Take These Ashes

Often times when we walk through great loss or change, we cannot go back to how life was before.

So now here in the ashes, we must grieve, forgive, heal, and rebuild.

I hope in sharing more of my story (a continuation here from Episode 1) and the stories of others, you will hear that healing is possible. Rebuilding is possible. And hope is possible again.

In this episode:

Serenity Prayer-

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen." (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram (@heatherlobejohnson).

There is power in processing our pain.

It’s going to take time. It’s going to take space to process. And it’s going to require grace for yourself to take both that time and that space.

When you're just outside of the flames and you're not sure how to begin sifting through the ash, you may wonder where to begin.

In this place of transition, with embers still glowing and ash settling around us, let us process what’s been lost, grieve the things broken and torn apart, and then begin to rebuild, however long it takes. 

In the meantime, I’m holding space for you, friend.

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram (@heatherlobejohnson).

In this broken world, we're bound to feel the burn of broken relationships.

KJ Ramsey, therapist and writer, joins Heather for a conversation about learning to feel safe in relationships after woundedness. Whether your hurt stems from family, church, a marriage, or friendship, unhealed wounds can affect your view of relationships with others and God. But through coregulation and interdependence (explained by KJ in this episode), we can take small steps to re-learn how to be in relationship with others and build resilience in ourselves.

If you feel like relationships have only let you down, we pray this episode helps you sow a seed of courage to try building trust again. 

Resources:

• KJ's website: www.kjramsey.com
• This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers
• KJ's Instagram: @kjramseywrites 

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram (@heatherlobejohnson).

When gold is refined, fire burns away its impurities. But when we're in the fire, it sure feels like we ourselves are being burned.

This episode is a conversation with guest Shannon Geurin, a woman whose story of a redeemed marriage points us back to God's restorative work. Heather and Shannon discuss whether our heartaches and hardest events burn or refine our lives, and though their stories are different, they ultimately come to the same conclusion. They take another look at the passage in Daniel 3 about the fiery furnace, and how our fires can change our outlook on life. 

Questions for reflection: What's changed as a result of the fires in your life? Have you seen any gold come forth yet? 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Shannon's website: https://shannongeurin.com/
• Shannon's community website: FierclyHis.com
• Facebook Group: FiercelyHisWoman
• Instagram: ShannonGuerin

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram.

When we walk through "furnace seasons," does God feel distant or present with us?

Daniel 3 takes on an extra layer of meaning for young widow Danita Jenae, who has been sustained by Jesus's presence through intense loss this year. Heather and Danita talk about the intense isolation of trials, how God comforts us when we walk through pain, and the importance of giving ourselves grace to rest in the exhaustion of grief. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Danita's website- www.danitajenae.com [Sign up for a complimentary 5-day devotional: 5 Graces to Get You Through Fire]
• Danita's Instagram
• There's Another in the Fire by Hillsong
• Daniel 3
• Isaiah 43
• Psalm 18

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram.

Could it be that our fires are holy ground, where if we’re paying attention God can speak into our lives?

In this episode, we enter into the story of Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3). Through this encounter with God, Moses was given insight into God's character, a promise, and a directive. 

Like Moses, our fires can be the things that draw us into God’s presence, where we begin to pay attention, where we learn more of who He is, or where we can even find a new calling for our lives. Listen through the end of the episode for personal reflection questions and application. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Blue Letter Bible commentary on Exodus 3

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram.

When we walk through challenging seasons, what happens to our faith? Our view of God? 

In this episode, host Heather Lobe Johnson discusses these questions with writer and philosopher, Hilary Yancey. Hilary talks about the fires in her life, and how she wrestled through questions, doubts, and quiet prayers to the faith she has today. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Hilary's book, Forgiving God
• Hilary's Instagram
• Hilary's Substack

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or more daily encouragement on Instagram.

We all have stories of walking through fires... maybe small, maybe monumental. But materials that pass through the flame are inherently changed, including us. Whether your story includes loss, trauma, prolonged illness, or broken dreams, listen to Heather's story for encouragement that:

1. Your pain is valid. 
2. You're not alone in the fire (Isaiah 43:1-3).
3. This pain and brokenness is part of the fuller arch of the Gospel, as we wait for restoration (Romans 8:22-28). 

Connect with Heather Lobe Johnson for prayer or daily encouragement at Instagram.