personal faith journey and all the ugly details?” I’m glad you asked, because sharing your testimony has some EQ required. A lot can play into sharing your story of redemption, and no, you can be as vague as you want to be when sharing. Here are a few tips when sharing your testimony:

• Pray about sharing your story: The MOST important step is asking the Holy Spirit to guide you on all the details. How to share, who you’re sharing with, what are the goals, etc… Ask God to guide you and open up avenues to share for his glory, not yours.
• Know your audience: Who are you sharing this with? What is relevant to the topic at hand?
• Deep details are okay to leave out. There are times when you can’t share details because of legalities, or because of the people involved, or it’s a sensitive topic (and more). You should be able to talk about redemption without gossip, slander, or mishandling the purpose of pointing others to Christ.
• Share your story with someone trusted before sharing with an audience. Whether it’s your bestie, spouse, mom, or mentor, sharing your story with them first is a good idea (again, ask God first on how to leverage your story).

On the podcast, I’ve personally talked about PTSD, traumatic experiences, and an ugly past, all without having to go into details on a worldwide platform. Have I shared deeper details with others? Absolutely. God hasn’t prompted me to expand the reach of that story yet, so until he does, this is how it’ll be here.

God may prompt me tomorrow, and it’ll be a whole new pivot. Or, he may have an ordained conversation between me and someone else, and then I can share my story with them. My job is to be flexible, obedient, and keep my ears open to hearing God tell me my next steps. Prayer is big for this!

My challenge to you is to have a conversation with God. Start with telling him your redemption story. It can be when you crossed the line of faith, when someone’s sin affected you, or when you went prodigal and returned. He works all things together for good. Talk to him, say your story back to him, and you’ll get a clear picture on how humbling being redeemed can be. From there, share your story as prompted by God.

EP 91: 6 Tips to Fully Trust God

God loves you no matter what, and offers you an eternity in Heaven with Him. If you’re a believer, you have the opportunity to reciprocate that love in the best way you know how. When we accept Christ as our savior, we begin to wrap our minds around just how much He loves us. Here’s the truth we’re focusing on today:

Truth: Since you are fully loved, you can fully trust.

When I think back through all the bad decisions, willful sinning, and just being a human who makes mistakes in life, I know for an absolute facts that God still loves me no matter what. God knows everything about me, fully knows all the things I’ve done and will do, and he still chooses love. When I’m feeling like satan is trying to break me down and make me feel unloved, this is my go to verse.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39

God loves us no matter what. Since we are fully loved, we can fully trust. We can trust God’s love, his plan for our lives, and all the moving parts that work everything together for good. Yes, we can trust even the yucky moving parts because they’re operating under God’s authority. We can fully trust God because he fully loves us and does what’s best for his kids.

Here’s where satan tries to go in and mess up our headspace. Here we are, fully trusting God and him fully loving us, and then BOOM. Fear starts to creep in. Do these invasive thoughts sound familiar?:

• Are you sure God’s going to help you with that?
• What is you missed God’s sign and you messed it up?
• Did God really say that you should do that?
• Why would God take you on this path? That doesn’t make any sense!

And just like that. Your thoughts spiral out, you start questioning everything, and you feel like maybe you need to step out of God’s plan to make sure you get what you’re aiming for. I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit, but I can testify today, that when you jump all in with fully trusting God’s plan, it works out every single time.

A recent example would be my career shift. I took a three year hiatus from being in the classroom to be home with my son who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age three. I slowly progressed back into the workforce once he was officially in school with a nurse who could help manage T1D.

Where I am now has been over a year long process of us fully trusting God’s plan. We are absolutely sure of where I’m supposed to be. There were so many questions and logistics along the way. I say this phrase back to myself every time satan tries to throw a thought into my head that doesn’t align with what God says: I have been assured by God that is what I’m supposed to be doing. I have been assured that he will provide and it will work out. Because I know that God loves me.

Live It Out

Here’s how we live out the truth of being loved and fully trust God. Go all in. God will never let you down. He will love you no matter what. He’s working everything together for good. Since you are loved, you can trust in these truths. Here are a few action points:

• Go all in on trust
• Follow his plan
• Assure yourself every time your thoughts get out of whack
• Share God’s love with others
• Show others how trusting God is the best idea
• Rinse and Repeat

One way we do this at our house is talk about it aloud and intentionally. We talk about God’s plan and how it’s best for us. We dive into conversations with our kids about how God loves you not matter what and we love you no matter what. They can come to us anytime and we will always love them and want God’s best plan for them. When they ask the big questions, the hypotheticals, or the heartbreaking questions, we can respond with God’s love and our trust in him.

Are these conversations always easy? No way! But if you have them regularly enough, they can learn their assurance they can say back to themselves. They can know that when God gives them the next step, they can take it with confidence and know that God’s perfect love will take care of them.

EP 92: The Cause and Effect of Christian Community

Let’s face it. We all have this common humanity experience here on Earth: Sometimes we feel like an outsider. This feeling can arise from a situation that happened, or maybe just being different than the people you’re around. If feeling like an outcast happens with worldly things, then it can certainly creep into our spiritual lives if we let it. 

Truth: Since you belong, you can invite others in.

My fellow humans, we are designed to feel the need to belong. We are meant to be a part of something that’s bigger than one individual. It’s engrained into our DNA, and it’s no surprise who did that…God did! There is a deep sense in your being that draws you to finding a place where you feel seen, heard, understood, and loved. Hint: There is only one group of people to ever exist that has a leader who unconditionally loves, shows mercy, and gives grace. Only one. Followers of Jesus. 

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.“

Hebrews 10:24-25

Let me pause to say: If you’re struggling with belonging, I highly recommend listening to episode 7, and then come back here. You’ll have amazing context, tons of scripture references, and my first hand experience on this topic.

When we find solid, Christian community, we can encourage, inspire, and challenge each other in ways that help us grow. I have a couple of examples of biblical community in my life. We currently have seven couples in our life group and we meet regularly to encourage and stretch one another. Here are a few examples of just the girls in the group and random skill sets that have come in handy when working for the Lord:

• Faren: knack for asking challenging questions, creative craft queen
• Lauren: organizational leadership, excellent cookie maker
• Jacqueline: service project creator, amazing shopper
• Meredith: nudge that’s needed to get you to stop thinking and start doing
• Katie: critical thinking/logical brain
• Kim: huge heart/empath queen

These women in my home group push me to be my best self, chasing after God, and they will call me out if they see it’s not happening. Each of these girls is different, bringing different strengths together. It’s like the Power Rangers, alone they’re still awesome, but together, it’s a united team that has exponential holy power.

They do not doubt the abilities God has given them. We proclaim it over each other, and spur each other on to grow. This is a mirco example making a macro impact. The ripple effect is real with Biblical community and belonging. Tune into episode 92 for more examples!

Live It Out

“That’s awesome for you, Brooke, but I don’t have that.” I hear you, and I get it. I was there too, and here is what I did to start growing in community:

• Read: read your Bible and look at good examples of community and what God says that funcitons like
• Pray: ask God to give you these people
• Talk: join a local Bible study group (or online)
• Tell: tell others about Jesus, and see if anything starts to come together through natural conversation

Stay consistent, and stay faithful. God will give you the exact right people, at the exact right time. Trust in his timing, and when he says to go for it, GO. Do not hesitate to take the leap of faith when God says go.

EP 93: 4 Ways to Respond to Persecution

There are a ton of popular Pinterest quotes about courage, bravery, and “doing it scared.” Those are encouraging, yes, but how can we back these fluffy quotes with actual Biblical action? Sure, a leap of faith is great, but have you done one lately? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank your boldness in your faith?

There’s a lot to lose sometimes when we’re bold in our faith, and that can make people feel nervous, anxious, shut down, and more. If you’ve been living under a rock, let me just say…persecution is happening to believers all around the world right now, and it’s been that way. More on that part in a bit. Today, we’re going to discuss 4 ways to respond to persecution as followers of Christ, and how we can boldly live out our faith in the midst of this tension. Hold onto this truth today:

Truth: Since you are bold, you can walk in confidence.

If you’re lacking confidence in the boldness department, head to episode 8 of the Busy Christian Mom podcast. I deep dive into how God emboldens us, equips us, and calls us to live out our faith. I go over a ton of scripture on being bold, bible stories that back this up, and real life examples from yours truly about how we are living this bold faith out in our daily lives. I go over what we talk to our kids about too, so if you’re stuck, episode 8 is going to help you there.

Yes, today is a tough topic, especially with recent events, and I’m asking for you to embrace the tension of between being bold in your faith, and the persecution that comes with that. It’s challenging, uncomfortable, and necessary. Plus, it’s what helps point people to Christ. Let’s look at this verse together. It’s John 16:33 and I highly recommend you read the entire chunk of this portion (Sadness Will Be Turned to Joy) for better context.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

This is a verse I cling to when life gets tough. Jesus has overcome the world. All the sadness will be turned to joy, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It will happen, and until then, we have kingdom work to do while we wait. With this kingdom work, comes persecution, but instead of running away from this tension, we can boldy face it with our faith. The bible is true, so we can walk in confidence when we openly express our faith.

2 Timothy 3:12 says, Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Here’s the tension: living a Godly life and being persecuted. Persecution may be on a macro scale if you’re in the public eye, or on the micro scale in your hometown. Whichever it is, God has already equipped you with your identity in Christ. He has made you bold (see episode 8). You are bold because of God.

Acknowledge the Tension

“But Brooke, I’m afraid. Persecution is terrifying at best. How do I navigate this tension?” Yes. I agree with this tension being overwhelming, so tune in next week when we talk about bravery and piggyback today’s learning onto that. For now, I want you to think about these 4 ways to respond to persecution no matter the intensity of the situation:

• 1) Keep your eyes on Jesus: Remember John 16:33, he has overcome the world
• 2) Respond with love: Ephesians 4:26, “be angry and do not sin” 1 Peter 4:8 love covers a multitude of sin. Shelby Houston Brown, Bob Goff, Jim Elliot
• 3) Stay ready: Ephesians 6:10-18, you’re already at war, suit up, you’ve had a target on your back the moment you said yes to following Jesus whether you acknowledge it or not
• 4) Tell others about Jesus: implicit and explicit, care more about the soul, not the sin

Live It Out

Yes, this is a hot topic. It is uncomfortable, and it is one of the most challenging things for me personally because my sense of judgement is off the charts and it’s my blessing/curse. I know that God is the judge, so I need to get off my high horse, and follow these 4 ways to respond to persecution. I struggle with this tension, and I’m that girl praying, “Jesus come soon because this place is trash.” I get why he’s going to make a new place for us. Just look around.

Remember, simple doesn’t mean easy. Just start small and get these reps in, so when the bigger trials comes, you’ve been preparing all along. I’m practicing right now with my kids and “strict parenting.” What we’re doing in our home is consider overprotective, super strict, you name it. Here’s what we did, we renamed it: high standards and expectations. It’s a game changer. Here’s how you can help prepare yourself for persecution, no matter the scale of intensity or circumstance. This is what helps me:

• Read: We know exactly what’s going to happen and how to respond. It’s the playbook
• Pray: Pray for the persecuted, the missionaries, your kids, etc…
• Talk: Get in Christian community (shout out last week’s episode). You will need them.
• Tell: Preach the gospel in word and action

I know this is a topic that brings up so many wounds, tension, and overwhelming feelings. It’s hard. This is why we read, pray, talk, tell. It equips us for these situations. The trials come and go, but God is the same no matter what. Keep your eyes on Jesus, respond in love, stay ready, and tell others that Jesus is King. Truth: Since you are bold, you can walk in confidence.

EP 94: How to Share Your Faith in the Face of Fear

It’s no breaking news to you of the fact that all humans have felt fear. The interesting thing about fear is that it comes in all shapes and sizes and has no discrimination. Here’s the question: If we are to experience fear, what are we going to do about it? More particularly, how can we focus from fears to faith when it comes to sharing the gospel? Today we’ll take a practical look at how to step out in bravery, and put our faith over fear.

Truth: Since you are brave, you can face your fears.

Guess what believer? The second you crossed the line of faith God has given you the resources you need to tap into holy courage and bravery. He makes us brave. God makes us courageous. He is the source of confidence where we can be scared, and press on anyway. Your identity in Christ is brave. You are brave because God make you so. Let’s look at Isaiah 41:10.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

When God says, “don’t be afraid” it’s not a request or a suggestion; it’s a command. So the second we feel fear taking control, recognize it, call it out, and preach the truth back to it. Yes, scary things are happening all around us, and this world is wild. Here’s what I know about fear, shout out psychology 101: Humans are naturally fearful of only two things in this world. Falling and loud noises. Every other fear has been learned. Wow. Does that mean our fears aren’t valid? Not at all, but I do think that is very interesting. Esther is a wonderful example of this!

Sharing Your Faith Boldly and Bravely

Sharing our faith with others is a command from Jesus. We’re to go and make disciples of all nations, so how can we do that if we don’t talk about God? It doesn’t have to be some big thing you do like write a blog, record a podcast, start a Bible study, being speaking at events. It definitely can be, and if you’re a more outgoing personality or God calls you to it, those might be great for a starting point for you.

Here are a few suggestions for the more introverted people:

• Ask this question: “Do you have any fun plans coming up this weekend?” After they answer you can chime in with some plans and include going to church on Sunday before you head out to your kid’s baseball tournament.
• Out loud gratitude: Tie a praise to God in the conversation somehow. “I was running a bit behind for soccer practice, but I hit all the green lights, thank you, God!”
• If someone opens up to you: “Thank you for sharing that with me, that was brave. Can I pray for you?”

Sharing your faith doesn’t have to mean finding a stage and sharing your testimony. It certainly can be, and I would be a silly goose if I didn’t say that the conversations we have with our connections are missed opportunities if we’re not regularly bringing God into it.

Live It Out

“But Brooke, I can’t talk about God at work, I’ll get in trouble.” “If I share my faith, I know it doesn’t align with my friends..am I going to have to make new friends??” These are tough questions, and I have some suggestions. Take it, tweak it, but the bottom line is to follow Jesus no matter what. I share a story about work and Jesus, and then about a friends situation on the show, so tune in!

• Read: God gives you everything you need. All the ammo, all the equipment, tools, gear you need to share your faith. He will sustain you in the persecution or worldly consequences.
• Pray: Ask God to guide you with your words and to help you see when and how to mention him throughout your daily life.
• Talk: Stay in community. Ask your people what they’ve tried. What’s worked/not worked, and how can you put that into practice.
• Tell: Start small, build confidence, and squash the fear that’s holding you back. Is losing your job scary? Yes. Is your coworks one way ticket to hell even scarier? Yes.

There are trade offs all around us in life. When we can zoom out and gain an internal eternal mindset, we can see how our small sacrifices in this world are hugely outweighed by the big picture thinking of eternity. Souls over self. Faith over fear. Does it mean it’s easy? No. Is it worth their soul being saved? Always.

EP 95: How God’s Strength Empowers You

In a world that prides itself on being strong and independent as labels of success, I’d like to challenge you with a different perspective. What if, instead, we humble ourselves, and admit that we’re weak and dependent on a higher power? The ugly truth about being independent is that we actually can’t do anything on our own, and we God to sustain us through His strength. Let’s rest in this truth today.

Truth: Since you are strong, you can fight the enemy.

It’s no secret that there’s an enemy we’re fighting, and God makes that super clear all throughout the Bible. If we take a second, look around the world, and crack open our Bible, we can see the chaos that satan is constantly trying to create.

Good news, sister. Since you are a Christ follower, he equips you with his strength and power. Not just to be able to function the next day when you’ve had a late night taking kids to their middle of the week games an hour away, but also when satan is waging a spiritual attack on your life too. Check out this scripture from Ephesians:

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:10-12

God makes it very clear here who the enemy is. This is just one of several examples of God calling out the schemes of the devil. We are fighting against something big, but good thing God is bigger than anything we will ever face. Praise God.

The devil does big, bad things, and tiny, sneaky things too. If we’re not being proactive, we suddenly take a look up and mutter to ourselves, “How in the world did I get here?” I highly recommend reading the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It’s eye opening on how satan tries to keep our focus off of God and onto the world.

Live It Out

This isn’t some scare tactic I’m trying to do. It’s a reality check. It’s so easy to get distracted by the world, that before we know it, life got crazy and we don’t know how we got there or how to get out of it. More good news: there is always a way to honor God from your situation. So, if you find yourself facing some conviction, don’t run from God, run to him instead. He can redeem your story and he is working all things together for good.

“So, Brooke. Apparently I’m in a spiritual war, and that sounds scary. What do I do? How to I walk through life?” I’m so so glad you asked. Remember that passage we just read from Ephesians? God tells us exactly what to do next.

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Ephesians 6:13-18

Armor Up

Would you send your son into his Friday night lights football game without his helmet and pads? What about going to your work presentation and not bringing anything you needed? You wouldn’t because that’s silly and impractical. Yet, why are we doing this spiritually where it truly matters? Eek!

• The whole armor of God, not just the parts that are convenient
• belt of truth
• body armor of righteousness
• shoes of the good news of the gospel
• shield of faith
• helmet of salvation
• sword of the spirit

Here are some gut punch questions that hit home for me, and they may for you too:

• Do you bring your Bible or take notes while you’re at church?
• How often are you praying over your husband?
• When was the last time you read your Bible with your kids?
• Have you asked about what you can be praying for with your family?

I know, I know. I don’t get it right all the time either, so it’s nice being held accountable so we don’t let this spiritual growth fall between the cracks. Two questions I’d lek to challenge you with this week as you reflect on where we are drawing our spiritual strength from:

• How can you practically armor up you and your family every day?
• What are the little steps to help you build this habit?

EP 96: 5 Ways to Be a Great Mom Friend

What if I told you that there is someone who fully knows you, fully sees you, and in spite of your flaws, fully loves you no matter what? That person is Jesus. When you take a moment to recognize that being truly seen by Jesus will change your life, you can walk confidently in your identity in Christ as being seen. Today, we’ll talk about this truth:

Truth: Since you are seen, we can see others

Mommin ain’t easy, we all know this. It’s hard to be wife, friend, mom, grocery shopper, insert job title here, etc… Hear me, God sees you. He sees you picking up after your tiny tornados play in the playroom. He sees you scrubbing dishes at 9pm. God sees you missing the morning hugs so you can get to work early and prep for your meeting. He doesn’t miss it. God sees all the hard work you’re doing.

More deeply, when we can accept and rest in this truth, we can better love others like this too. Moms, we have the ability to see each other, lift each other up, and get each others backs. We sisters have got to stick together. We have the God given ability to see each other, and take action. I love this verse from Proverbs:

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Proverbs 17:17 NLT

Other versions say a friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity or difficult times. God is fiercely loyal to his kids, and we can take a look in the mirror and see how well we’re fiercely loving our friends too. We are sisters in Christ, and the back half of this verse talks about how we were born for times of need and adversity. Who do I want by my side marching into battle or into Costco on a Saturday? That’s right, my girl gang of Jesus loving mamas.

Live it Out

Moms, since God sees us in our daily busy lives, we have the same capability to recognize our moms friends too. We’re going to talk about 5 ways to be a great mom friend. Bonus: they all fit into our busy Christian mom lifestyle. We’re taking a spin off of Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages, and making this geared towards us mamas. Let’s walk through a few ideas. Take it, tweak it, and do what is best received by your mom friends.

Words: Yes, words of affirmation are great! Hand written notes, texts, inspirational quotes and verses are all wonderful. Here are some additional spins on how your words can show love, loyalty, and help in difficult times:

• Defend them in rooms they aren’t in
• Pray for them behind their back and to their face
• Tell them that they are a good mom and doing a great job
• Give specific compliments when you see it happening

Your words carry a big impact whether what you say is good or bad. Make it a goal this week to use your words as a way to build up another mom.

Physical: I personally love physical touch, and my bestie not so much. So, while this is a delicate one, use discernment as you go about physically showing love, loyalty, and help in difficult times:

• Positive physical touch in a moment of struggle. This can look like a touch on the shoulder or a big ol bear hug depending on the person. If it’s a rough moment and tears are involved, keep the touch or hug until they are done receiving it.
• Addressing a physical need: this can range from snack sharing to sunscreen sharing.
• Celebration: You know what we never age out of? High fives. Seriously, they’re good for anything. Especially when a mom gets a win. When a mom speaks up about a victory no matter how big or small, high five that girl! A mom win for one is a mom win for all!

Physical touch is easy to neglect because of germs, awkwardness, or insert whatever is holding you back. Newsflash, our bodies were designed for physical touch. There’s a ton of research on how it’s good for body, mind, and soul.

Gifts: Who doesn’t love a gift? Who’s made of money? Wait… you don’t have to break the bank to give gifts. Yes, a Chick-Fil-A gift card or a Starbucks run are always amazing. Here are some more ideas to help you get that creativity flowing:

• Hand me downs: Here’s what I know. Kids grow all the times and it’s always inconvenient. Those shoes you bought for your kid for back to school? Outgrown. This jacket you’re about to buy them ahead of cold season so you get the cute on in their size? Outgrown by January. Hand me downs are a great way to share the goods and get all the use out of them.
• Concession stands: Hear me out before you freak out. Friday Night Lights are all the rage, and so is the concession stand with all their amazing treats. Your kids are running feral with everyone else’s and you and your mom friend get a hot second to chat between downs. It’s almost halftime and you’re not fighting that line plus a bathroom break, so you’re headed down there with 3 minutes on the clock. Have your mom friend hold your seats and you go get the coke, pickle, and nachos with the gross cheese on your tab. Take turns, it’ll all even out.

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Remember, it’s God’s money anyway, and we’re called to be good stewards and generous. Some Sour Patch Kids and a Lemonade can be a easy way to show some love to another mother.

Quality Time: A lot of us spell LOVE “T-I-M-E”. Do we have a lot of time? Absolutely not. So, we need to make the most of it when we can. Yes, a girls night out is awesome, but that’s not what’s consistent for most of us. We’re more likely to regularly meet up at our kids soccer practice, in the stands at events, or at home group. Two second plug on Christian community: if you’re not regularly meeting in biblical community, find your people and make it happen. It’s a life changer.

• Stop staying surface level in conversation. Ask the deeper questions, even if it’s a simple, “Have any fun plans this weekend?” or a personal favorite, “Pretend you have three minutes to tell me everything I need to know about you…ready? Go!”
• Maximize your time: If you do get to regular home group of the beloved GNO, dig deep. Talk prayer requests, struggles, victories, and future trip.

Acts of Service: Oh man, we are in a season in life where we are needing to get way out of our comfort zone and ask for acts of service help on a regular basis. Turns out, tons of moms feel this way and are in the exact same boat. We have have 7.5 kids, all of whom play different sports in different locations at the same time. It’s wild, and I know you’re nodding along with me. My kids hobbies are currently my hobbies as taxi mom. Here are a couple of ways we can show love, loyalty, and help in challenging times to our fellow busy moms:

• Pick up/drop off with teammates: You can unclench your fist of control, and you can arrange with another mom. You take the kids to practice, and the other mom runs drop off. This is a game changer if you have multiple kids or if you need to run an errand.
• Pick up/drop off anything for that matter! I’m going. You need anything? My life group does such a great job of this. Going to Costco and you’re asking if you can save me a trip this Saturday? Yes! Please grab me a bushel of fruit and a barrel of Dr. Pepper.
• Use your giftings: Mum story.

There you have it. 5 ways to be a great mom friend, and it’s easy to just build into your busy schedule. Want to know the not-so-secret to this? Be intentional. Pray for God to show you opportunities to love fiercely and loyally, and being there in the difficult times.

EP 97: 10 Ways to Say No to Mean Mom Culture

Crossing the line of faith, becoming a Christian, and accepting Christ as your Lord and savior are all talking about the same decision: choosing to wholeheartedly follow God. This is the most important decision of your life, and it has an eternal impact. If you’ve already accepted Christ, you have been officially accepted into his family. Congrats, sister! We get to party in Heaven forever together! Bonus: we get to rest in this truth:

Truth: Since you are accepted, you can respect others

It’s a hot topic today, because we’re addressing mean mom culture. Yes, I said it. And, some of you may be in the trenches of a mean mom war, but sister I have news for you. All of us humans are made in the image of God, God loves all of us, and as followers of Christ, we are held to higher expectations. Today, we’re discussing how to say no to mean mom culture and focus our eyes on Jesus. Humble pie is on the menu today. Let’s brace ourselves.

Jesus is no stranger to mean mom culture, and by that I mean the Pharisees constantly chasing him down, bad mouthing him, and being straight up meanies to him. Let me ask you an extremely important question: How did Jesus respond to adversity? He never matched their mean with mean. He never sinned when he was sinned against.

Here’s a couple of verses that have stuck with me for years.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Ephesians 4:26-27

Will things happen to us or out kids that will send us over the edge and make us wanted to throw hands? Absolutely, but hallelujah for the Holy Spirit doing a work. Anger, is a normal feeling, and the important part of this verse is to not act out of anger. Remember that emotions are indicators, not dictators. I feel like if we focused on that a bit more, we’d have less mean girls.

Look at the back have of this scripture: give no opportunity to the devil. When we feel and emotion and sin, letting those emotions become dictators, we are opening up ourselves to let the devil get a foothold. That sounds scary. No thanks to that!

I used to really struggle with anger, and if there was an injustice, the rage monster would rear its ugly head. It was…not ideal to put it in kinder terms. I made a stack of notecards with scripture about anger, and when I wanted to be angry AND sin, I busted out this stack of cards and read them over and over until I calmed down. Game changer! Use that as a life hack if you need.

Live It Out

I get it, mean mom culture is real, and most of us don’t seek it out, but the reality is, that it’s coming. So, how do we respond? Think about how Jesus responded, think about how anger is normal, but sinning out of that anger isn’t God honoring.

If we take a moment to pause and zoom out, here is what we see: We are the daughters of the King. We are chosen, forgiven, redeemed. We are loved and we belong. We are bold, brave, and strong. We are seen, we’re accepted, we’re able, we’re protected. Through Him we can do anything because we’re the daughters of the King.

We have higher standards for our life because we’re operating with the moral compass of Jesus, not the world. When mean mom culture strikes, our response should point people back to Jesus. It’s challenging, and stretches us, and we can grow to be more like Jesus when we consistently respond like he does.

10 Ways to Say No to Mean Mom Culture

I’m about to give you 10 ways to say no to mean mom culture, and I want you to think about this: if we aren’t actively on offense, we will find ourselves on defense. So the sooner you can start implementing these, the quicker others will see you’re not about that mean mom life.

Offense: We’ll go on offense first. We know the best way for others to catch on is to model it yourself and explicitly state your stance.

#1 Be a great mom friend: go back and listen to last week’s episode. We talk about 5 ways you can actively be a great mom friend.

#2 Don’t engage in mean mom activities: gossip, putting others down, blowing things out of proportion, excluding with the intent to hurt feelings, prideful behavior, toxic comparisons, judging others, grudge holding, etc.

#3 Lead by example: You go first. Be the first to invite, include, build up, encourage. Do it first, do it often, and create a culture of moms building up other moms.

#4 Healthy boundaries. Keep your standards high and your boundaries healthy. You don’t have to be besties with meanies, but we can respond in kindness and hold our ground.

#5 Teach your kids: Give your kids tools in their tool belt, so when their peers are acting undesirably, they know how to respond in a way that reflects Christ. This one is hard, practice at home.

Defense: When mean mom culture happens. Know who the real enemy is, and know that you have the chance to point others to Christ

#6 Respond like Jesus. Be the salt and light. There should be something drastically different about how we’re living our lives as Christians. How we interact with the world should make others want to know why we’re different.

#7 Be angry and do not sin. Ephesians 4:26-27. Want to be radical? Forgive. Don’t be petty or run your mouth. See number 6. Maybe you need to make you some notecards too.

#8 Seek to understand. If they are a follower of Christ, see them as a daughter of the king, aka your family. There is a reason behind reactions. Maybe attempt a conversation, and at the minmum, pray for them.

#9 Stand Your ground: There will be times when mean mom culture happens to us or by proxy our kids with mean girls. It’s important to vocalize your standards. “Hey, that hurt my feelings when you said that, please don’t do that.” Those words alone carry weight. Or in real time, “That’s an odd thing to say.” or “What’s your goal with saying that?” If you’re not a fan of awkward, circle back and have a one on one conversation later.

#10 Accept them as an image bearer of God. God loves them, and although it can be difficult, we can find a way to show kindness and love. Holy Spirit do a work in us.

There you have it. 10 ways to say no to mean mom culture. Bottom line, we’re not called to respond like the world does, but like Jesus does. Do we always get it right? No way! Can we work at it and ask the Holy Spirit to do a work in us? Yes!

God didn’t say, “Hey follow me, it’ll be easy.”, but rest assured Jesus has overcome the world and is constantly working on us. I have a feeling someone listening to this is holding onto something they need to let go. Pray right now and ask God to help you with this. Give it to him.

EP 98: How Small Acts of Obedience Lead to Big Leaps of Faith

It’s no mystery where the term “leap of faith” comes from. It’s thrown around pretty casually in the secular world, and it all ties back to faith. True faith requires a leap of sorts. When we go all in on our faith in Jesus, we can see the reality that God equips us with abilities we could never obtain on our own. Today, we’re looking at how tiny acts of obedience prepare us for big leaps of faith. As we embrace our identity in Christ as being able, we can rest in this truth:

Truth: Since you are able, you can step out in faith with confidence.

Speaking from experience, I feel so much more confident stepping out of faith when I’ve been consistently obeying God. As we grow in our relationship with God, we can see where God calls us to move in specific directions.

2 Corinthians 3:5 says, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” I love the honesty in this verse so much that it makes me laugh. We, by ourselves, can’t even do anything substantial. The only way we are able to do anything good is because of God. I’m so thankful He enables us!

EP 99: 3 Steps to Shut Down Fear with God’s Protection

As followers of Christ, we know our souls are protected and we are eternally safe. As we live our lives while here on Earth, we know we’ll face trials and persecution. That’s a tough pill to swallow, and this tension can cause us to live in fear. Today, we’re talking about 3 Steps to shut down fear with God’s protection by standing firm in this truth:

Truth: Since you are protected, you can combat fear.

Let me start by saying, if you’re struggling with the tension of being protected by God and wrapping your mind around still struggling on this side of Heaven, I recommend episode 14. I deep dive on your identity in Christ as being protected. This episode will give you all the background context so that you can piggyback off of that episode.

I want to focus on this verse today from Psalm 27:1.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”

Psalm 27:1

Step 1: Call out the Fear

Step 1 of 3 to shut down fear with this truth of God’s protection is to call out the fear. Call it out! God is our salvation, our savior, saving us from an eternity in hell. Our fate is secure, and we don’t have anything to be afraid of when we live our lives through this perspective.

As humans, do we all face both rational and irrational fears? Absolutely. I used to struggle horribly with this while in the trenches of PTSD, and I’ve seen some things. Eek! Here’s what I know, and what counselors, doctors, psychologists, preachers, etc will tell you. Call that fear out, and acknowledge it.

Does anything wonderful happen when we repress toxic feelings? No. You know this. You can sit right there in this moment and rationally tell me that bottling up feelings is bad for you and it has collateral damage around you. As parents, aren’t we asking our kids to tell us how they’re feeling? You sure bet I am! And as wives, are we asking our husbands to tell us how they’re feeling? Yes!

Logically speaking, why wouldn’t we want the same for ourselves too? So, how do we do this? Make time to reflect, have honest check ins with yourself, and take it to God. Shout out prayer time! When we take a moment to recognize the fact that fear tactics are being used against us by satan, we can remind ourselves that we are protected by God. He is alive and working in us, and we can ask God to help us speak truth to ourselves. Shout out Bible reading!

Step 2: Confront the Fear

Step 2 to shut down fear with this truth of God’s protection is to confront the fear. We’ve recognized it and called it out, now it’s time to confront. I know my non confrontational people out there are cringing, so let me put it this way…If your child was struggling with fear, would you start calling out to God for help? Would you intervene and teach them the truth of how if they are a Christ follower that they are protected? Of course we would! So do the same for you and your thought life.

Love yourself, mama. Quit neglecting it and letting fear run rampant in your headspace. You need all that mental real estate to remember if you’re in charge of team snacks or not for this weekend’s game. Ironically as I type this, I have now realized it is definitely me who is supposed to be bringing snacks to the game today…whoopsie. Thank you God for grocery pick up.

Satan is trying to keep you chained up in your fear, but you are protected by the the breaker of chains. God almighty has already freed you from this fear. The chains are unlocked, the cell door is open, and you can choose to get out of the false comfort of that mental jailhouse, and experience freedom protected by Christ.

Step 3: Conform the Fear

Step 3 to shut down fear with this truth of God’s protection is to conform the fear. Interesting information: research shows that you can literally rewire your brain. If you’ve been stuck in the fear mentality for a while there is great news. God will literally change your brain anatomy if you’re willing to put in the work. Neuroscience for the win!

I won’t go into detail about brain science, neural network rewiring of synapses, and nerd out on you in this episode. So, I highly recommend that book Switch On Your Brain. It gives you biblically backed science that proves how all of this works. Praise God, the creator of science!

You have the God given protection and go ahead to shut fear down. You don’t have to live life in a fearful, intensely stressed day to day life. Are there times we’re deep in the trenches and it takes significant time, energy, and effort? Yes. On this side of Heaven, yes. And that’s a hard truth, especially if you feel you’re doing everything you can. My best recommendation is this: stay in the fight. God is with you, protecting you, and is showing you the next steps to take to combat the fear.

Everything worth having is worth working for, and peace of mind is one of those things. Jesus is the ultimate peace. When we can know the truth of the Bible, pray and ask God to guide us, talk with good Christian counsel, and practice preaching these truths to ourselves and others, our focus shifts from fear to faith.