The Love Offering

“Where were you, God? I can't see your hand in my story. Have you ever really shown up for me? Your heart might be good, but just not to me.” If you've thought these things, you aren't alone. Alexandra Hoover has been in that dark place too. On today’s show, she reveals that God offers a clear way out—by getting your eyes off your surroundings and raising them up to the Ebenezer stone moments in your life. Ebenezer stone by Ebenezer stone, God did this for Alexandra, helping her trace his grace. He lifted her eyes to see the places He had met her and helped her along, even in the darkest parts of the story, and on top of that, He casted vision for her mission and purpose as a member of His family. Join us to learn to:Chart your own Ebenezer-journey with God, stone by stoneLearn how to embrace God's sovereignty in every twist and turn of your lifeEnjoy the gift of confident faith, no matter what part of the story you face todayWalk away with your own clear testimony of God’s faithfulness in your life to share with others who need help and faith right nowUnderstand your place in God's family and His mission for your lifeAre you ready to finally see God's hand at work in countless moments that lay behind you—and more than that, trust His heart and see His vision for the moments ahead? Then look up to the Ebenezer stones that God has not only built in your story, but wants to use in mighty, missional ways.“We are called living stones. Because of Christ you are someone’s answer to prayer.”Connect with Alexandra:alexandravhoover.com@alexandravhooverSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Is it possible to face the darkest days of life with hope and joy and purpose? The life of Colleen Chao was bright and beautiful—it was brimming with hope and possibility. She was a talented, confident, and accomplished young woman. So, Colleen never imagined that she’d swim through two decades of deep-water anxiety and depression. She didn’t guess that she’d marry late, suffer years of chronic pain and illness, and give birth to a child with health complications. And never in her life did she imagine hearing the words: “Cancer. Stage four. Terminal.” In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God is born of the suffering that on its own could have crushed Colleen. Her pain, instead, opened her eyes to eternal realities and has wrought a soul of indestructible joy. How do we suffer long and well? What do we do when we feel cheated? How do we face pressing darkness? One thing Colleen has learned is that we cannot bear the suffering alone. We need lots of help. To that end, Colleen is on the show sharing wisdom, hope, and encouragement for those who are suffering. Join us to embrace one day at a time, to trust and love Jesus more, and put yourself In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God.“To be a love offering, open yourself to risking love by the power of God's Spirit.”Connect with Colleen:http://www.colleenchao.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are you tired of the unrelenting pressure to be the best at everything? Scarlet Hiltibidal was too. For Scarlet, attempting to be the best at pretty much everything—whether that be the best wife or the best sub-sandwich maker or the best Christian—was her life story. But in the midst of all her striving and reaching to hit the mark, she somehow still couldn’t grab hold of the joy and freedom and life-change that’s supposed to come with the gospel’s good news. That is, until she realized something revolutionary—instead of the best, she might actually be…the worst. The “chief of sinners.” Poor in spirit and gone astray. In today’s episode, Scarlet tells plenty of stories of her own “worstness” to help you see your own and rejoice in the reality that our goodness and badness aren’t what make God smile at us. If you’re tired of hustling to be the best, take a load off with Scarlet and say the honest and laughable truth along with her: we’re the worst people in the world!“Obey and make it about Jesus.”Connect with Scarlet:https://www.scarlethiltibidal.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Overwhelmed. Stressed out. Burnt out. Fried. However we name it, all of us know what it feels like to deal with circumstances and worries that drag us down and wear us out. Many of us experience persistent anxiety. Peace can be hard to find.But it is in the middle of our stress and fear that God extends his unshakable peace to us.In today’s episode, Ann Swindell shares how the biblical stories of eight women and men helped her realize that what she needed most in her own journey wasn't a stable job or healthy kids or good friends--it was God's peace. Join us to:· Experience God's peace in your daily life· Respond to challenges with faith rather than fear· Find hope in God's goodness and faithfulness toward youThe good news is that even if our situations don't change, we can still experience Christ's peace in our daily lives. The Path to Peace is for everyone who longs to experience a soul at rest.“You have to first find your sense of security and your belovedness through Christ. How can we be His presence to those who are desperate for His peace?”Connect with Ann:https://www.annswindell.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Distractions can steal your joy. They can definitely steal your purpose.Billie Jauss tried to overcome a season of feeling unsettled and uncertain by simplifying her schedule and taking control of life’s chaos. It didn’t solve all her issues.She realized it wasn’t the external distractions but the emotional barriers producing feelings of discouragement and defeat.Through detoxing from the emotional toxins, realigning priorities, and creating a spiritual health plan, we can claim confidence and find fulfillment not in adding one more thing but in realizing God’s best things.On today’s episode Billie shares how to:▫️Determine their internal distractions.▫️Evaluate their emotional barriers.▫️Terminate the toxins to hear, trust, and go.▫️Outline a plan to identify God’s best things.▫️eXecute the plan.Join us to discover God’s best and release confidence, peace, and fulfillment within.“We can be love offerings by shining Jesus’ light every day.”Connect with Billie:BillieJauss.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The world is shouting at us to be more. Strive. Achieve. Overachieve. Never stop pushing. As a family practice doctor, wife, and mother, Mikala Albertson appeared to be living a "perfect" life, but really her whole world was falling apart. Married seven years to an alcohol and drug addict while raising two young children and finishing residency, Mikala eventually reached a breaking point. And surrendered. In sifting through the shattered pieces of her life, she realized she had been chasing something that doesn't exist. Perfect is pretend. And what she desperately needed to embrace was ordinary. A good, hard, messy, gritty, lovely, ordinary life. In today’s episode, Mikala shares her heartfelt journey in a raw and revealing way as she invites you to lay down your own endless chase for perfection and embrace this beautiful, messy life exactly as it is with our perfect, loving God right by your side. What would it look like to stop pretending to be "perfect" and be ordinary? Instead of always feeling overwhelmed and alone, you might discover the beauty of a good, hard life grounded in the radiant hope of God's unending love. Life happens in the ordinary, after all. “We can be love offerings by being ourselves. If we understood our own belovedness and treated others like they were beloved, it would change the world.”Connect with Mikala:https://www.ordinaryonpurpose.comhttps://instagram.com/ordinaryonpurposeSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Let’s face it: we all know we should be praying more. And we genuinely try to make it happen! But before we know it, the day’s worries and demands often distract us from conversation with God, and we’re left wondering why we don’t hear from Him. It happens to all of us. Asheritah Ciuciu is on today’s episode chatting about her devotional titled Prayers of Rest: 365 Prompts to Hear God’s Voice. She is offering us a respite from our spiritual to-do list by providing guided prayers that will focus our mind and heart on Scripture. Using the memorable acronym REST and daily Bible verses, she guides us through worship, confession, stillness, and surrender. We’ll learn to: • Recite God’s Goodness • Express Our Neediness • Seek His Stillness • Trust His Faithfulness Don’t let distractions pull you away from God. When the duties of life begin to weigh on your mind . . . that’s exactly when you need to REST in the Lord. “You can be a love offering by spending time talking with God.”Connect with Asheritah:Prayers of Rest podcastwww.asheritah.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We may know the hymn I Surrender All and proudly sing it in church on Sunday. But do we really want to surrender all, or are there areas of our lives we are hesitant to release to God?Michelle Lazurek knows what it’s like to want to experience full surrender as God intended, but be unsure how to start. She’s on the show helping us:▫️Identify areas of struggle in surrendering to God▫️Utilize practical tips and strategies to incorporate surrender into our everyday lives▫️Learn how to trust God with every area of our lives▫️Practically live out the truths in ScriptureJoin us to discuss how to lay down every area of you life, in order to watch God do the impossible.To be a love offering: “Normalize anxiety and mental illness within the church.”Connect with Michelle:MichelleLazurek.comWordwisemedia.comSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Everyone believes life is a blank journal waiting to be filled with the culmination of dreams; instead, we deal with disappointments when the pages of our lives don't mirror those dreams. But we were not born with a blank journal in our hands. Life leads us into the wilderness, and we wonder if we will find our way back to Eden, or how to move forward towards the promised land. While we can't rip out the pages of our lives, we are not narcissists of our narratives. What if the wilderness became our Eden? What if we could keep dreaming in a world of disappointments? Amidst the death or deferral of dreams, Emily Jansen is on the show today helping us reimagine our stories and pick up our pens again. She’s reminding us that God, the author of our stories, calls us to co-create with Him and keep dreaming despite our doubts. She shares how the wilderness might just be the very place of our greatest flourishing. It’s not just a dream. It's your dream, and it matters because God put it inside you. Will you dare to dream again? To be a love offering: “Sharing our pain, stories, heartache, and disappointments requires vulnerability. But from that brokenness and vulnerability comes a heart that can embody God’s radical love.” Connect with Emily:www.emilyjjansen.com @emilyjjansen @awilderedenSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Who am I? Does God see me? Does God love me? What is my purpose?So much is tied up in our longing to know who we are: our worth, whether we’re loved, what we’re meant to do with our lives. But there’s a powerful truth that settles every question: God has named us, and the names he has spoken over us settle every question and pain we have experienced in our search for identity.Names help us know that we belong and to whom we belong. Names carry authority and power. But we also carry other names―painful, damaging names that we have spoken over ourselves or that others have branded on us. Too often, in times of low self-worth, grief, or failure, we exchange our God-given identity for those false names.When we believe God’s names for us, we will discover a life lived with purpose and passion. Are you ready to accept God’s invitation to silence the inner voice that keeps you from living freely, joyfully, and confidently?A lot is at stake in understanding the sacred truth of who you are. The names you believe about yourself impact how you live, how you love, and how you move and bear witness to the gospel.Hear this: God has true names that he speaks over you and wants you to hear above the false banter.Aubrey Sampson is on the show inviting us to understand and embrace what it means to be created and named in the image of God. In the process, it will ignite a passion to speak life-giving names over others, to bless them through the power of the Name that is above every other.Join us to discover what it means to be powerfully and personally made and named in the image of God. Everything changes when you believe this incredible truth: You are known by God.Connect with Aubrey:https://instagram.com/aubsamphttp://www.aubreysampson.comNothing is Wasted PodcastThe Common Good Talk ShowSupport the Show: https://rachaelkadams.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.