Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast

Kay Daigle Claudia McGuire Most if not all of us have had questions about prayer at some point in our lives. Perhaps yours were never answered or the answers you heard didn't satisfy your curiosity. If so, this episode is for you. BOW Ministry Team Member Claudia McGuire is here to help. Don't miss her insightful and helpful conversation with Kay Daigle. This episode is also available on video. Other resources on prayer “Practical Prayer Solutions” with Kay Daigle & Kelly Arabie “Prayer & Obedience” with Claudia McGuire Book: Prayer: How to Have a Conversation with God by Rosalind Rinker Timestamps: 00:21 Introductions 02:01 Prayer is hard for many reasons. 04:23 Why pray? 08:27 Is there a right or wrong way to pray? 11:34 Why did the disciples ask Jesus how to pray? 16:01 Why are my prayers not answered? 21:33 What role does faith play in prayer? 27:20 What is intercessory prayer? 31:02 Is there a prayer that God doesn't answer? 34:51 Does Jesus pray for us? 38:28 Do we need to work hard to be heard? 48:25 Other prayer resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I am Kay Daigle. I'd like to welcome you to this episode of the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast. Today I'm talking with Claudia McGuire. Welcome, Claudia. Claudia >> Thank you. Kay >> Claudia spent years on staff at a church in Plano, Texas, at Chase Oaks, and she now still does Bible teaching, and she speaks at retreats, leadership, training, conferences—whatever. And we are so glad that she is one of our BOW Ministry Team members. So she's not really a guest, but she is a co-worker in this ministry. And it's been a privilege to know Claudia since we were in seminary together. Claudia >> Thank you. You, too. I feel the same. Kay >> Yes. So today we're going to talk about prayer. We've talked about prayer previously, and we're going to talk a little bit about prayer today. We're going to talk about your Prayer Questions Answered. So if you have had a question, possibly Claudia will answer that question today because I think she's come up with some general questions that a lot of people ask. Is that right, Claudia? Claudia >> I think so. I've heard these questions. And then I've also just thought through these seem like logical questions to me. Some of them are kind of seem harder than others, but I think they're all relevant. Right? Kay >> Right. I totally agree. Claudia >> So I just have observed that over the years, as I've been in Bible study or led Bible study or been in small groups, or mission groups or, you know, all kinds of situations like that with I should say, fellow Christians, fellow Christ followers, I've just observed that there are people who seem to be uncomfortable with praying, right? Kay >> Yes. Claudia >> So just praying, just uncomfortable with it. Even if maybe they've been a part of your group for quite a while. Or even if maybe they've known the Lord for quite a while, there's this uncomfortable thing that happens. And, you know, not to call on them when it's prayer time and whatever situation you're in. Some don't like to pray aloud. I'm not saying that they don't pray. That some don't like to pray aloud. They just don't like that. Kay >> Yep. Claudia >> And some people are uncomfortable when other people pray. Like, I just kind of sense that sometimes from people. And then some others don't. We kind of touched on this in another recording that we did, but some others don't want to share requests because they feel God's not going to hear me, this isn't worth his time. Nobody wants to hear this or it's just something that I'm not ready to put out there before people, which is I understand that. So maybe we can address some of this mystery that seems to surround prayer or at least have a discussion of things that might keep us from praying in all kinds of situations. And hopefully as a result of this, that we who pray out loud or don't have a problem with prayer might disc...

Kat Armstrong Kay Daigle Leaders are always on the hunt for good volunteers. The question is what to look for in a potential volunteer. The answer? Recruit gifted volunteers, in fact look for those more gifted than you are. What does it look like practically? Kat Armstrong discusses with Kay Daigle why and how to find and empower such volunteers. As a leader, this episode will make you think about what gifts you need in the people working under and with you. Keep in mind that you need to recruit gifted volunteers, people who are even more gifted than you are! Recommended resources Recruit the right volunteers with Kat Armstrong How Should I Structure My Women's Ministry Team? Maximizing volunteers This episode is available on video as well. TranscriptKay >> Hi, I'm Kay Daigle with Beyond Ordinary Women, and I am delighted to welcome you to a series of videos that I'm doing with Kat Armstrong, who is the founder of Polished Ministry, a nonprofit. And Kat is sharing lessons in leadership that she has learned through leading in Polished. And we have some others that we're discussing as well. But this particular session we're going to talk about seeking leaders that are more gifted than you. And so, Kat, there are probably people out there wondering why in the world you would want to seek leaders more gifted than you, because don't you want to sort of be the one who knows all the answers and, you know, you're sort of at the top of the food chain. Why not? Kat >> Well, yes, I used to think that way. I read this book by John Maxwell, probably 15 years ago called Developing the Leaders Around You. And that book changed my mind about this. And he said, “Think about your leadership on a scale with zero being not such a great leader, got to work on some things, and ten being really high capacity person. He said, “Let's say that we're seven maybe six-and-a-half. If you start recruiting eight, nines and tens in your organization, they're going to bring you up. They're only going to encourage you in leadership and make you a better leader. And I think Stephanie and I, when we co-founded this organization, really took that to heart. But I started to see quickly that if we were going to reach our peers with the gospel—young, professional women (I only had experience in sales and marketing), we needed women who were great in accounting and logistics and administration and technology. Things that I'm not going to be able to learn really quickly or efficiently. But they know how to do it. And so we just decided let's recruit the smartest, fastest, most efficient women we can think of. And it is a little intimidating. I walk into a leadership team meeting, and I think everyone in here is better educated and could do a lot of things better than I can. But it just makes our team really strong. Kay >> Absolutely. I totally agree with you about that. Do you have an example to share of someone or a group that really was just an amazing recruit? Kat >> Sure. If we look at our staff right now, I wish I could talk about all of them. We don't have time to do that. But I think if you just go to our website, look at the headquarters staff, they're incredible. Felicia Benton really stands out in my mind is someone I watched behind a microphone and I thought, wow, she is better at interviewing than I have gotten in a decade. And I've really been practicing. We've done over 200 events. I bet I've interviewed a slew of people and it was like magic to watch her behind a microphone. And then I watched her emcee an event, and I thought of all the things I've read in the training I've been to that is just raw, natural talent right there. It's and now she's joined our staff as the regional director, and she helps all of our directors and see and speak. And so she's training people on how to do that. But I think she probably stands out as a great example for that. Kay >> Well,

Lynn Hoffmann Kay Daigle Lynn Hoffmann joins Kay Daigle in this conversation focused on shepherding a small group. Lynn shares from her extensive experience as a small group leader, including many years in 12 Step studies. What does shepherding a small group entail? Lynn suggests beginning with a well-defined purpose for your group. She focuses on the importance of making it a safe place for each group member. This episode provides specific and practical help for any small group leader who wants to disciple a group to flourish and follow Jesus. This episode is also available on video if you prefer. Recommended resources Steps into God's Grace by Lynn Hoffmann Small Groups' Page to see all of our resources Building Community in Small Groups--Share Life stories Leading a Small Group Toward Spiritual Growth series: 1. Essentials, 2. Preparation, 3. Discussions Intergenerational Small Groups Timestamps: 00:21 Introductions 02:01 Biblical shepherds 06:50 Why be in a small group to begin with? 14:55 Practicing confidentiality 23:24 How do you know if the group is growing together? 25:30 How do you connect with women outside of the group when needed? 30:22 Group should be about the "one another" verses 38:16 Picture yourself as the shepherd of your group 40:30 Lynn's final challenge 42:43 Other suggested resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle. Welcome to the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast. Today I am talking with my friend Lynn Hoffmann. Welcome, Lynn. Lynn >> Well, thank you, Kay. I’m so glad to be here. Kay >> Well, we are so glad to have you today. I've been looking forward to this and a lot for a long time in fact, I've been trying to get Lynn on here for a long, long time. And I think we finally hit on some things she wanted to talk about. So here we are we're going to talk today about leaders as shepherds. We're going to be talking about shepherding small groups. And really shepherding is an aspect of discipleship. And so that's where discipling people were shepherding them. And so let me just tell you a little bit about Lynn, but you can find more about her on our website, BeyondOrdinaryWomen.org. Go to the dropdown menu where it talks about the “About Us” and look under video podcast contributors and you'll be able to read all the details about Lynn and all the things that she's done. But I will tell you that she's had years of involvement in recovery ministry. She taught she led groups, she's mentored women, and she wrote her own book that she began using Steps into God's Grace. And we'll let her talk about that at the end of our podcast a little bit. Now, she's the certified spiritual director so she's done a lot of different things. And I know that she's going to be a blessing to all of you out there. Since we're talking about shepherding, I thought we would just talk for just a few minutes about sheep a little bit and shepherding since it's used so much in the Bible and there's a reason because we are like sheep in a lot of ways. And I'm not going to talk about how we're like shape, but I'm going to talk about shepherding a little bit So I thought we would look at a few scriptures. I'm not going to really open all these and read the whole thing for you right now. But I would encourage you to read back through Psalm 23. I'm sure everyone is familiar. “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want He makes me dwell down in green pastures. He restores my soul.” And all of that is the wonderful Psalm. It's one of my very favorite. So I think it's probably on everybody's top ten list, at least of passages. So we learn a little bit about a shepherd as we look at Psalm 23. It says that the shepherd thinks of what the sheep need, what kind of food they need. He leads them there. He protects them from their enemies. And he's a companion. He helps heal them. And we see all of that in Psalm 23. And then in John 10,

Sharifa Stevens Kay Daigle Sharifa Stevens, author of When We Talk to God: Prayers and Poems for Black Women, talks with Kay Daigle about her book. Although it's written with black women in mind, any woman can identify with most of the feelings that permeate this beautiful book. This is a book that prays women's feelings, as the Psalms do. There is something for each reader as Sharifa pours out her heart in these prayers and poems. Recommended resources sharifastevens.com sharifahstevens.substack.com Podcast series with Nika Spaulding: Understanding Lament & Practicing Lament The Psalms This episode is also available on video. Timestamps: 00:20 Introduction to Sharifa & her book 01:39 Sharifa's heart for the book and how it came to be 08:03 How do you see women of other backgrounds connect to the poems & prayers? 10:08 What did you hope that black women of faith would take from your book? 11:31 Women are worthy to talk to God. 15:22 Some of the prayers may be challenging but no topic is off limits with God 16:35 How did you deal with reliving difficult experiences? 18:54 Sharifa shares a favorite, "Moving On Up." 22:26 Resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay with Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to our podcast. Our guest today is actually one of our ministry team members, Sharifa Stevens. And today she is the one being interviewed rather than just one of our team members. So, Sharifa, it’s so great to see you as always. Sharifa >> It's always a pleasure to see you, Kay. Kay >> Now, Sharifa, according to her book, Sharifa is a writer, a poet, a speaker, and a singer. And it's all true. Sharifa >> It's true. This is going to be so fun! Kay >> I don't know... I'm not quite sure why you think this is so funny. That's the wonderful things that you are. Sharifa >> It is. It's wonderful. Kay >> She looks so sad. Sharifa >> I'm so sorry. I'm not. I'm so happy. Kay >> Anyway, we won't talk about you anymore if it'll make you feel better. Sharifa >> Okay. Kay >> You can read Sharifa's entire bio on our site BeyondOrdinaryWomen.org. So today we are talking to Sharifa because she has a book, and it is beautiful. It is one of the prettiest books I've ever seen. And it is When We Talk to God: Prayers and Poems for Black Women. So Sharifa, actually, I was just really blown away by your book, by the beauty of it, by so many of the poems and prayers in it. It just really touched my heart in a lot of ways. It reminded me a lot of the psalms, which mean a whole lot to me, because you had a lot of raw emotion in there like the psalmist, and it all came from your heart. And there's no doubt about it. That kind of expressed your deepest thoughts. And, you know, just like the Psalms that give us words to pray when we don't know what to say to God. I see your book is doing that for a lot of people there. There will be a lot of poems and prayers in here that will be very dear to many women who will read them and pray them over and over. I think, just like the Psalms, it will help people when they face difficulties be anchored in the Word when that happens. Thank you for doing this. Sharifa >> Thank you for those affirming words. And I am especially honored that you would draw a parallel to the Psalms because that was my goal. And I see the Bible as being so vivid and rich with emotional depth that it's not just an intellectual exercise to read the Bible. It is spiritual, and it's also emotional, and it reflects the fullness of God's love and of our humanity. And so in the book, I wanted to reflect some of that back to the frankness and intimacy of the Psalms and the prophetic voice of the prophets, and the thirst for justice that echoes throughout the prophetic books, and also the playfulness of the Song of Solomon. They're just different beats in the Bible. There's history, there's lamentation, there's so much praise,

Kay Daigle What does prayer with obedience look like? Claudia McGuire, BOW Team Member, talks with Kay Daigle about it. She uses Psalm 31 as her example of exactly how she prays and obeys God from reading and meditating on the Word of God. This is an episode for any Christian who is searching for a deeper prayer life and application for her Bible reading. Claudia's honest insights into her prayer own life are invaluable. Recommended resources involving prayer Why is Prayer So Hard? Part 1: A Matter of the Heart & Part 2: Life Issues Prayer for the Overwhelmed Entrusting the Future to God Practical Prayer Solutions Seeking Joy in the Psalms This episode is available on video if you prefer to watch. Timestamps: 00:18 Introductions 01:22 What does it mean to pray with obedience? 05:39 Psalm 31, an example of how to incorporate scriptures into your prayers and obedience 34:11 Other resources on prayer TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle. Welcome to our podcast for Beyond Ordinary Women. My friend who isn't actually a guest because she is a member of our ministry team, but this is Claudia McGuire, and we've had her on many times. Welcome, Claudia. I'm so glad you're with me today. Thank you. Claudia >> I'm happy to be here today. Thank you for asking me. Kay >> Right. Well, Claudia is going to talk about praying with obedience. Now, Claudia has lots of experience in the church world. She worked at Chase Oaks Church for almost two decades, I think, a long time. She still speaks and teaches Bible studies and does leadership stuff and will speak at a retreat or a training of any kind. And so today, she's going to talk about prayer. We've talked about prayer before, but today, Claudia wanted to talk about praying with obedience. So I have to ask you what does that mean to pray with obedience? Claudia >> Well, I think that is a great question. Kay >> You never expected one! Claudia >> I didn't very well, actually. I don't think we think about it. I'm wondering if we think about that aspect of prayer enough for those of us who who do pray. I think that we just don't take into account that prayer is more than just casting our cares on God, just throwing things at him and saying, “Help me. Get help me get out of this—or whatever.” There is an aspect of obedience, and that's kind of what I want to talk through as I go through this psalm. Psalm 31 is what we're going to look at. But prayer in itself, which is the ability to communicate with our creator. I think it started way back in the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve used to walk in the cool of the day in the garden and talk to God. And I don't really see or know specifically how that morphed into our current prayer life. You know how we pray today, but we do see prayers all throughout the Bible, and it’s just a privilege that I think our God has given us. Not only is it a privilege, but it's also something I think that involves an aspect of surrender when we come to God. It involves trust that he's there. It takes vulnerability on our part to actually come before the throne of grace, as the Bible calls it. And then, really when we open our hearts and our needs to the Father, that also involves listening and believing that he hears. So if we're actively praying about something without listening or looking for God to answer, we might be missing one of the biggest aspects of prayer, which is obedience. Like if I'm praying about something—my obedience or what I might hear or sense—it’s that I just really need to keep praying about this. It’s something I don't have a peace about. I have no idea what the answer is or the outcome is going to be. That could be my obedience is just keep praying about it. It could be that maybe God impresses on me to go to somebody. Maybe I need to ask her forgiveness. Maybe there's something that's creating a barrier between me and God. You know, that's obedience. Do I hear that?

Dr. Sue Edwards Dr. Kay Daigle In this final episode of the three-part series Empowering Leaders to Survive and Thrive Through Conflict, Dr. Sue Edwards discusses biblical peace-making practices with Kay Daigle. Connect to the previous two episodes in this series: Get Ready for Conflict, Leaders; and Women's Tendencies in Conflict. Or watch all episodes on video. Recommended resources Oletha Barnett's podcast series, Fight Right: 1. The Nature of Conflict, 2. Biblical Resolution 3. Accepting Other's Differences. All are also available on video. All BOW videos on dealing with conflict Book: Leading Women Who Wound: Strategies for an Effective Ministry by Sue Edwards & Kelley Mathews Elizabeth Woodson's short Leader Tip: Tell the Truth BOW's downloadable resource list Timestamps 00:21 Introduction to the topic 01:40 Deciding whether to approach the other person 04:08 Emotional health is necessary 05:17 How to identify women who are likely unhealthy 10:36 Contents of Sue's book 12:06 How Sue weathered the conflict she faced TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to the third in a series of our videos on conflict with Dr. Sue Edwards from Dallas Seminary. You can read her bio online. We began by discussing Be Prepared for Conflict. And in our last video, we talked about just the Tendencies of Women—not for all women, but many women tend to deal with conflict in a certain way. And in this video, we're going to talk about Peacemaking Practices for Sisters. And I'm excited about really getting into how to take care of conflict. I'd also like to let you know that we did a series with Oletha Barnett that really gave the foundational principles that Sue's going to kind of take some of those apart in a practical way for us no—to how to make peace and what the Bible says about conflict. And so that really is important for you to have those principles you may need to go back. That would be the third video in that series called Fight Right with Oletha Barnett, which you can find on our website. And also on our Vimeo page. So, Sue, as you think about this, what are the peacemaking practices for sisters? Sue >> Well, of course, as Oletha said, Matthew 18:15-17 gives us some really three different steps and that helps us know that we want to master that. Although it's easy to make things formulaic when you're in real situations. It's not quite that easy. But still the principles in these steps that Jesus taught us are wonderful. Kay >> Well, let me ask you, before you even get into those, how do you decide that you need to go to one of those practices? How do you know when you have to sort of attack the problem rather than let it settle? Sue >> Well, I know when there's a possible relational disconnect. That to me, relationships are so important for the unity of the body—that we women work together, that we love each other, we support each other. So if there is a possibility, if I see that woman at the grocery store and I go the other aisle or I'm still having imaginary conversations with her three or four days later, then I know that this needs to be dealt with. Or if I even get a sense that she's hurt or she's avoiding me. And what we want to do is come together, but in a sense of a learning conversation. In other words, I want to sit down with you because you are important to me. I love you as a sister in Christ, and I don't want anything to interfere with our relationship. And so if there's anything that might, so there's ways to do it that are not so scary. So, a lot of times we hate this. We think it's going to get mean and confrontational. It doesn't have to. And if that person is a healthy person, then you come at it with that kind of tone of voice and hard attitude because you think there's some issue, whether they did it, whether you did it, whatever. I would go and try to work that through. And if they're healthy,

Dr. Kay Daigle Dr. Sue Edwards In this second video in the series Leaders, Survive and Thrive in Conflict, Dr. Sue Edwards discusses women's tendencies in conflict with Dr. Kay Daigle. Knowing our womanly inclinations when confronted with conflict enables us to practice good peacemaking that will serve us well in such situations. As leaders, there will be times when conflict arises within our church or organization, and we need to deal with it well. Learning about women's tendencies in conflict will also help any of us to overcome our usual reactions and follow Jesus as peacemakers. After all, Jesus values them as he said in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" (Matt. 5:9, NET). If you missed the first episode, access Get Ready for Conflict, Leaders. Or watch all episodes on video. Recommended resources Oletha Barnett's podcast series, Fight Right: 1. The Nature of Conflict, 2. Biblical Resolution 3. Accepting Other's Differences. All are also available on video. All BOW videos on dealing with conflict Book: Leading Women Who Wound: Strategies for an Effective Ministry by Sue Edwards & Kelley Mathews Elizabeth Woodson's short Leader Tip: Tell the Truth This episode is also available on video. Timestamps: 00:16 Introductions 00:58 What research shows 06:57 Women live in a relational web. 10:59 Approaching conflict with grace & strength TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. And I'm welcoming you to this second video in our series on conflict with Dr. Sue Edwards. Our series is really focused toward leaders, and Sue is giving us some tips on how to survive and thrive through conflict as leaders. In the first video, we just talked about being ready, being prepared, that conflict is going to happen. And Sue shared some of her own personal experiences with conflict as I have. And in this one we're going to talk about women's tendencies in conflict because women have some tendencies that are a little bit different from the way men might handle conflict. As I told you in the first video, you can read Sue's full bio on our website as she is an Associate Professor at Dallas Seminary. And we are so thankful that she gave us the time to talk about this. So Sue in your experience, in your research, what can you tell us about women in conflict? Sue >> Well, I think, first of all, I would give a warning that we don't want to put everybody in the same box, that stereotypes are dangerous and misleading. But there are some tendencies that are real, and I've experienced them. You probably have as well. And as women and women leaders particularly we just need to be aware. Kay >> Some of them will apply to the leaders themselves. Sue >> Yes. Yes. Kay >> And if you're a leader, you need to know what your tendencies are. Sue >> Exactly. And you need to know that as a leader, often you're working with men. So if you don't understand how you may come at this differently, then you will possibly have some real problems. So this is helpful just to be aware. Kay >> I think of the story you told in the last video that the executive pastor gave you 15 minutes to mediate an entire conflict. That's a man's tendency isn't it? Sue >> Yes, and he ended up having to—then we had three or four more sessions as a result because there was no possible way because we were in this personally. That's something that we see Janet Lever has done research on children's playgrounds and she has spent large blocks of time watching children play together. And what she has observed is that the little boys will come together, and when there is a conflict, they will get into it physically and verbally. Then they'll be rolling in the dirt, and they'll be really going after each other. But she's watching and the next day, they're fine. They don't hold on to this at all. It's just a way to work things out.

Dr. Sue Edwards Dr. Kay Daigle If you're a leader, get ready for conflict according to Dr. Sue Edwards of Dallas Seminary. It's inevitable, so we need to prepare for it as best we can. Dr. Edwards and Dr. Kay Daigle tell the story of a conflict they were both involved in years ago. Dr. Edwards strongly suggests that we learn about peacemaking now and practice it in every part of our lives. Get ready for conflict! Don't miss the second podcast in the series: Women's Tendencies in Conflict, and the third, Empowering Practices in Conflict. Right now all are available on video, but the second and third will drop on our podcast soon. This episode is available on video as well. Recommended resources Oletha Barnett's podcast series, Fight Right: 1. The Nature of Conflict, 2. Biblical Resolution 3. Accepting Other's Differences. All are also available on video. All BOW videos on dealing with conflict Book: Leading Women Who Wound: Strategies for an Effective Ministry by Sue Edwards & Kelley Mathews Timestamps 00:22 Introduction 02:45 Get ready for conflict 08:07 Research confirms the need to become peacemakers. 09:43 Conflict in Jesus' life TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries, and I'd like to welcome you to a series on conflict. Our guest today is Dr. Sue Edwards from Dallas Seminary. Sue is the Associate Professor of Educational Ministries and Leadership there. Her complete bio is on our website if you want to read that. This series is really a follow up to a series that we previously posted with Oletha Barnett called “Fight Right,” which will give you the basics of conflict. Sue and I today are going to talk more specifically about leadership. The title of this series is “Empowering Leaders to Survive and Thrive through Conflict.” So this will be specifically for you, but you will need the basics that Oletha gives about handling it and just some other tips that she has. It's a wonderful series. You'll find it also on our website at BeyondOrdinaryWomen.org. This is the first in three. Right now, we're just going to talk about “Get Ready.” Just to give you a little background, Sue and I met years ago and really at the time, Sue was weathering a conflict that she may talk about some in this series. I got drawn into the conflict really when I wouldn't take a stand against Sue by the people that were attacking her. And so I became a second target of these people. It bonded me and Sue because we were dealing with the same people and had experienced some of the same things. It was a very difficult time, I know for her, and it certainly was for me. So I know that Sue not only has studied conflict and studied scripturally what to do with conflict, but she has experienced conflict. She has weathered it; she has experienced it; and she has learned about it. So, Sue, I'm excited to hear what you are going to tell us about conflict and we're talking about get ready. So get us ready. Sue >> I'll start out by just saying be ready because conflict is coming and the more influential you are as a leader, the more conflict you'll experience. And our experience was, oh my goodness, it was a horrendous year for me. I was leading a women's ministry and we were in the same church there. And a rival Bible teacher (Now, those words should never even be in the same sentence, but that was the reality of what was going on.), she attempted to have me thrown out of the church as a false teacher, and it was over a doctrinal issue that at our seminary our professors agreed to disagree about. It's a gray area and godly people take different stands on it. But this woman she was not willing to do that. In fact, I remember sitting in the Executive Pastor's office, and she was glaring at me over the table and she said, “You are holding women's hands to hell.” It was that kind of rhetoric that was going on and the Executive Pastor basically said, and of course,

Nika Spaulding Kay Daigle Nika Spaulding joins Kay Daigle for this fun and helpful conversation as she discusses using questions like Jesus. Nika did her doctoral research on this topic and it has changed her perspective of how to disciple others. Whether you disciple your own child, mentor another woman or teach the Bible, this conversation will provide a lot to think about and some practical ideas for implementing questions. Recommended resources Jesus is the Question: the 307 Questions Jesus Asked and the 3 He Answered by Martin Copenhaver What do you Seek? The Questions of Jesus as Challenge and Promise by Michael J. Buckley, SJ The Questions of Jesus: Challenging Ourselves to Discover Life's Great Answers by John Dear Re-Imagining Discipleship: A Theological Perspective BOW podcast with Nika Spaulding You can watch this episode on video. Timestamps: 00:32 This topic is for everyone! 02:19 How did you get interested in this topic? 03:39 Making disciples 06:28 What kinds of questions are we talking about? 12:00 Questions in Jesus' day 22:17 What did your research look like? 26:42 How can we learn to ask questions like Jesus? 38:50 Other resources TranscriptKay >> I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to this podcast recording. Our special guest today is Nika Spaulding. Nika >> Hey, friends. Kay >> Welcome again, Nika. Nika >> Thanks Kay. Kay >> Nika is a frequent guest on our podcast and our videos, and we're just always so happy when you're able to join us. I’m particularly excited about this conversation today because you're going to be talking about asking questions like Jesus. And that just sounds so interesting to me. And as I was thinking about it, I thought there are a lot of people who could probably benefit from this. I mean, the first people I thought of were like Bible teachers or people who write curriculum or people discipling other people. Or maybe even parents or counselors. I mean that the more I thought about it, the longer the list got. I just kept thinking of almost everybody. And in any kind of capacity there are times that they want to teach other people and maybe they need to use more questions. Nika >> Yeah, I think you're exactly right. I mean, I started out studying this as a way to help, like, church leaders. And then the more I started studying, the more I thought that this is helpful to me as an aunt and as a parent and as really anyone who wants to love others. Well, I think we have to grow in this skill. And so, yeah, I think the list is very long. But it might be everyone. It could be everyone. Kay >> I'm kind of thinking that it is. I just hadn't gotten that far in my mind. I think I would have eventually gotten there because I just kept adding in small group leaders and, you know, just all sorts of people. So I think that's good. Well, tell me just briefly how you got interested in this topic. Nika >> Yeah, I think it was almost by happenstance. So I'm finishing my doctoral program and of course, you have to write a thesis at the end of your time there. And in the beginning I thought I would do stuff on you know, rhetoric in the ancient world, how we understand Bible reading in the ancient world, I thought about like all these, like, really niche things that I was like super nerdy right up my alley. I wrote a bunch of papers on literacy in the ancient world, like, all these things. And then I realized, you know, wow, that's neat. And it's really fascinating. I more and more thought, I want to create something that can help the church. I wanted to create a tool that does exactly what we were just saying, a tool that can help others. And really the impetus for it was a young woman that I've been discipling for probably 15 years came to me and said, “Hey, how do I disciple others?” And, you know, I kind of looked at it like, “Well, what's, you know, what's the other person going through?

Kelly Dippolito Kelley Mathews We hope that this episode will encourage many of you to use the Center for Women in Leadership, particularly its Visual Museum for Women in Christianity. It is of interest to anyone, and can be a great resource for pastors and Bible teachers. There is art to download and accompanying teaching on each piece. Kelly Dippolito, Executive Director for the Center for Women in Leadership, joins BOW Ministry Team Member Kelley Mathews for this enlightening conversation about using the Visual Museum. Recommended resources Center for Women in Leadership Visual Museum of Women in Christianity The Alabaster Jar Podcast Other BOW resources for Bible teachers This episode is available on video. Timestamps: 00:20 Introductions 01:55 The Alabaster Jar podcast 02:53 What is the Visual Museum for Women in Christianity? 07:02 Content on the site 09:20 What content is upcoming? 10:26 How is the best way to browse through the museum? 14:04 How can someone use the Visual Museum? 20:15 Wrap-up TranscriptKelley M. >> Welcome to Beyond Ordinary Women. This is Kelley Matthews, and I am here to introduce to you another Kelly. So we're hoping we don't get ourselves all mixed up here. This is Kelly Dippolito and she is the Executive Director of the Center for Women in Leadership. Now, I've known Kelly for a long time. It feels like several years at least. And we have a shared love for this subject that we have today. So I am super excited to talk about her ministry that she works with and also their specific project called the Visual Museum for Women in Christianity. Welcome, Kelly. Kelly D. >> Kelley, thank you so much for having me on today. And I'm really looking forward to talking about the Visual Museum and the Center for Women in Leadership with you. Kelley M. >> Yes. So give us a little bit of the origin story. Let's start with the center because it's sort of like the umbrella organization. Where did it start? Who's involved— that kind of thing? And what do you do each day? Kelly D. >> Well, I serve as the Executive Director of the Center for Women in Leadership. The center was created by Dr. Lynn Cohick when she was provost at Northern Seminary. She is currently at Houston Christian University, of which you are one of her wonderful students. Kelley M. >> Yes I am. Kelly D. >> Right. So we transitioned the center into becoming a 501C3. A little over a year ago. And within that, we have a couple of projects, including producing her podcast, The Alabaster Jar and housing The Visual Museum of Women in Christianity, which is the project we'll be talking about today. Kelley M. >> Yeah. Let's do real quick. Tell me about The Alabaster Jar. I know that you act as a cohost and sometimes it's just the two of you chatting. So what's the general focus of the podcast overall? Kelly D. >> Well, we release an episode every Monday. Dr. Cohick is the host, and we cover a variety of topics in biblical studies and in topics that affect women in ministry, both in the church, the academy, and also the marketplace. What is it that's impacting our lives? How can we support and equip women? Those are the topics that we like to cover. Also, we have some we try to do some series drops on Thursdays is related specifically to the Visual Museum, and in order to provide that content in a different way than just the website. Kelley M. >> Yeah, Okay. Those are fun. Those come periodically. They're not every week. So. Yeah. And you guys do a good job of saying here they kind of. Yeah, it's going to be fun to look forward to. So. Kelly D. >> All right. Kelley M. >> Let's talk about the Visual Museum. And I have known about it since almost the beginning. So give us I know Dr. Cohick is one of the founders. Tell us about the other two and kind of how I got started. Kelly D. >> Well, Sandra Glahn of Dallas Theological Seminary,

Jodie Niznik Kay Daigle Jodie Niznik and Kay Daigle discuss exploring spiritual practices beyond prayer and Bible study to help us walk with God. If you feel your spiritual life has become simply something to check off on a to-do list, exploring a spiritual practice that is new to you may be the key to revitalizing your soul. Jodie encourages us to try something new slowly, exploring spiritual practices one at a time. You can also watch a video version of this episode. Recommended resources Jodie’s “So Much More” podcast Jodie’s website BOW Podcast episode with Jodie: Why Take a Personal Retreat? Laura Murray’s Digital Silent Retreats Jodie’s New Season Guided Retreat Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again Additional resources suggested by Jodie Timestamps: 00:32 Introduction 01:50 Defining spiritual practices 05:42 Silence and solitude 18:42 Sabbath 30:17 Fasting 35:34 Community 42:43 Final encouragement 43:43 Further resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to our podcast and video. Our special guest today is Jodie Niznik. Welcome Jodie. Jodie >> Thanks, Kay. So always good to be with you. Kay >> And we always love it when you come on here. We've had some great conversations and I'll get into some of those at the end so that people know more about them. Today we're going to talk about spiritual disciplines. And Jodie, I need to tell you a little bit more about her before we get into our conversation. Jodie is an author, a Bible teacher. She desires to help people make space for God in their lives. And she has a Scripture meditation podcast, which is fabulous, and it's called So Much More. And where can I get to that, Jodie? Jodie >> Yeah, if you go to my website, which is jodieniznik.com, there are links there, but it's also on any podcast platform. So wherever you listen to podcasts, you can Google so much more scripture meditation and you'll find it. Kay >> All right. Thanks for letting us know yeah. Well, as we start talking about spiritual disciplines, I just wanted to say from the from the get go that growing up in the church, all I knew was I was supposed to pray. I supposed to read my Bible, and I was supposed to give money. So I definitely came a long way. And I'm sure that there are people out there that don't even know what spiritual disciplines are. So let's sort of start from the beginning. How would you define them? Just tell us about them. Jodie >> Yeah, I love that you started with the basic spiritual disciplines that we know prayer, Bible study, giving to the church. Those are the practices that we know. But spiritual disciplines are actually much bigger and they all come from what we see Jesus doing. So Jesus, when he invited us to be followers, he said, “Come follow me.” That's what he said to the original disciples. You all know that. And when we look at what he was actually inviting them to do, he was actually inviting them into a way of living. He was inviting them to do the things that he was doing so that they would become more like him. So spiritual practices are often called spiritual disciplines. Those two words are interchangeable. I like practices a little more than discipline because I think discipline, especially if we're breaking out of even kind of a legalistic background it feels a little harsher to us and not as invitational as a practice. Practice has a little bit more freedom in the word for me, but a spiritual practice is something we see Jesus doing, but with the intention that we are being formed to be more like him. Another thing I think is really important about spiritual practices is we're all being formed into something. We are all being formed intentionally and unintentionally, and some of the ways that we are unintentionally formed are the things that we do, the things that we read,

Sharifa Stevens, BOW Ministry Team Member Kelley Mathews, BOW Ministry Team Member Protestants in general often don't talk much about Mary, mother and disciple of Jesus. Kelley Mathews, however, provides us with lots to think about from her interesting insights into who she was and her life and witness. What are the Seven Sorrows in her life? Kelly talks about them and what we can learn from Mary about being a disciple. Don't miss this lively discussion about Mary, mother and disciple of Jesus. This episode is also available on video. Recommended resources Women in the Story of Scripture podcast episode Artwork mentioned:1) Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Pietà, 1498-1499, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. 2) Artist Unknown, Theotokos, Our Lady of Sorrows, created 6th-7th century. Timestamps: 00:21 Introductions 01:35 Why Talk about Mary? 02:40 Mary of the Seven Sorrows 05:31 Simeon's Prophecy 07:43 The Pietà 09:38 Protestants and Mary 10:59 What can we learn from Mary as a disciple? 17:06 The through-line between Mary's Magnificat and Jesus' themes 20:18 Mary's humility 25:26 Mary behind the scenes 29:04 Art depicting Mary 32:58 Mary as an eyewitness 35:00 Resources TranscriptSharifa >> Hello, everyone, and welcome to Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. I am your host, Sharifa Stevens, and today I have the pleasure of talking to Kelley Mathews. Kelley Mathews has ministered to the church through writing and editing for over 25 years, though it does not look like it! Kelley has co-authored eight books, including 40 Questions About Women in Ministry. She is a freelance writer and editor, a former women's ministry director and Bible study teacher. She has been married to John, a school administrator, for 27 years. They are parents to four active, mostly grown children. Kelley earned her Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary in the year 2000 and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in New Testament from Houston Theological Seminary. Welcome, Kelley. Kelley >> Hello. Hello. It's kind of fun being on this end of the screen, right? Sharifa >> I'm glad. Kelley >> Right. Yeah. I'm usually one of the interviewers. Sharifa >> But today I'm interviewing you because we are going to be talking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Now we're talking about her perhaps in a different light than the audience might usually be used to her. We usually don't hear about Mary unless it's Christmas time. Right? Kelley >> Right. Right. Seems a little weird to be talking about her now because it's nowhere near Christmas when we're recording. And you should be listening to this after the New Year for sure. Sharifa >> Exactly. But when we only hear from Mary about Mary at Christmas time, there is so much depth and wisdom that we miss. She is a part of our cloud of witnesses, so to speak. Kelley >> Yeah. Sharifa >> Someone to glean wisdom from and to learn from and to take inspiration from. Well, you’re studying about Mary in part for your dissertation. Kelley >> Yes. Sharifa >> I want to get into it with you. One of the ways that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is identified in the larger church and traditionally in the Roman Catholic Church is as Mary of the Seven Sorrows. Is that correct? Kelley >> Yes. Sharifa >> What is. . . Kelley >> Mary has a lot of titles. Sharifa >> A lot of Titles. Kelley >> That's yeah, that's definitely one thing I think Protestants don't understand or may not even be aware of is the fact that the larger church and we could say the Catholic Church with this started way before there was any division of church when we were all united in the Patristic Era and then through the Medieval Time and all that. Mary was very much honored and she came by all these different names to emphasize different parts of her character and role within the church. Typically, as someone that would be an intercessor,

Dr. Jennifer McNutt, author of The Mary We Forgot BOW Team Member, Sharifa Stevens Who is the Mary that we forgot? Mary Magdalene. Although she was the first apostle or messenger of the Good News, Dr. Jennifer McNutt says that her story is often confused, scandalized, and undervalued by the church. Don't miss Dr. McNutt's lively conversation with Sharifa Stevens about her book, The Mary We Forgot. In this podcast, Dr. McNutt helps us see Mary's prominence in the Gospels and how she serves as a model of discipleship for both men and women today instead of being the Mary we forgot. This episode is also available on video. Resources: The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today Jennifer Powell McNutt McNuttshell Ministries Timestamps: 00:21 Introducing Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt 01:56 What compelled you write about Mary Magdalene? 06:42 What do we Protestants tend to forget about Mary Magdalene? 09:06 Who is she according to the biblical account? 19:48 A hermeneutic of surprise 23:38 Her story shows God's power. 27:41 Advice for women called to ministry but limited in opportunity 31:57 Who are the people whom we tend to overlook today? 35:05 Why read the book, The Mary We Forgot? TranscriptSharifa >> Hi, and welcome to another episode of Beyond Ordinary Women. My name is Sharifa Stevens, and I have the distinct honor of welcoming Dr. McNutt to our program today. Let me tell you a little bit about this scholar Jennifer Powell McNutt is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College. She is an award-winning author, a fellow in the Royal Historical Society and an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian tradition. Dr. McNutt serves as a Parish Associate at her church and regularly speaks at universities, seminaries and churches across the country. She and her husband co-founded McNuttshell Ministries, which is fun to say, which serves as a bridge between the Academy and the church. They live with their three children in Winfield, Illinois. Dr. McNutt is also the author of a book that we are talking about today, which is called The Mary We Forgot. Go out and get it. Dr. McNutt, it’s an honor to be with you today. Thank you for coming. Dr. McNutt >> Thank you so much for having me. I'm delighted to meet you and to get connected with your ministry and the good work that you're doing. Sharifa >> Thank you. Well, why don't we just dive right into it? So what compelled you to write The Mary We Forgot? And how did that conviction sustain you through the research and writing and in the process through the years—working and children? Dr. McNutt >> Yes, I think, it's been a long journey with Mary Magdalene. I talk a little bit about that journey in my book—about going to see Jesus Christ Superstar as a teenager and being super confused. And sort of wondering and I think, you know, because of the fact that in my church, we really did include the women of the Bible. But with Mary Magdalene, it was so very muddled, very confused about who she was and what she means when she is this first witness at the empty tomb and before the risen Christ on that Easter Sunday. You know, there's so many questions. I think as a woman who was drawn and called to ministry, I have been, you know, wanting to understand the Gospels and women in the Gospels and how they have contributed to Jesus's ministry. And also in the Pauline epistles as well. I think there are other women that I would go to before I would go to Mary Magdalene. And a lot of that had to do with kind of the back story that, you know, traveled with her everywhere. Then, you know, later as a scholar, I worked on the history of the Bible and history of the interpretation of the Bible. And I focused on the Reformation. And it was just so interesting to see how the reformers—both the male refor...

Julie Pierce Kay Daigle There is an art to giving and receiving feedback. Leaders benefit from feedback by growing as leaders themselves and helping those who work with them. Executive Coach Julie Pierce joins Kay Daigle to discuss how and why to give and receive feedback. Julie's suggestions are very practical and transferable to any situation. If you have been blindsided by critical feedback (as most of us as leaders have at some point), Julie will help you deal with that and learn to embrace it. Julie provides great practical suggestions to help you start giving and receiving feedback so that you reach your full potential as a leader. If you prefer, this episode is available to watch on video. Recommended resources Julie's post The Gift of Feedback juliepierceleadership.com Timestamps: 00:21 Introduction to Julie & why feedback is hard 08:02 Why feedback is so important 09:18 How we as leaders should give feedback to others 19:48 Feedback in Women's Ministry 26:38 Suggestions for leaders who struggle with feedback 34:32 Responding to critical feedback 40:17 Other resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle. Welcome to the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast as well as video. My special guest today is Julie Pierce. Welcome, Julie. Julie >> Thanks for having me, Kay. Kay >> Oh, we're so happy that you're here today and that we're having this conversation. We're going to be talking about the art of giving and receiving feedback, and that goes along with your role. You're an executive coach. You develop leaders one-on-one through coaching. You consult with teams; you communicate with groups; you do all that kind of leadership communication stuff. You can read more about Julie on her bio on our website at beyondordinarywomen.org. And Julie, I have your website as JuliePierceLeadership.com. Is that it? Julie >> Yes, that's me. Kay >> And Pierce is P I E R C E, right? Julie >> Yes. Kay >> Is there more than one way to spell Pierce? Julie >> There are a lot of different ways, but the best way is pie. Kay >> That’s good. Julie >> About right. I mean, that's one of my favorites, so that's good. Kay >> Well, today we are talking about feedback. And as Julie wrote in her notes to me, “Is feedback the other F word?” And why do you say that? Because we hate feedback? Because it's tough? Why do you feel that way about it? Julie >> You know, I say it that way, and obviously I'm joking! And yet there's a little bit of truth behind every joke, right? Because we all are so scared of getting any kind of feedback because feedback has become this dirty word. Where we immediately assume it's going to be this deep cutting criticism that is just going to cut to our core instead of this life-giving catalyst for our growth. And so if we can shift our mindset around it, and if we can get some skills about how to give and receive feedback, it really can be one of the key things that just unlocks our potential and really what God has for us and for those we lead. So it's really critical, and yet we just have that often had such terrible experiences, Quite honestly, like each one of us probably has a horror story to tell about someone who offered to give us some feedback, and really they just wanted to beat us up a little bit. And so that's often we have just a little bit of trauma in our background from feedback. And so we just say, “Oh, never mind, I'm not going to touch that with a ten foot pole.” So I think if we can get the skills and if we can shift our mindset about how we think about it, it really can unlock some amazing growth process. Kay >> Right. Well, you know, speaking of people having that kind of reaction, I remember that years ago I handed out to some Bible study leaders like a self-evaluation and I got feedback from one of my friends who said so-and-so was really complaining about it because she said, “This is just like a job evaluation.

Nika Spaulding Kay Daigle Why celebrate Lent? In this episode of the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast, Nika Spaulding joins Kay Daigle to discuss all things Lent. Although we may think that Lent is only for Catholics, Anglicans and other liturgical churches, it isn't. Nor is it all about fasting. Celebrating Lent means focusing on Jesus as we prepare our hearts for Easter. So how do we celebrate Lent? How does it work and who should participate in it? When did Christians begin celebrating this season? What are its benefits? What is fasting all about? How should we celebrate it? Nika deals with all of these questions. We encourage you to plan ahead to participate in Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday, which occurs March 5 this year. If you prefer you can watch this episode on video. Recommended resources Readings for Lent N.T. Wright's Lent for Everyone series. This year is Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C--A Daily Devotional N.T. Wright's new devotional, From Wilderness to Glory: Lent and Easter for Everyone. The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter. Each day's devotional is an excerpt from a different author's work. Music that draws you to Christ Timestamps: 00:21 Introduction to Lent 05:13 Background of Lent 07:09 Fasting 10:29 Adding in spiritual rhythms during Lent 13:55 Preparing your heart, soul and mind for Easter 16:00 Lent calls us to reflect on the brevity of life 24:06 Other reflections during Lent 25:10 Lent involves community 26:44 Lent is an invitation to repentance & reconciliation 28:32 Suggestions for what to do, read, etc. TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women. Welcome to this podcast and video episode of the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast. We are so glad to have you with us today. Today, our topic is “Why Celebrate Lent?” and our guest speaker is Nika Spaulding. Welcome, Nika. Nika >> Thanks, Kay. I'm excited to be. Kay >> I’m always so happy when you join us. You give us such a depth and wealth of information, and it’s so encouraging and positive. A few months ago, and it seems like just yesterday, Nika and I recorded an episode “Why Celebrate Advent? We talked about why we thought that was a great thing for Christians to do. At that time, we decided we would do one on Lent as well. And so here we are. It's already time. It doesn't seem right! Nika >> Doesn't seem right. I feel like it was yesterday. Kay >> I can't believe we're talking about Lent. And you know the day we're recording this, we still have a little bit of time. But still it's coming up and it won't be long before it's here. Nika >>Yeah. Kay >> And I suppose since we talked about the fact that neither one of us had ever celebrated Advent until we were adults. You didn't grow up in the church, and I grew up in a non-liturgical church. And we just kind of thought that Catholics do that. We don’t; we're Protestant. So I'm assuming that you and I are the same on Lent, that we didn't practice Lent until we were adults as well. Nika >> Yeah, exact same. I would say the biggest difference was I probably didn't even know Advent existed until I was an adult. But Lent I did know because of the very thing you're talking about because I had buddies who are Catholic. I remember seeing them with ashes on their head and not being able to eat certain foods, and so I knew Lent existed. But to me it was this kind of bizarro thing that once a year my Catholic buddy's did. That was the extent of what I understood about it. Kay >> Yeah, and all my Catholic friends— I heard them at school talking about what are you giving up for Lent? What are you giving up for Lent? And I thought, this just seems . . . Nika >> Yeah. Why would I give up anything? Kay >> Why are you giving up anything? And they weren't real happy about it, so it didn't make me want to celebrate Lent. You know, I just,

Kelly Arabie What does effective discipleship entail? What can we do in our churches to become more successful disciple-makers? How can we as individuals do a better job of discipling others? Debbie Swindoll joined BOW Ministry Team Member Kelly Arabie to discuss this important topic. Debbie calls us to dive into community if we want to grow as disciples of Jesus. What does that look like? Debbie provides practical and insightful answers to guide us to effective discipleship. You can watch this episode if you prefer. Other resources Don't miss the other discipleship video that Debbie did for BOW, Re-imagining Discipleship: A Spiritual Formation Perspective. It is part of a series that you won't want to miss if you are involved in making decisions about discipleship or if you disciple others. Other podcasts in the Re-imagining Discipleship series: A Theological Perspective, A Church Leader Perspective, A Missions Perspective, and A Kingdom Perspective, and Reclaiming the Fear of the Lord. Receive a free sample of Debbie's spiritual formation curriculum Life with God Time Stamps 00:24 Introductions 01:36 Ministry of Grafted Life 02:54 What does effective mean in terms of discipleship? 05:35 Developing the Fruit of the Spirit 09:35 The relational component 15:16 The challenge to experience being seen & known 19:05 What does this kind of relationship with others look like? 22:02 What does such a relationship with God look like? 24:43 It's very personal 29:37 Growing in community 33:03 Helpful resources TranscriptKelly >> Welcome to the Beyond Ordinary Women podcast. My name is Kelly Arabie. I'm one of the team members here at Beyond Ordinary Women, and today we are talking with Debbie Swindoll of Grafted Life Ministries. Along with her husband Kurt, Debbie founded Grafted Life and serves as the Executive Director and the director of Church Formation. Debbie graduated with a Masters in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from the Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot Seminary and Biola University. Debbie also serves as the Spiritual Formation Pastor at her church, Journey Community Church. Debbie, welcome. We are so happy to have you. Debbie >> Thank you. It's a long thing there. I'm getting older. I'm old now. Kelly >> No. Debbie previously spoke with Kay about Reimagining Discipleship. And so I want to encourage our listeners to go ahead (and we'll talk about that more at the end) but listen to that video as well. That will give you an introduction to our topic today. Today we are talking about effective discipleship. Deb, why don't you start with telling us a little bit about the Ministry of Grafted Life. Debbie >> Well, we started Grafted Life in 2010 and it was a bunch of colleagues of mine that had degrees in spiritual formation, which is kind of another word for discipleship, or how people grow, how we're formed as Christians. And we really had heart for the church. We'd gone to this graduate program and we'd experienced a lot of life change and we'd seen people change significantly. And yet we knew that everybody can't go to a graduate program. Everybody can't go to seminary. And so what, what could we bring back to the church that would maybe be more effective, more meaningful, more transformational for people in their lives and in their growth, in their spiritual growth. So we started really praying into that and thinking about it. We ended up developing some curricula and also starting an association for spiritual directors that could really serve people in the church and come alongside them in their spiritual growth. Kelly >> So as today we're talking about effective discipleship, what in your definition is effective? Debbie >> Okay, that's a really good question because I'm not sure when we think about discipleship, we always think about effective. You know, if you just look up in the dictionary, what is effective,

The focus of this episode is our interpretation and understanding of women in the story of Scripture. We at BOW are thrilled to welcome once again Dr. Sandra Glahn of Dallas Seminary. In this recording Dr. Glahn talks with Kay Daigle about the way we interpret the stories of women in Scripture and how that affects our perspective of them. Additionally she suggests that we learn to understand them from the context and provides many examples of how to be true to the text--and there are so many! Whether you're a teacher of the Word or you're reading through the Bible and want to understand the women in the story of Scripture, you'll be encouraged as a woman by Dr. Glahn's insights and helps. You can also access this episode on video if you prefer. You may also want to access some of the many episodes featuring Dr. Glahn and her insights and scholarship. Time Stamps 00:24 Why this topic? 02:02 The elements of story help us interpret correctly 06:12 How does knowing more about narrative help us interpret? 07:02 Noticing whether a person is named or not 10:15 Faulty approaches to the story 12:56 How do we correct faulty interpretations? 15:04 Who are some women in the Bible we tend to skip? 21:32 Evil-izing women of the Bible & not the men 23:50 Questions that women are asking about the Bible 26:40 How will understanding story help us avoid faulty interpretations? 32:24 Final encouragement for Bible teachers 34:17 Other resources from Dr. Glahn TranscriptKay >> Welcome to this Beyond Ordinary Women Ministry podcast. We're so happy to have you on video or our podcast. Our guest today is Dr. Sandra Glahn, who has been with us many times. Welcome, Sandi. Thank you for being here. Dr. Glahn >> Such a pleasure. Always a pleasure. Love what you're doing. Kay >> Thank you so much. I always contact Sandi once or twice a year and just say, what do you have going on? What can we talk about? Because I know what a blessing it will be to all of you out there. And today we are talking about “Women in the Story of Scripture.” And I'm particularly excited about this one. Why are you working on this right now? Do you want to give us a little background? Dr. Glahn >> Yeah. So I'm working on a book right now called A Woman's Place in the Story. And my pitch was basically this: First we had men's history, and we study David and we study the children of Israel, and we study Moses, which is important to study as Scripture is important. But we tended to initially just skip the women and then as a corrective have gone back and done studies on the women of the Bible, which we are not done doing, by the way. So it's still completely appropriate to have a women's study Bible and studies of women because so often they were left out. Example, you might have heard a sermon series on Genesis that skipped the story of Tamar, that's essential to the plot of Joseph's life and to his brother Judah. So my argument is we need to go beyond cameoing women. The ideal would be to just tell the story but include the women as they're in the story because they're serving an important function in the story. And so what I want to talk about now is some of the tools we need to see them so that we interpret what's happening appropriately. Kay >> Well, that's great. I'm really excited about this as a Bible teacher myself. So I know I'm going to learn from you today, and I suspect that everyone out there will as well. So first, let's talk just a little bit about the elements of story. Dr. Glahn >> You think about if you read a novel, you’ve got a character, you've got a plot, you've got a setting. One of the things to know when we're reading the Hebrew Bible is that often the land acts as much like a character as a person, and God's using the land and things like this—we’ll get to the daughters of Zelophehad later. But just as an example: these women who come and they're concerned that their father's name will be forgotten,...

Rebecca Carrell In BOW's latest episode, Rebecca Carrell talks with Kay Daigle about the biblical term "the fear of the Lord" and the need for reclaiming it. What does it even mean? And why is it so crucial to our discipleship? Is the fear of the Lord simply revering or honoring God? Do we find that there is there more to it when we actually study it biblically? Other Resources This podcast is part of a series on Re-imagining Discipleship. Don't miss our other episodes: A Theological Perspective, A Spiritual Formation Perspective, A Church Leader Perspective, A Missions Perspective and A Kingdom Perspective. You can connect to the video version of Reclaiming the Fear of the Lord if you prefer. When you click on the podcast episodes of the other conversations in this series, you will find the video links as well. Time Stamps 00:23 Introducing Rebecca Carrell 04:36 Rebecca, why your interest in the fear of the Lord? 06:49 Why is the fear of the Lord difficult to understand? 08:56 What is the fear of the Lord? 15:26 What are the ramifications to the church over the loss of the fear of the Lord? 17:24 A healthy fear of the Lord 20:53 The way forward 23:44 Is the megachurch part of the problem? 25:09 How can a megachurch be done well? 30:11 Final encouragement 32:02 Other resources on discipleship TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to this episode with Rebecca Carrell, our special guest. Welcome, Rebecca. Rebecca >> Thank you so much for having me, Kay. Kay >> Oh, we're so happy to have you again. And I'm really looking forward to this topic today. We're going to be talking about reclaiming the fear of the Lord, and it's going to be part of our series on Reimagining Discipleship. In that series, we've talked about various things that seem to be missing in the church today, and it all affects our discipleship. It's all part of our discipleship. And so this particular topic, when I saw that Rebecca had done some work on it and spoken on it, I felt like it was just perfect for what we do. Thank you, Rebecca, for doing that. Rebecca >> Oh, you know, this has just kind of been a burden on my heart for the last few years. And so it actually feels good to give it some expression. Kay >> Yes. Well, and that's the way I've felt about the whole discipleship thing, it was really a burden for me to see what I saw as a real lack of discipleship in the church. And so I'm really excited about this conversation. Rebecca holds a master's degree in Christian education from Dallas Seminary, and she is now working on her doctor of education degree. That is wonderful. I'm so excited to hear that you're doing that. Rebecca >> I am not sure how any of this happened. I've been in school since 2015. It's like when, oh Lord, will we be done? Hopefully in a couple of years. Kay >> My husband always says that if I could, I'd go to school all the time and that really is true. Rebecca >> And when you work there, it makes it easy because you know they're like, Sure, you can take some classes. So it's like, Well, we'll just keep going then. Kay >> That's great. Well, I'm really thrilled that you're doing that. Rebecca also produces and hosts a podcast, Honestly Though, and the subtitle is Real Talk, Real Life and Real Faith. And I highly recommend that our audience connect with that podcast. After spending 20 years on the radio in Dallas Fort Worth, she now mentors and teaches students at Dallas Seminary. Tell us what you teach. Rebecca >> So I have been working with the Great Dr. Sue Edwards and Dr. Joye Baker. They are nearing retirement. And so the plan is to have me work with them. They mentor me. And so when they finally decide to hang it up, I will be taking the classes that pertain to women ministering to women. So right now we co-teach a class called Women Teaching Women, which teaches women how to write and teach their own Bible studies.

Jodie Niznik Julie Pierce Identifying the best support for Christian leaders is crucial when we deal with personal issues or leadership problems. What kind of outside professional will provide the best kind of guidance and wisdom for whatever has us stuck? Will a spiritual director, coach, counselor or pastor best help us with our difficulties? What are the differences in the kind of counsel and wisdom we would receive from these various professionals? Joining host Kay Daigle are Jodie Niznik and Julie Pierce who discuss the differences and provide guidance for those of us who need support of some kind. Identifying the best support for us as Christian leaders is the first step in moving forward. Connect to the video of this conversation if you prefer. Resources Three FAQs about Leadership Coaching by Julie Pierce Website for ESDA, a network of Christ-centered spiritual director Contact Julie Pierce: julie@get4sight.com Connect on LinkedIn Schedule a Free Discovery Call with Julie. Our BOW resources to help You, As a Leader Time Stamps 00:32 Introducing BOW's guests and the topic 05:27 Counselors' expertise 11:03 Coaches' expertise 18:40 How does a spiritual director help someone? 23:40 What should we expect from a pastor? 29:58 How does a leader help others discern where to best go for help? 31:33 Finding qualified experts 35:15 What not to do 42:31 Other helpful resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle. Welcome to the Beyond Ordinary Women podcast and video episode. Today's topic is designed to help you as a leader when you feel stuck or if you're struggling personally or in your ministry. We want to help you, and to do that we have invited two special guests to be with us, Jodie Niznik and Julie Pierce. Welcome. Jodie >> Thank you. It's good to be here. Kay >> Well, thank you for giving us your time and being here to help leaders in this situation. And we're really reaching out to you as leaders. You may not even need this right now. You may not need it right this moment, but you may need it later, so this episode is very important. It will help you if you need some support just because you're not sure what to do next in your ministry, or how to deal with a problem—whether it's that you have burned out or whether you just need some emotional support, whatever it is. We are here to help direct you to the right person because there are choices. And we're going to talk about the choices of going to a spiritual director, a counselor, coach, or just a pastor. What are the differences? And when would you go to one and not the other? We'll talk about their areas of expertise to help you make that decision. So let's talk about you, Jodie, for just a minute. Jodie has a scripture meditation podcast, So Much More that is excellent. Jodie has been on a church staff, and she understands what it's like to have that kind of pressure on you to be a spiritual leader. And we've had some great previous conversations with Jodie. We've talked about leadership lessons from the life of Moses. We've talked about taking a personal retreat. We've talked about spiritual practices that can help us. So look at her full bio on our website, BeyondOrdinaryWomen.org, and learn more about her. So, Jodie, we're just thrilled that you were able to be with us again. Jodie >> Thanks, Kay. It's always so, so good to be here. Kay >> And Julie, we are delighted to have you come for the first time—and hopefully it won't be for the last that you’ll be able to join us. Julie and I first met years ago. We were on the same church staff. I believe your title was church Communications Director. Julie >> Yes. Good memory, Kay. It feels like a long time ago. Kay >> Yeah, I started thinking that was probably it. Julie has a whole list of churches where she has served and also helped with their leadership situation. And she just has had a lot of leadership development roles...

Nika Spaulding Kay Daigle Why celebrate Advent? In this episode Nika Spaulding talks with Kay Daigle about what Advent is, why we should consider celebrating it, and how to do that in a meaningful way. If you've only done the wreath or the calendar at Advent, this episode will give you new insights as well as ideas to make it more personal to you and your family. This episode is available on video for those who prefer watching it. Recommended resources Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas Advent by Tish Harrison Warren Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge Connect to the document with Advent candle lighting readings, BibleProject Advent Series and Spotify Playlist for Advent songs. If you're interested, you can connect to other BOW posts centering on Christmas. Timestamps: 00:36 Introductions 01:58 Nika & Kay's experiences with Advent 04:26 Quote from Tish Harrison Warren, author of Advent, on the big idea of Advent 05:15 The four weeks of Advent 09:22 Origins of Advent 13:26 Reasons to celebrate Advent 18:38 Advent puts us in the place of those waiting for Jesus 23:46 What John the Baptist teaches us about waiting 27:50 Suggested ways to celebrate Advent 34:35 Other Advent resources TranscriptKay >> Hi. I'm Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries. Welcome to this podcast episode and video. Whichever way you're watching or listening, we are thrilled that you have joined us. I am joined today by Nika Spaulding. Nika is a speaker, an author, a writer, and she is almost finished with her DMin in New Testament. Welcome Nika. Nika >> Thanks, Kay. I'm excited to be here. And I'm excited for this topic. I think you and I both are, so this will be fun. Kay >> Yeah, I think so too. So when do you finish this New Testament degree? Nika >> So all I have left is the thesis, so I suppose it's as quickly as I can write, which means not for a while. So it's not going as fast as I anticipated, but I think I'll be done in June 2025 and ready to graduate. So hopefully I'll knock that. Kay >> That's really right around the corner. Nika >> Yeah, it feels like it's right there. Like I've done all the, you know, the classes and you know, how it goes. Can you do all this work? And then you're like, the finish line is, I can see it, but what's between the finish line and now is like 90 pages. So I can knock that out. Kay >> Yeah, well, I can hardly wait to read it. Nika >> Thank you. Kay >> Anyway, Nika and I do want to talk about Advent and I think that we both have really benefited from celebrating Advent through the years. For me, I didn't grow up in a church that celebrated Advent in any way. We weren't a liturgical church in any way. We didn't do things like this, and it was really only as an adult that one of the churches I was in even had the Advent wreath and the candles in the church. But I have really grown to love Advent over the last few years. What about you, Nika? What is your background with Advent? Nika >> Yeah, it sounds so similar to yours. So I not only didn't grow up in a liturgical church, I didn't really grow up in the church at all. So my only experience of Advent was I had a great aunt who had sent my brother, sister and I chocolate Advent calendars, so I thought Advent was like chocolate. Like I thought it was like you get a piece of chocolate a day and my sister would eat all of hers before we even got to December 5th, and my brother would like hoard his and hide, you know? And so I had no idea Advent was a part of a church tradition until I was an adult. And it's interesting because I asked my two roommates who did grow up in the church but did not grow up in liturgical churches like you, and neither of them had any concept of it until they were adults. And I asked them as well, Did you have a concept of Lent? You know, you think of these two seasons: Advent prepares you for Christ...