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Quarantivities for the Soul

March 17, 2020
The Road Home to You

Anxiety, fear, grief, anger…these and so many more are the emotions that so many are feeling during these uncertain Corona Virus times.

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Today, Matt and I have a long-distance conversation about some of the ways we can not only take comfort in the promises of God during this time, but also very specific activities (or, as our daughter has dubbed them “quarantivities”) to fill our time wisely and with fun!

It must be said that in the less than 24 hours since recording this, things have changed here in the US and also with me, Brandy. While much of our conversation is focused on dealing with anxiety, I rather ironically, have been feeling my fair share of it. That being said, I remembered this conversation and took a dose of my own advice (“listen to music” and “turn off the news for a minute”) and am feeling markedly better.

This isn’t just lip service. This advice is practical and beneficial. I hope you take it and share it with people you love.

Self-Care and Activities During Quarantine:

1. Pray
2. Read the Bible: Psalms are great – try Psalm 23
3. Journal
4. Write letters and send them to loved ones
5. Listen to music you love
6. Spend time with your kids: Conversations, shooting hoops, video games, reading books, crafts, etc…
7. Go for a walk: fresh air + Vitamin D = good for ya!
8. Jigsaw puzzles
9. Complete your To-Do List: or at least knock it down – all those projects that you’re saving for “someday”
10. Work on a dream project: write the book, learn the instrument, read the series…

Things to Avoid:

1. Steady stream of news: Stay informed, but don’t only feed on a media diet of the news
2. Hours of Social Media: See above…
3. Binging on Netflix for the entire time: Give yourself limits and keep your body and brain active

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health during this time, so don’t neglect it!

If you’re struggling with depression or thoughts of self-harm, please contact the

Suicide Hotline:

1-800-273-8255

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Special thanks to the Jingle Punks for the use of their song, “Dusty Road” as our intro and outro.

Gratitude Even in the Storm

November 26, 2019
The Road Home to You

It’s easy to be thankful when everyone you love is gathered around a Pinterest perfect table, the turkey is golden and a light snow is accumulating outside. But what about when life isn’t so perfect?

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How do we have a grateful heart when we get the diagnosis, or the emergency phone call, or the news that we’ve been betrayed and the bank account is empty? Where does a thankful heart come from?

Join us this week as we explore the difference between being grateful in our circumstances versus being grateful despite our circumstances.

There is hope in Jesus that goes far beyond what we see and experience here on Earth. We will all experience heartbreak and loss, there’s simply no getting around it. How will you get through the storms that life brings your way?

Listen to full episode here

Scriptures Used:

2 Kings 6:8-17

John 16:33

1 Peter 1:3-9

Psalm 56:8

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Good Grief: The 5 Stages of Grief

November 12, 2019
The Road Home to You

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In the wake of my grandma’s recent and sudden passing, I wanted to take some time to talk about grief. It’s one of those experiences that we’re all going to face at some point in our lives, whether it’s due to losing a loved one or losing a pet, a dream or a career. Loss is simply a fact of life and with it comes a process of grief.

In this episode, you’ll learn the 5 stages of grief according to the DSM-5 (the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). More than “stages” these are 5 ways your grief may be experienced. They don’t always follow any kind of order and logic and will often come again even after you’ve moved to general acceptance.

The 5 Stages of Grief:

Denial and Isolation
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Listen to discover how each of these stages may present in your own experience, as well as how to help someone else who is going through the grief process.

*Note: We are not medical experts and this is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice. If you are experiencing debilitating grief or thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please seek immediate medical attention.

For the National Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

A few things to note about grief:

*Grief hits us all differently.
*There is no RIGHT way to grieve.
*Whatever you’re feeling…it’s probably normal.
*Allow yourself (or others) to grieve.
*Grief is a process that takes time. For some of us, that time isn’t very long. For others, it lasts a lifetime.
*You are not weak for grieving.
*You are not weak for seeking help as you grieve.

As well as a discussion on grief, this episode is also a tribute to my grandma, Lila Lee Barr. She died at the age of 92 on November 6, 2019. A lover of words and rhyme, Grandma was an avid writer, even starting up her own newspaper, The Town and Country, in Maupin, Oregon in the late ’60s. She was a prolific poet and I am honored to share a few short pieces that she wrote at the close of today’s show.

(Lila Lee Barr circa 2014)

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Disillusionment: Evangelical Politics

October 29, 2019
The Road Home to You

With election season well upon us, it seems like the right time to talk politics. Specifically, how has the Evangelical church used its platform as a means to change the political landscape and at what cost?

Having grown up in the ’70s and ’80s, we’ve seen the church raise its banner high in an effort to bring salvation to our nation. Now, in the 20-teens we are watching our nation divide over the political and evangelical agendas of so many.

So what does Jesus say? How should we view our politics in light of our faith? Should the two intermix and if so, to what extent?

Join Matt and Brandy as they talk about what they experienced growing up in the era of the political church and how that’s impacted them and those around them.

Listen to the full episode here

Scripture Referenced:

Romans 13:1-10

1 Timothy 2:1-3

1 Peter 2:13

Other scripture to look up:

Mark 12:17

The stories of both Joseph and Daniel

Additional Reading:

An article from the National Association of Evangelicals: https://www.nae.net/evangelicals-and-politics/

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Six Months to Live

October 15, 2019
The Road Home to You

“If you knew you had 6 months to live, what would you do differently? Would you change your priorities, where you invest your time? If so, how?”

This was the question that was posed to us so join us today to hear our thoughts on the matter, as well as our challenge to you, our friends.

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It seems like a relatively easy question to address, and pragmatically, it is. But when you stop and let the question hit you – when you feel its weight – it requires that you take more time to truly evaluate what you’re doing with your life and what, if anything, needs to change.

This question comes directly from the Genesis Process Change Groups Book 1 written by Michael Dye, CADC, NCAC II.

The Genesis Process has been a huge part of my own recovery process over the years. It helped clarify why I continue to do things that I know are bad for me, even when I don’t want to do them. That being said, like everyone else, I am a complicated being and easily find myself stumbling into the same bad patterns. In short, like you, I am in need of sanctification and that’s what Genesis does. If you have the opportunity to join a Genesis Process for Change Group near you, I’d highly encourage you to do so.

For more information, check out: Genesis Process

The other book that I mentioned is called “One Month to Live” by Kerry and Chris Shook. The subtitle is “Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life.” That pretty well sums it up. If you get the audio version, it is read by the authors, which is always a nice little addition. You can find the link here:
One Month to Live

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Give Peace(making) A Chance: Beatitude #7

August 13, 2019
The Road Home to You

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” – Matthew 5:9

What if we have it all wrong? What if being a peacemaker means we actually ruffle some feathers. Turns out, that’s exactly what it means. Peacemaking isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s messy work, but it’s what we’re called to.

Listen to the full episode here

We’ll be spending our time looking at Matthew 5:9 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

The Oxford Dictionary defines a peacemaker as “a person who brings about peace, especially by reconciling adversaries.”

Three things we can do as ministers of reconciliation:
* Love the unlovely
* Sitting with sinners
* Proclaim the Gospel

So, roll up your sleeves. It’s time to get a little messy.

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Mercy Me! I Oughta Try That!

July 30, 2019
The Road Home to You

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

Mentioned well over 300 times in the Bible, mercy is a word we probably ought to pay more attention to. Especially in this day and age when politics and religion are getting co-mingled in ways that often make us forget that first and foremost, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Mercy Defined

The biblical definition for the word mercy, as used by Jesus in his sermon on the mount, is this: to be compassionate (by word or deed, specifically by divine grace); have compassion (pity on).

Meanwhile, Webster’s New World Dictionary defines it this way: 1. a refraining from harming offenders, enemies, etc., 2. imprisonment rather than death for a capital crime, 3. a disposition to forgive or be kind, 4. the power to forgive, 5. a lucky thing; blessing.

Listen to the full episode here

Live A Life of Mercy

This episode, as well as talking about what mercy is, we also focus on how to live a life of mercy in our day to day lives. We’ll look at 1 Peter 3:8-12 in the ERV (Easy to Read Version).

So all of you should live together in peace. Try to understand each other.
Love each other like brothers and sisters. Be kind [compassionate; merciful]
and humble. Don’t do wrong to anyone to pay them back for doing wrong
to you. Or don’t insult anyone to pay them back for insulting you. But ask
God to bless them. Do this because you yourselves were chosen to receive
a blessing. The Scriptures say,

‘If you want to enjoy true life
and have only good days,
then avoid saying anything hurtful,
and never let a lie come out of your mouth.
Stop doing what is wrong, and do good.
Look for peace, and do all you can to help people live peacefully.
The Lord watches over those who do what is right, an,
and he listens to their prayers.
But he is against those who do evil.’

Listen

Listen in to this week’s episode to see some examples of how this might look in your own life.

Listen to the full episode here

Hunger and Thirst No More: Beatitude #4

July 23, 2019
The Road Home to You

We all know what it’s like to be hungry and thirsty, longing for something to fill our bellies. But what about our souls? What if there was a way to fill up the mysterious void we all seem to have deep down inside us?

Join Brandy this week for a quick lesson on Beatitude #4 to learn how you, too can be satisfied to your deepest core.

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This episode was recorded, edited and produced in Sandy, Oregon, the 2nd fastest growing city in Oregon. Please don’t move here. 😉

A Humble Inheritance: Beatitude #3

July 16, 2019
The Road Home to You

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5

If the best inheritance I can get by being humble is the earth, I’m not sure that sounds like a very good deal.

Let’s face it, the earth is kinda falling apart. We’ve got natural disasters galore, terrorism everywhere, racism that lingers despite our ‘enlightenment’, climate change and social injustice every direction you turn. It’s a mess.

But God only gives good gifts, so there must be more to it than what we currently see.

Turns out, there’s a lot packed into this one tiny verse in Matthew 5.

Listen to the full episode here

Often, when we think about the words meek, gentle or humble, we envision someone who is quiet and unassuming. This tends to be, in our mind’s eye someone who’s a bit of a wallflower. While this may be true in some cases, I think the best way to determine what a humble person looks like is to look first at what a non-humble person looks likes.

And boy, do we have some great examples. I’m not going to name names; I assume you don’t have to think too hard to come up with a list of at least 10 people who are, in fact, quite arrogant and loud about it. And beyond that list, all I really need to do is look in the mirror to find someone who’s far less humble than she’d care to admit.

While an arrogant person is often perceived to be loud and abrasive while a humble person is quiet and demure, God doesn’t look at what’s being projected out of us. He merely looks at our hearts and knows the state of our pride.

Arrogance is a lack of dependence on God. Humility is recognizing God’s rightful place in our lives and ceding that place to Him. It’s giving up our own agenda and right to rule our lives in order to seek God’s will in all things.

Tune in to this week’s episode as Brandy examines the third beatitude and what humility looks like, as well as the inheritance we’re longing for.

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We will be looking at Matthew 5:5 as well as Genesis 2:8-9 and verse 15.

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Comfort in the Mourning: Beatitude #2

July 9, 2019
The Road Home to You

If we are born into this world we will, at some point, experience the exquisite pang of loss. We will weep for what was and mourn what will never be again. This world, it seems is the perfect training ground for grief and sadness.

But Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, as found in Matthew chapter 5, tells his followers, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

He doesn’t elaborate on this point, or frankly, any of the points he’s making in this exact moment of his discourse. He leaves it plain and simple. Essentially what he’s saying is, “The people who mourn will be happier than those that don’t because they’ll be comforted.”

Well, that seems odd, doesn’t it? Because like I said, if life teaches us anything, it’s that we’re all going to mourn at some point. So, what makes this statement so poignant?

This week, Brandy explores this brief beatitude by looking further into Jesus’ own suffering, the mission he was prophetically called to when he stepped into humankind as a man, and the mission of his second coming.

We’ll be looking at Matthew 5:5, John 11:32-38a, Isaiah 61:1-3, and 2 Corinthians 1:3.

The fact is, we are not alone in our suffering and grief. We have a God who can relate to our pain and has stepped into it with us.

Listen to this week’s episode to find out how well he can relate to us and what he promises us as our future with him unfurls.

Listen to the full episode here

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