0:00

Hey! Hi

0:13

friends. Welcome to another episode of that

0:15

sounds fun. The seasons. I'm your

0:17

host Annie of downs. I'm so happy

0:19

to be here with you today

0:21

on Easter Monday. Happy Easter. He is

0:23

risen indeed. And today starts Easter

0:25

tide, which is another season that happens

0:27

in spring. If you don't know

0:29

about Easter tide, you need to Google

0:31

it. It is. 50 days. We

0:33

get to feast longer than we fasted

0:35

for Lent. I hope you will

0:37

join in celebration for the next 50

0:40

days. Today on the show, we're

0:42

answering a really important question. How

0:44

does love look different in different seasons? Springtime

0:46

is a great time to talk about love

0:48

and we are going to talk about it

0:50

today. But before we dive in, I want

0:52

to tell you about one of our incredible

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by BetterHelp. I know it's that

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fun. And

2:01

today on the show, y 'all are in for

2:03

a real springtime treat because I get to

2:05

talk with our friend, Jada Edwards. I

2:07

know y 'all love her. I do too.

2:10

This is her third time on the

2:12

show. We're going to talk about what it

2:14

looks like to actually love people. Well,

2:16

that's not always easy, especially depending on the

2:18

season you're in, but Jada's new book,

2:20

a new way to love your neighbor is

2:22

an excellent resource to help us figure

2:24

out how we do this well. And I'm

2:26

not just talking about you loving your

2:28

Christian friends. I hope we all have people

2:30

in our lives who don't believe everything

2:32

we believe. We're going to talk

2:35

about that today. So if you're following

2:37

along in your TSF Seasons guidebook,

2:39

we are on page 47. If you

2:41

wonder what we're even talking about

2:43

with this guidebook thing, you can find

2:45

it at anyfdowns.com slash seasons. Go

2:47

there, grab the guidebook, print it out

2:49

and jump in with us on

2:52

page 47. Okay. Here's my

2:54

conversation with my friend who

2:56

is easy to love, Jada

2:58

Edwards. That

3:01

sounds fun. Jada,

3:04

can we start? I didn't even

3:06

warn you about this. Can we start with a

3:08

little bit of spiritual warfare? Are you

3:10

in that game? Yeah, come on. What happened? You're

3:14

like, tell me the story. What is the

3:16

tea? A friend and I

3:18

were talking yesterday about spiritual warfare

3:20

and about the math that

3:22

if a third of the angels

3:24

fell That means that when

3:26

it comes to feeling protected, the

3:28

math is two to one

3:30

of good guys versus bad guys.

3:33

Do you think that's still true? Probably

3:35

since we don't have any indication that

3:37

angels have reproduced or increased their number. Yeah.

3:40

Yeah. So I was saying to

3:42

my friend, it makes me feel better

3:44

when I think about something where I

3:46

feel like, man, this feels like it

3:48

has some resistance to it. I like

3:50

to go, okay, if I feel the

3:52

push, that means twice the

3:54

push is working on my behalf besides

3:56

the Trump card of the cross

3:59

of Christ, defeating everything. So even

4:01

just in the battle we can see,

4:03

we can see, quote, quote, it's two

4:05

to one. Yeah, two to one. I

4:07

mean, if you're going like apples to

4:09

apples, But I think the two thirds

4:12

that are retained on the Lord side

4:14

probably are not just twice

4:16

as powerful as the one third they're built.

4:18

You're talking about they have the heart

4:20

of the Lord and they have Jehovah leading

4:22

them. So A, he's a

4:24

better leader than the enemy. B,

4:26

they have the power of the spirit. So

4:28

probably if you're just going apples to apples

4:30

numerical, it probably is someone

4:32

that I've never studied. Angel, I'll read

4:35

that deeply. No, me neither. Me

4:37

neither. power that's just crazy power on

4:39

the side. So even, even if it's

4:41

a giddy in situation and somehow they

4:43

are outnumbered, we still know that they

4:45

have the power. However, I believe very

4:47

much in the resistance and Ephesians six

4:49

is clear that it's not a

4:51

random resistance that the enemy is like,

4:53

no, I've got strategy. I got

4:55

principalities. I got hierarchy. I got organizational

4:57

structure. It's a The resistance is

4:59

real is not it's for real very

5:01

and it's a good reminder. You just

5:04

said it apples to apples The it's

5:06

always such a good reminder to me

5:08

that the Lord and the enemy are

5:10

not equals not equals The Lord is

5:12

above all yeah there I was my

5:14

friend and I were discussing that I

5:16

think if there's an apples to apples

5:18

with the enemy It's probably like Michael

5:21

and Gabriel like he's probably that's probably

5:23

where he's because it wasn't like another

5:25

Jehovah fail Yeah, that's somebody under God

5:27

fail. So everybody under him It already

5:29

levels. You know what I'm saying? So it's

5:31

just like, yeah, no. You try. And so

5:33

today we want to talk a lot about

5:35

love. Why do you think

5:37

there is such like Ephesians

5:40

6 pushback when it comes to

5:42

loving people? Well,

5:44

because number one, I don't think we understand

5:46

what it really is. I think a lot

5:48

of times it gets lumped into

5:50

love languages and style and

5:52

temperament. So that's one thing. I

5:55

think we reduce it a

5:57

lot because we're not thinking about,

5:59

we're not equating it to like the Great

6:01

Commission or to live holy when actually it's

6:03

bigger than all those things. All those things

6:06

fall under the call to love. And so

6:08

I think we make it light because you

6:10

have something that, you know, and I talk

6:12

about this a little bit in the book,

6:14

you have words that used to mean something

6:16

specific, then they mean something common, right? So

6:18

Kleenex became equal to a tissue and

6:20

it's not. There's many brands of tissue. You say

6:22

coke enough, people just know you mean some kind

6:24

of soda. And so I think the same thing happens

6:26

with love. We haven't used it. We love pizza,

6:28

we love our pets, we love our spouse. Like,

6:31

how do you, we don't speak in

6:33

language that really delineates what kind

6:35

of love, right? So if it's

6:37

precipitation coming out of the sky, I

6:39

know the difference between a mist

6:41

and a shower and a thunderstorm,

6:43

but we just love is love.

6:45

And so, I mean, we love

6:47

social media posts. We love

6:49

our God. So like there's

6:51

nothing inherent in the way

6:54

we speak. I think that's

6:56

constantly reminding us of what these different levels of love are.

6:58

And so it just shows up in a lot of

7:00

ways. as

7:02

our friends listening know. And as you and

7:04

I know, today's the Monday after Easter called

7:06

Easter Monday. It's that

7:08

there is just something. Yeah, I bet you

7:10

are. I bet you are. Listen,

7:12

we were just scheduling a podcast yesterday with the

7:14

pastor and I said, make it far away

7:16

from Easter for him. Get us as either wait

7:18

till after or get it away before because

7:20

God love him. I'm not trying to make him

7:23

record on holy week. That's

7:25

exactly right. Every church person who

7:27

volunteered or worked all day yesterday

7:29

should be horizontal still. to

7:31

us. Right. But, you know, yesterday

7:34

was the real day that the enemy

7:36

lost, right? The real

7:39

day that love

7:41

really won. And I'm

7:43

so curious your thoughts

7:45

on how different

7:47

we are because of Easter, how

7:50

different love is because of Easter. I

7:52

mean, we don't talk about this very much,

7:54

but today starts Easter Tide, which is

7:56

actually longer than Lent. Thanks to God. We

7:59

feast longer than we fast. But

8:01

tell me a little bit about what you

8:03

think Easter did that we don't see. Let's

8:05

stay in the supernatural a little bit. Love

8:07

is in the supernatural. Angels and demons. What

8:10

happened on Easter that we

8:12

didn't see? And

8:15

when I think about the love demonstrated

8:17

on the cross, as

8:19

a culmination to this perfect life

8:21

of obedience, even Christ coming

8:23

in human form, all of that

8:25

was response and obedience to

8:27

the Father. But without

8:29

being too morbid, I just

8:32

happened to be teaching recently

8:34

on what the crucifixion is.

8:36

The toll it takes on the body,

8:38

how it can take from four hours

8:41

to six days, for a body to

8:43

actually succumb to death. And that the

8:45

Roman soldiers used to have to stand

8:47

guard until their person died on that

8:49

cross. So sometimes they try to expedite

8:51

that. They poke their body with spears.

8:53

They like fire under their feet, you

8:55

know? And then this whole medical process

8:57

talks about the asphyxiation that comes from

9:00

the lungs collapsing and filling with blood

9:02

and how the internal organs are just

9:04

fighting. You get gravity and so

9:06

many things, right? And so the

9:08

first act of love, I think,

9:10

is When Jesus

9:12

did not let the

9:14

natural course of death play

9:16

out He said I commit my

9:19

spirit like that right there Wow,

9:21

I mean when you think about

9:23

that he did not wait to see how

9:25

long his body would sustain

9:27

life He was like I've

9:29

made my point am deciding as

9:31

he says no one takes my life I

9:33

give my life and so it's such

9:35

a point even in that moment I don't

9:37

think that was just about a display

9:39

of supernatural power because anybody watching would not

9:41

have known they just would have thought

9:44

he died yes that was Jesus saying here's

9:46

my love here's how we're so

9:48

loving the world that this

9:50

is not just sent a son who

9:52

was beheaded this sent a son

9:54

who picked the worst death for the

9:56

worst kind of people. And

9:58

then he chose to say, I am

10:00

deciding that this is, now my point has

10:02

been made, now the obedience is complete. And

10:05

so when you think about that for me, it's

10:08

such a sacrificial call, but

10:10

it's also this reminder that love

10:12

makes the first move. Like when

10:15

you think about John 3 16, in

10:17

contrast to the Old Testament, God

10:19

was always loving perfectly. God was always

10:21

loving fully. But what was

10:23

revealed to us, not that God's love

10:25

has changed, but what he chose to reveal

10:27

to us in the written scripture was primarily

10:30

his love for his people. It was covenantal

10:32

love. It was, here's my chosen people. Here's how

10:34

I protect them. Here's how I love them. And

10:36

then it kind of just blows your

10:39

mind, especially if you were Jewish and

10:41

you knew how God loved his people and

10:43

protected them and keep the foreigners out. And here's

10:45

the ceremonies and the things that you keep

10:47

doing to say, you love me. This is our

10:49

relationship, right? then you go to

10:51

John 316. It's like, he loved the world. Why?

10:55

The world? So you're saying Jesus

10:57

did all of this in

10:59

case you decide to believe? It's

11:01

like, if that don't let you

11:03

out, like, who does that? If

11:06

I'm loaning you $20, I have

11:08

a reasonable confidence that you can

11:10

bring me back, you know,

11:12

or that over the course of this

11:14

friendship or relationship, you know, it's going to

11:16

all work itself out. That is the

11:18

most counterintuitive thing. that a human

11:20

can try to fathom, that someone

11:22

would make the ultimate sacrifice. Just

11:25

so, you would have the

11:27

choice to decide whether or not you believe

11:29

it. And he's like, I'm loving you

11:31

like this, whether or not you believe

11:33

in me. Like that's crazy. That's crazy

11:35

work. Yeah, during

11:37

Lent, I watched an episode of The

11:39

Chosen every day as my Lent practice

11:41

and took me right up to Holy

11:43

Week. All the

11:46

way through, you're seeing Jonathan Rumi portraying

11:48

Jesus, loving the disciples in these really

11:50

unique ways. And one of them is

11:52

when he, I think you might remember

11:54

this if you've watched it, but when

11:56

he is practicing the Sermon on the

11:58

mountain, he said, blessed are the poor

12:00

in spirit. Well, he's looking over

12:03

his disciples and they're showing you which

12:05

disciple he's talking about with each

12:07

part of the Sermon on the mountain.

12:10

And in the moment, I got Terry thinking,

12:12

look how much he loves them. And

12:14

then what we know is

12:16

coming is how much he loves

12:18

them. And he keeps doing

12:20

it. Jesus keeps doing it the whole way

12:22

through the gospels. So talk for

12:24

a second, Jada, about like, I mean,

12:26

that's our question for today. How does

12:29

love look different in different seasons? Jesus

12:31

modeled it over his three years with

12:33

his disciples is how love plays out

12:35

in different, but that's true in my

12:37

life. I mean, that's got to be

12:39

true in your marriage, with your kids,

12:41

with your church, even with yourself. How

12:43

does love look different? Is it okay if

12:46

love looks different in different seasons? Oh,

12:48

yeah, very much. I think

12:50

so. I think that Jesus shows

12:52

us that the beholder, right, the

12:54

one who is the person

12:56

that's offering the love, their love

12:58

is full and ready and complete

13:00

for anybody who believes to

13:02

receive the fullness of it. Wow.

13:04

That does not mean that the

13:07

fullness is what is received. by

13:09

the person on the other end, because it's up to them. So

13:12

I think even though God's love has been

13:14

perfect and in full, for me, I

13:16

have not, I continue to be

13:19

able to acknowledge or access or tap

13:21

into more and more of God's

13:23

love. Not because he's giving me more,

13:25

it's been perfect since the beginning.

13:27

But as I mature, I start to

13:29

see that, oh, this is love,

13:31

not just the blessing, Lord, this discipline

13:33

was love. Oh, that no was

13:35

love. Oh, that closed door was love. Oh,

13:37

that rejection was love. a kid

13:39

does not see rejection or withholding or

13:41

any of those things as love when they're

13:44

young because that comes with maturity. So

13:46

then as you start to see

13:48

everything God does as love, then

13:50

I believe he begins to open our

13:52

eyes more to what he may have

13:54

for us. So it shows up differently.

13:56

The way I love my husband year

13:59

one to five is different than five to

14:01

ten. It's different than now at 24. You

14:03

know, now we just kind of like, uh -huh, uh -huh.

14:05

Yeah, we haven't even said any words. Yeah, got it.

14:07

Boom. Yeah. Like he says he's hungry. I don't have

14:09

to go to the world. What do you feel like?

14:11

And what, okay. Except your husband does not like pickles

14:13

on his sandwich. I read it in the book. He

14:15

does not like pickles. And I am

14:17

not ashamed to say I learned that after

14:19

20 years. That may have been my favorite

14:21

chapter. The love is learning. It's learning. Because

14:24

I think it's beautiful. I love the idea.

14:26

Sometimes I get panicked about being with one

14:28

man for the rest of my life only

14:30

because I think, what will we talk about?

14:32

about it dinner. And then I'm like, well,

14:34

my best friends and my family and I have sat

14:36

at dinner for years and years and years and we

14:38

always got something to talk about. You still got something

14:40

to about. Yeah, because love is continually learning somebody. learning.

14:43

It's learning. And because we're not

14:45

God, our love isn't even perfect to

14:47

begin with. So with God, it's

14:49

really like a one -way evolution. Like,

14:51

here's is perfect and we're evolving. But

14:54

with people and human relationships, both are evolving,

14:56

right? I'm learning to love better and the

14:58

people I'm loving are learning to receive my

15:00

love. So me, it's

15:02

very dynamic. It's constant. It's changing. I

15:05

just talked to a friend of mine that we've

15:07

been friends for 40 years and we were just

15:09

talking about, okay, what does it mean

15:11

to be intentional in this season? Cause

15:13

you cannot, you cannot stumble into good

15:15

friendship. You will have the years under

15:17

your belt, but the intentionality, right? So

15:19

seasons, like it's always changing and learning is

15:22

a big part of that. Does your

15:24

best fooling like pickles? Have you just not

15:26

known it? That is

15:28

the sweetest story where he says, are there

15:30

pickles on the sandwich? And you were sarcastic back

15:32

and he was like, I don't like pickles.

15:34

And y 'all been married for two decades or

15:36

something. Who are you even? Who are

15:38

you even? I love that you said in the

15:40

book, you said, in my defense, I don't make him

15:42

a lot of sandwiches. Or

15:45

I don't order a lot of sandwiches. I

15:48

loved it. I loved it, Jada. The

15:50

book is so good. I haven't even got to say

15:52

it yet. A new way to love your neighbor. And

15:54

I just, it's a great book. Well, thank you.

16:00

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sounds fun. Okay, now back

19:24

to our conversation with Jada. I'm

19:32

thinking when you're talking about this, Jada,

19:34

like this idea, I'm tying together what's

19:36

going on in my brain of like

19:38

the enemy would love for us to

19:40

stop learning. The enemy would love

19:42

for us to feel like, well, if I don't

19:45

feel loved in this season, like I felt

19:47

last season, I must not be loved. And

19:50

single men and women, I

19:52

mean, rejection always feels like rejection.

19:54

And we keep saying in

19:56

single purpose league, rejection is protection.

19:59

Rejection is protection. And

20:01

actually God's, Some of the

20:03

kindest moments I've had with God were

20:05

when he says, I know that hurts that

20:07

that person walked away or that you walked

20:09

away from him. This is me loving you.

20:12

By protecting you. Yeah, trust me. Yeah, well,

20:14

you talk about that a little bit.

20:16

That's not just for single women, but I'd

20:18

love for you to talk. I mean,

20:20

we all get protected from jobs, from spouses,

20:22

from all sorts of things that were

20:24

not God's best. And that is his love,

20:26

even if the whisper from the opposition

20:28

is, if God doesn't give you what you

20:30

want, He must not love you. Right.

20:32

Absolutely. But it's the same. I've been

20:35

reading through Genesis. which is

20:37

like, the more you read all of scripture,

20:39

the more you realize all of our core issues

20:41

were in the garden. Like nothing. Listen, there's

20:43

a Dr. Michael Heiser used to say, if I

20:45

only read one book for the rest of

20:47

my life, it would be Genesis. Like

20:49

literally you need Genesis to know the wreck

20:51

that we are. And if you just read Romans

20:53

to know what God did about it, you're

20:55

good. That's it. So,

20:57

but reading this, I'm like, good

21:00

Lord, we have always, always been in

21:02

the midst of abundance. focused on the

21:04

one restriction like this is our

21:06

human nature like oh my gosh how

21:08

many times over and over again

21:10

and how did we not see God

21:12

saying you see these millions of trees

21:14

as far as the eye can

21:16

see cool whenever you want feast gorge

21:18

breakfast lunch and dinner this one

21:21

no and how

21:23

do how do we how often

21:25

do we still not see

21:27

that limitation as love it's it's

21:29

love and so then you

21:32

tap into this other part of

21:34

God's love because now you've violated

21:36

his limitation. Whether it's, whether it's give

21:38

me your money first, let me steward your money.

21:41

Not just the 10 % all of it. Like

21:43

let me steward your money or let me

21:45

steward your body. Let me steward your mind.

21:47

Let me steward your dreams and ask like

21:49

whatever it is. And then you do what you

21:51

want to do. And then again, we've got

21:53

the cross in the garden. Like this whole idea

21:55

of love and making the first move. Guess

21:57

what? They didn't come confess. He went and found

21:59

it. Made the first move. Where are

22:01

y 'all? What's going on? I already know what

22:04

happened. Come on, tell me. Then

22:06

we see his love in pursuit. Then

22:08

even in the consequence, he said, this

22:10

is my love. I need you to

22:12

understand that when my standard is violated,

22:14

there's going to be consequences. But even

22:16

in the consequence, there's going to be

22:18

goodness, right? So it's a love that

22:21

we're just not used to because we

22:23

only associate love with good things. But

22:25

if we had reasonably healthy parents, or

22:27

if we knew somebody that had healthy

22:29

parents, if your household was jacked up, then

22:32

you know that love always includes

22:34

discipline, that it always includes guidelines. It's

22:36

always, to me, God, I

22:38

see him often like this divine

22:40

coach, right? I ran track and

22:42

my coach was not a kind

22:44

person when we were preparing for

22:46

races and, you know, competition.

22:48

That wasn't his goal. He was

22:50

like, go faster, go harder, go

22:52

further. Then after it was over, the

22:54

recovery time, he'd be like, all right, team, great

22:56

job. It was this constant ebb and flow. And

22:59

he could be going hard at us for

23:01

a moment and somebody had a real injury. Like

23:03

it was switched. He'd go, wait, wait, wait,

23:05

hold on. What's going on? Okay. All right. We're

23:07

back good. So I just think that kind

23:09

of dynamic moving love that's, that is

23:12

sometimes celebrating and clapping and

23:14

sometimes restricting and guiding and

23:16

disciplining is just We

23:18

don't really have a good concept of it

23:20

because we have minimized, like, what the

23:22

whole picture of love really looks like. Yes.

23:24

You know, my sister's son, Sam, is

23:26

like one of my best friends

23:28

he's for. We talk all the time.

23:31

They tell the truth. And when he

23:33

says he wants something, I ordered

23:35

on Amazon before the conversation's over. And

23:38

my sister's like, you can't do that. I

23:40

was like, oh, yes, I can. I

23:42

am the ant. He can ask,

23:44

he can ask for anything. Of

23:46

course I can. And the longer

23:48

we as a family or parenting

23:50

him. The longer I'm realizing that,

23:53

that like to love him is

23:55

to want him to become the

23:57

kind of person that I hope

23:59

he becomes. And if

24:01

I, if he says he wishes, he

24:03

asked her to keep the container

24:05

from Chick -fil -A to hold his water

24:07

bottles, like the multi -drink holder. He

24:10

wanted to be like a football

24:12

team that has the holders. Girl, I

24:14

ordered him six water bottles in

24:16

the Gatorade container. And my sister was

24:18

like, Annie, why does one

24:20

man four years old need six

24:22

water bottles? I was like, that's

24:24

right. That's right. And he was

24:26

being creative. And there were all

24:28

these ways that that was actually

24:30

great. Yeah. I'm learning that

24:32

if he stays on that track. And I

24:35

know, I mean, I know, I know

24:37

it's not your, you'll, you'll change. And so

24:39

like, but. Let's say

24:41

that response or your response have

24:43

never changed. On the day

24:45

when he's 13 years old or 14 years

24:47

old or 20, and he asks for something

24:49

and you say no, he will have

24:51

no idea that that's still love, that

24:53

you still like, right? Because he's like, all

24:55

I've known is that when I ask, you

24:58

say yes. So he'll have

25:00

no concept of that. And so a

25:02

lot of it. is, again, our inability

25:04

to really see the dimensions and the

25:06

many facets of love. And a lot

25:08

of it starts in our home. And

25:10

I talk about this a little in

25:12

the book, like your lived experience with

25:14

the people that were supposed to represent

25:16

God as covering an authority and provision

25:18

and all that stuff, your parents significantly

25:20

shapes how you

25:22

view God and his love. And

25:24

so a lot of times when we're

25:26

spending a portion or ongoing work,

25:28

trying to undo the distorted ways that

25:31

we may have viewed love just

25:33

because of our own experiences. We're

25:36

walking toward May, which

25:38

is where Mother's Day sits.

25:40

And you talk beautifully

25:42

about loving as a mother in

25:44

the book. And we have

25:47

a lot of women listening who

25:49

aren't mothers yet. They want to

25:51

be, whether they're married or single.

25:53

We hear a lot from women who are

25:56

in pain because they wish they were biological

25:59

mothers and they're not yet

26:01

or they're not going to be. And

26:03

so when you talk a little bit about your story, this

26:05

is one of the like. Sweetest

26:07

parts of the book to me is what

26:09

you've learned about love and mothering. Yeah,

26:12

I was going through, we were

26:14

probably about 11 -ish years into

26:16

marriage, and my husband and I

26:18

are both driven kind of people. Let's get

26:20

stuff done. And so we were running

26:22

a ministry for five years, back and forth

26:24

to Jamaica, building up our singles ministry,

26:26

and we went straight into church planning for the

26:28

next seven years. And we were like church planning,

26:30

living and breathing, because we were single married. That's

26:33

what I call a single marriage. We have kids, we

26:35

can be up all night doing all the

26:37

things. And I think it just dawned on me,

26:39

like maybe my mid 30s. It's like, oh,

26:41

we don't have kids. Oh my gosh, are

26:43

we supposed, what are we supposed, we

26:46

need kids, we need kids. That's the plan.

26:48

And so then by that point, it

26:50

just wasn't happening naturally for many reasons. I

26:52

mean, it could be anxiety workload. Our

26:54

doctors were like, it's not that deep, but

26:56

the weight, the pace of your lives

26:58

don't know what to set up. for the

27:00

time it may take for biological consumption. And

27:03

so we decide what we want. We want

27:05

kids, feel like this is what we're called to.

27:09

Let's adopt, okay? Cool, we're gonna do

27:11

this. Then I go through

27:13

this whole long process of

27:15

processing emotionally, what that meant. And

27:17

I remember feeling like a bitter sweetness

27:19

during some of this process because

27:21

when the Lord kind of gave the

27:23

plan B, his plan A, my

27:26

plan B plan, sure. You're

27:28

happy that he had a plan, that he

27:30

gave you something else, but then you're like,

27:32

wait a minute, are you setting me

27:34

up to not get my first choice? And

27:37

I remember specifically a conversation when I

27:39

was really like, Lord, but this is how

27:41

it's supposed to happen. You get married,

27:43

you do this, you do this. And I

27:45

was really struggling with the fact that

27:48

I wasn't already a mother, my friends, my

27:50

married friends already had kids, blah, blah,

27:52

blah. I'm behind schedule, right? And so one

27:54

day, a young woman that I have

27:56

been discipling called me and we were

27:58

having a conversation in the car. And

28:00

she was telling me about some situation that she repeatedly

28:02

found herself in and came to relationships. And I

28:04

was just waiting for her to be like, and so

28:06

this is what I missed out, but I don't

28:08

know what to do. And that girl

28:11

just out of the blue was like, you know

28:13

what? But this is what I did. This time

28:15

I told him, da, da, da, da. So I

28:17

ended this and I did this and I did

28:19

this. And I was like, oh my God, she

28:21

finally gets it. Oh my God, two years of

28:23

discipleship. And I remember It

28:26

felt disproportionate at the time, but

28:28

now I know what it is. It

28:30

felt like a disproportionate emotion of

28:32

joy and some kind of human pride

28:34

and like, oh my gosh, she

28:36

gets it. It was one of the

28:38

most filling moments I remember having

28:40

up to that point. And when we

28:42

got off the phone with her,

28:44

it was like the Lord was clear

28:46

as day. You have those moments

28:48

where you're like, I swear, he just

28:50

spoke out loud. He was

28:52

like, this is what you want. And I was

28:55

like, what? I won't hurt a call and break

28:57

up with bad dudes. You think

28:59

that motherhood is the

29:01

only way to feel this.

29:03

This is what you

29:05

want. You want influence. You

29:07

want to mother. You want

29:09

to guide and guess what, Jada? Because

29:11

that's how I wired you to nurture,

29:13

to connect, to guide, to disciple. I

29:16

was like, oh my God. I

29:18

mean, pull over, cry. Oh my

29:20

God. Because I was happy and sad.

29:23

I was happy that the Lord had shown

29:25

me the real need of my heart. But

29:28

I was sad because I knew he wasn't

29:30

gonna do it the way I was asking. And

29:32

so then all of a sudden the

29:34

adoption process kind of fast forwarded in

29:36

like six or seven weeks later. It

29:38

was a very short period of time.

29:41

We got the call about my son.

29:43

And I was so thrilled, but it

29:45

felt like, it felt like a measured

29:47

joy. A measured joy is part of

29:49

the word I would use because I

29:51

was so grateful for that moment because I

29:54

think I might have idolized my son. And

29:56

the Lord was like, hey, if I

29:58

don't do it this way, I'll do it a

30:00

million ways. I can meet the need of the

30:02

heart that wants to mother, which is by the way,

30:04

I'll put it in the heart of women. I

30:06

can meet that a million different ways. Then what

30:08

if you never had kids? What if you just, at

30:10

the end of your life, you've discipled 50 women

30:12

well? I'll be like, I mean, who's

30:15

going to complain about that? What's the multiplication?

30:17

That's right. So it was just one

30:19

of those moments. It still makes me emotional

30:21

where you're just like, God is so attuned.

30:23

He's so, he's the one putting

30:25

the need in our heart that we have

30:27

to go to him to understand that

30:29

if he doesn't do it the way we're

30:31

asking or the way we think, that

30:33

the need is still being met. The need

30:36

is not being ignored just because the

30:38

method of delivery like isn't our first choice.

30:40

And so it was just a, beautiful,

30:44

bittersweet. I'm not going to even spiritualize like

30:46

I was so excited. It was a kind

30:48

of like, oh, okay. Man,

30:51

that's such a gift that you say that though.

30:54

That's such a gift because I

30:56

think when I started using the

30:58

language that I was mothering, even

31:00

though I don't. have children in

31:02

my home, that did set me

31:04

free for that love to come

31:06

out a different way. But

31:08

to also say, that does not mean

31:10

that the whole, that you felt the jar

31:12

in you that you thought was going

31:14

to be mothering children in your home gets

31:16

filled and you're fine. mean,

31:19

I think that's such a gift,

31:21

Jada, to remind us that there's a

31:23

gift into tapping into, if

31:25

I desire to mother, I can mother

31:27

today. Yes, it just may not look

31:29

the way I thought. And to say

31:31

you're welcome and invited to grieve. I

31:33

mean, you've probably heard me say this

31:35

before, Jada, but my counselor, one of

31:37

the gifts she gave me is when

31:40

she said, you need to grieve that

31:42

you'll never be a wife or a

31:44

mother in your twenties or your thirties.

31:46

And you need to, because there is

31:48

a life I pictured that I did

31:50

not get and did not, and in

31:52

some ways did not choose, but I

31:54

have been mothering. Yeah. And so. Holding

31:56

both of those but once I gave

31:58

myself permission to say I can love

32:00

like a mother Absolutely without being a

32:02

biological mother. Yeah, it unlocks something immediate

32:04

absolutely and for me and for all

32:06

of us I think getting to that

32:08

core of who God's designed you to

32:10

be You know, it's like saying I

32:12

mean can't leave unless you marry I

32:14

mean God has God has called them

32:16

to a certain role a certain function

32:18

so so I think getting to that

32:20

core is really important for a couple

32:22

reasons number one is does not make

32:24

me feel like my whole call to

32:26

mother is fulfilled in my children. Because

32:29

that means if I have kids and

32:31

I won't be called, I won't be, I

32:33

won't have the urge to disciple anymore. I

32:35

won't have the urge to influence and see

32:37

the growth in others. Like that one doesn't

32:39

squelch the other because I'm realizing, oh,

32:41

they're not the only answer. Because

32:44

guess what? You're still going

32:46

to have a moment for me, like because God's

32:48

story is different for everybody. Like I still have

32:50

moments where I was like, I mean, I'm so

32:52

grateful for my kids, but man. No

32:54

maternity photos was never put

32:56

into life. We will always

32:58

find something to say, but God, but

33:00

God, I still didn't get this and

33:02

he'll be like, girl, come on now.

33:04

So it's, I think you have to

33:06

be tapped into that because what if,

33:08

and I'm to tell you another thing

33:10

that happened to me. We were in

33:12

a young church plant and a couple

33:14

in our church lost their five month

33:16

old son to sins. And

33:19

I remember being at that funeral

33:21

and the Lord goes, what? What

33:23

if you put all your eggs in this motherhood

33:25

basket, Radha, and then after five months, they're

33:27

gone? What if? Like, how loosely

33:29

can you hold these things you want

33:32

so that it's just me and however

33:34

I decide to give it? Because what

33:36

if I say yes and give you

33:38

that husband and then he gets injured

33:40

or then he dies? You're

33:43

not just wanting the thing from me. You're

33:45

wanting it in perfection in exactly the way

33:47

want. Oh, say that. That's it. That's me?

33:49

That's me, JD, you're reading my journal currently.

33:51

Yeah, that's me. What if I don't do

33:53

that? Or what if you, yeah, and then

33:56

it changes quickly? Like, at

33:58

some point, you're gonna have to come back to

34:00

me being the only source of your satisfaction

34:02

because the thing is not gonna ever be like

34:04

what you think it's gonna be. And so

34:06

there was just several moments during those pre -mother

34:08

years where I felt like the Lord was like,

34:10

hey, and girl, this sounds so morbid. My

34:12

son, and I remember the first couple of years

34:14

of his life, I would, over his crib

34:16

at night, This will sound

34:18

so morbid, but I hope people get

34:20

it I would be like thank you

34:22

for this day for this many months

34:24

for this year However long had he

34:26

been alive and I'd say if you

34:28

take him tonight Lord I still love

34:30

you and it was like something I

34:32

felt like I needed to verbalize because

34:34

sitting with my friend Nobody ever wants

34:36

to sit in front of a casket

34:38

made for a five -month -old and This

34:41

girl was like we are so heartbroken

34:43

But we are so clear that the

34:45

Lord is telling us this is a

34:47

gospel opportunity because we have all this

34:49

family that are not saved and they

34:51

are expecting us to be angry and

34:53

sad and bitter. And we want to

34:55

say we're hurt, devastated, disappointed, and

34:57

we love God. And like that

34:59

whole experience of that child service

35:01

was about the gospel. And I

35:03

was like, could I do that

35:05

for him? And he was

35:07

like, not today, but we get

35:09

in it. It's real. So it just

35:11

began to shift. everything

35:13

so that even with my kids, I

35:15

don't idolize them. I love them and I'm grateful

35:17

for them. But the Lord is like, I'm bigger.

35:20

I'm bigger than these kids. I'm bigger

35:22

than whatever life you think you need. It's

35:24

me. And I will always find a way

35:26

to meet the need of your heart. I

35:28

remember watching at my nephew TJ's funeral, you

35:30

know, the one where the teacher goes. I

35:33

remember watching my sister and her husband,

35:35

my brother -in -law, worshiping on the front row.

35:37

And I was like, how? How? Tell

35:39

me how to do that. How? Teach me

35:41

how. Yeah, because, yeah, I mean, it

35:43

just is a, it's a supernatural gift you

35:45

get in grief that it's almost like

35:47

every time you've been on the practice field

35:49

of worship, now you're in the game.

35:51

You're in the game. And now it's like,

35:53

yeah, I heard, I was listening to

35:55

a book about heaven. And I've said this

35:57

a couple of times on the show,

35:59

but one of the things that one of

36:01

the teachers in the book said, it's

36:03

called four views of heaven and it's four

36:05

different theologians. And one of them talks

36:07

about all the things we do on earth

36:09

that we won't do in heaven. And

36:11

one, and then one of the main ones

36:13

is you don't worship through pain. Right.

36:17

And he's like, so you got to double down

36:19

while you're here. Cause this is your only shot. This

36:22

is it. This is the faith only exists

36:24

here. You only have to operate in what

36:26

you don't know and worship your pain here.

36:28

And that has affected me so much to

36:30

go like, God, I will love you anyway.

36:33

I will love, I mean, I asked Lord a

36:35

few months ago, I was like, will you just

36:37

protect me from this thing that I'm going through?

36:40

Like if you, Isaiah, Isaiah says you're my husband

36:42

and a husband, a good husband would protect his

36:44

wife and defend his wife. And then I felt

36:46

like the Lord didn't do what I asked. And

36:48

I would like, Okay, I'm hurt by that. I

36:50

said both things, Jade. I said, I am hurt

36:52

that you didn't do what I asked. And

36:54

I would have said that to my husband if he was

36:56

staying in the kitchen. I am hurt that you didn't step

36:58

in and handle this. And also Lord, you

37:01

love me and I love you. And

37:03

I will stay in this tension because this

37:05

is a thing I won't do forever.

37:07

I won't live in this tension forever. And

37:09

so I'll stay in it now because

37:11

it's my chance to say I love you

37:13

when I don't understand. I

37:15

think that's so important, Annie, to what you were saying

37:17

about that honesty with the Lord. I

37:19

feel like we say more to our therapist

37:21

than we say to the Lord sometimes. It's like

37:23

my therapist gets my real me. And with

37:25

that, look, can you please just do like we're

37:27

only asking him the big supernatural things. And

37:29

he's like, yeah, but someone 39 says you're intimately

37:31

acquainted with my ways. Like, you know my

37:34

thought, you know me. So let me tell you

37:36

how I'm frustrated today. Let me tell you

37:38

how I'm disappointed. And God is

37:40

so gracious. He will know when to

37:42

turn the corner into a lesson. And there's

37:44

been times that I have vented and

37:46

unloaded to the Lord. And he did not

37:48

immediately give me a lesson. He didn't

37:50

immediately bring a scripture to mind. He just

37:52

was like, okay, girl. Come

37:54

on, girl, lay right here. Come on. And I

37:56

just sit there and I'm mad and I cry

37:58

and I'm mad. And then, you know, sometimes it's

38:00

weeks later, he's like, you ready

38:02

to talk about what's really going on? I'm

38:05

like, I am now, Lord. Thank you.

38:07

But it's like, there's a honesty with him.

38:09

That for me actually has become verbal.

38:11

So if you catch me in my kitchen

38:13

at the right moment, it's a crazy

38:15

person. When the house is empty, I'm walking

38:17

around, talking out loud, saying what I

38:19

really feel. So if I

38:21

don't do that, then the Lord cannot

38:23

take it and give it back to

38:25

me the way it's supposed to be.

38:27

Like you can't be constantly filtering. So

38:29

I just think that that point is

38:32

really important as we see like past

38:34

our own experience and need to try

38:36

to see a glimpse of God's supernatural

38:38

love. It takes honesty. Like, I'm irritated,

38:40

Lord. Yeah. You gave

38:42

me these things and I'm still irritated.

38:44

Like, because we're never satisfied. Listen, that's

38:46

it. Every time I eat lunch, I'm

38:48

going to want dinner. So I've been

38:50

me. I've been me. I know. We're

38:52

paunchers. Yeah, that's right. Would

38:54

you be okay if we turned your therapist

38:56

statement into a question for Instagram? Does your

38:59

therapist get more from you than your God? Sure.

39:01

Because I think that is a question people

39:03

need to read. That's true

39:05

of me. You're right. I will tell

39:07

her. I will sit and process things

39:10

with her that I have not said

39:12

in that way to the Lord. 100 %

39:14

I do that. Yep. That's exactly right,

39:16

Jada. I'm a walking, praying person. I

39:18

think I get a lot done when

39:20

I'm walking and praying. So

39:22

I always wear my headphones, whether I'm at Radnor Lake

39:24

in Nashville or I'm at Central Park in New York,

39:26

I've always got my AirPods in because I'm like, they

39:28

don't know if I'm on the phone. They

39:30

don't know. They don't have to know. Everybody's talking

39:32

to somebody. They don't know that mine's not in my

39:34

ears. Right. Yeah, I

39:36

love it. Yeah. How different is your prayer

39:39

when you walk than when you're sitting? Well,

39:42

I'm an external processor. So

39:44

moving just helps me. I'm

39:46

not a sit and think

39:48

I'm typically going to be distracted.

39:51

The movement helps me. So I don't know if

39:53

it's a little bit of ADHD, who knows.

39:55

But I know moving helps. Like if I'm teaching

39:57

to a thousand people or if I'm talking

39:59

to myself, I need to do it. It's just

40:02

something about that that helps me process. And

40:04

for me, saying it is important. So I say

40:06

more when I'm walking than I do on

40:08

my knees. Like that's not, once I'm on my

40:10

knees in a still position, like at night

40:12

or something like that, honestly, I don't pray. that

40:15

often for a long time on my knees because

40:17

I will start thinking about my grocery. I just

40:19

know me. That's right. I'm moving. Man,

40:21

I can go on an hour walk and you guys

40:23

can get into it, you know. That's right. So. It

40:25

just helps me, like something else is moving so

40:27

my brain can focus. You know what I'm saying?

40:29

I think it's like doodling. It's like doodling. Yeah,

40:31

that's right. If I'm sitting and praying, if I

40:33

can write, like if I'm sitting

40:35

in a prayer meeting, if I can write

40:38

out what we're praying or what we're

40:40

praying about, I can stay in that topic

40:42

pretty well. Or I need to be in

40:44

the back of the room pacing left to right. I'm

40:46

like, I appreciate you mature people who can sit in

40:49

your seat and stay focused this whole time. I'm going to

40:51

stay focused, but I'm going to have some tools. I'm

40:53

to have some tools to help me stay focused. Yeah,

40:55

because if my eyes are closed long enough, I'm like, is

40:57

that a headache I feel? think my

40:59

elbow is tender. Or the eight things for

41:01

work I got to do in the next hour. And

41:04

I'm like, I should go ahead and make a list in

41:06

the middle of this prayer top. Yeah. I do.

41:08

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And now back to our

44:45

conversation with Jada. Let's

44:55

kind of wrap toward this. I

44:57

am sure there are people tuning in today because

44:59

yesterday was Easter and they are back in a

45:01

rhythm. Here they go. Like they went to church

45:03

with their family. Here's the next thing I'm going

45:05

to do. I'm going to get back in a

45:08

rhythm. I picked up scripture again this morning. I

45:10

listened to the first chapter of John or listened

45:12

to Romans. And now I'm listening.

45:14

Yeah. Now I'm listening to Jada and

45:16

Annie. And in their cord, they would

45:18

say to you, I'm not committed to

45:20

this because I don't feel loved anywhere. And

45:23

so I tried God and I didn't feel loved.

45:25

I didn't feel love. I don't feel loved by my

45:27

friends. I feel really lonely. I don't feel loved

45:29

in my marriage or I'm not in a marriage. Like

45:31

if God, if God is love, I have

45:33

not felt that. And that's why I can't,

45:36

I don't stay committed to this religion. For

45:38

lack of a better, I mean, we aren't

45:40

that it's, I know the whole, it's not

45:42

a religious relationship. This is also our religion.

45:44

I mean, I don't have a different

45:46

religion. Theologically incorrect statement. That's right

45:48

guidelines and rules. It is a set

45:50

of doctorated outline beliefs. Like it's a yes.

45:52

It's not only a religion, but that's

45:54

right. I don't know. That's right. So when

45:57

you talk to those of us that

45:59

are there that are that have felt unloved

46:01

and feel like it's really hard to

46:03

connect with God in a life where we

46:05

do not feel loved. Yeah. Honestly,

46:07

my prayer to the Lord personally.

46:09

is the same prayer I would

46:11

encourage an unbeliever. Whether you're an

46:13

unbeliever, new believer, sketchy believer, shaky

46:15

believer, a firm believer, wherever you

46:17

are, the question

46:19

is, the prayer for me is always,

46:21

Lord, show me how you're loving

46:24

me. Because sometimes the truth of the

46:26

cross and the crucifixion, I know

46:28

it's true, but if my heart is

46:30

not really posture, that it's so

46:32

distant. And even In these

46:34

times, as long as I'm being a believer,

46:36

I still am asking that question because I

46:38

have days and it's not because I'm doubting.

46:40

It's because I'm human. I'm like, Lord, show

46:42

me how you're loving me. And so I

46:45

would say that even for the unbeliever or

46:47

for the person who's still trying to figure

46:49

out what to do with God or how

46:51

they feel about it, ask him because God

46:53

is so gracious. He's not going to just

46:55

pull up an Old Testament scripture or take

46:57

you to John 3 .16. He's going to

46:59

be like, girl, today you were texting and

47:01

driving. I

47:04

did not let that devastate you today.

47:06

Remember when that happened at work? I'm

47:08

looking after like he is so specific.

47:10

He will really start to show you

47:12

in your day to day life. He

47:14

remembered the thing that sent you into

47:16

depression two years ago. Look, something similar

47:18

just happened six months ago and look.

47:20

Look how you're thriving like he'll start

47:22

to show you. Here's how I'm loving

47:24

it. Here is how I'm looking out

47:26

for you. And I think I don't

47:28

think that's a self -centered or immature

47:30

thing to ask, because at the end

47:32

of the day, we're still kind of

47:34

all toddlers with the Lord. And

47:36

just show me, or please show me how you're loving

47:38

me because I don't see it or I don't feel it.

47:41

When he starts to show you, he will

47:43

start giving you specifics that you're like,

47:45

oh, okay, I don't think I saw that

47:47

as love. And that's the

47:49

only thing, only God can show

47:51

you what God is doing. Like,

47:53

there's no person or song or

47:56

sermon. You have to talk to

47:58

the Lord. Like, he will

48:00

start to show you. How are you,

48:02

Mother Mary? That's right. That's beautiful. Where

48:04

would you tell someone, if they're picking

48:06

their Bible up again today, where

48:08

would you tell someone to start? Man,

48:11

I have a couple of good

48:13

starting places. It depends if you're kind

48:15

of academic nerdy like I like

48:18

you might be a John or Romans

48:20

type of person, but Philippians is

48:22

always good First Peter is good. He's

48:24

just talking about what it means

48:26

to be an exile what it means

48:28

to feel like a foreigner like

48:30

this is intentional Galatians is good any

48:32

of the shorter letters from Paul

48:34

or I think Ephesians is a little

48:36

heavy, but I think Philippians and

48:38

Galatians can be very practical. And if

48:40

you're ready to get into like

48:42

the whole gospel salvific history, jump into

48:44

Romans. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

48:48

The other thing I'd love for you to

48:50

talk about for a second is to

48:52

our friends who are believers, how do we

48:54

love our non believing friends? Well, also.

48:56

Please, dear everyone, have non -believing friends. Oh

48:58

my God. number one. Yes,

49:00

please go find, even if you've got one

49:02

or two, please go make friends with

49:05

people who don't believe everything we believe. Absolutely.

49:08

We love them the way

49:10

God loves us, which is

49:12

grace, patience, waiting

49:15

on teachable moments. Like

49:17

nobody, none of us, they

49:19

made a decision for Jesus. Not some of

49:21

us grew up in church and we

49:23

probably felt threatened. Our hill was threatening us

49:25

and we said yes to the Lord.

49:27

We even if you grew up in church

49:29

and got saved when you were four,

49:31

six, eight, nine, and ten, you know, you

49:33

remember that one moment where it was

49:35

a very cognitive decision that you owned and

49:37

it wasn't out of fear. It wasn't

49:39

because someone said the right scripture. It was

49:41

just because the Lord finally got through

49:43

to your heart heart and it was a

49:45

patience and a grace. And so I

49:47

think sometimes, especially when we're desperate for people

49:49

to wanna believe who we believe and

49:51

see God, that we lack grace and we

49:53

lack patience as opposed to saying, I'm

49:55

gonna wait for the teachable moment. I

49:58

don't know that Nicodemus never got saved.

50:00

I just know that in that moment

50:02

he wasn't able because the Lord was

50:04

like, are you sure you're ready to

50:06

do this? And he was like, well,

50:08

and the Lord in Jesus was like,

50:10

hey, good, but this is what it

50:12

means. All right, when you're ready. So

50:14

it's like, I think we forget and

50:17

I would encourage you to pray for

50:19

teachable divine moments. And when they happen,

50:21

ask God first what to do. Because

50:23

airbound need a scripture texted from Amos.

50:26

Like sometimes you just need to say,

50:28

I get it or say nothing or

50:30

pray. So I think it's just giving

50:32

that to the Lord and loving them

50:34

with a grace. Don't expect them to

50:36

act like they believe in God and

50:38

if not yet believed in God. Yeah,

50:41

that's right. That's right. Yeah,

50:43

sometimes we have unrealistic expectations, I think.

50:45

That's right. I had a friend a

50:47

few years ago who is not a

50:49

Christian say to me, I hope you

50:51

marry a Christian. And I was like,

50:53

yeah, I mean, that's my plan. And

50:56

the reason he was saying it,

50:58

Jada, is he said he had been

51:00

married to a Christian as a

51:02

non -Christian. And he said, we struggled

51:04

the whole time because we had two

51:06

different maps. For life and he

51:08

said so I hope you I hope you

51:10

don't marry a non -Christian because it's really

51:12

hard And there are some of our friends

51:14

listening who are in that situation and and

51:16

God there's a lot about and there's a

51:18

lot in scripture about that actually But as

51:20

I'm still choosing who I end up with

51:22

That has always stuck with me that he

51:24

was like Hey, he was pretty much saying

51:26

to me. Hey, you and I have different

51:28

maps in this world We have two different

51:30

maps and then Christians are wondering like why

51:32

you didn't end up at the same place

51:34

I did Because we have two different maps.

51:38

We're trying to fix how you dress and how you

51:40

talk. Men, the heart, the heart,

51:42

the heart, the heart. And so I think

51:44

that's just one of our strengths in evangelism to

51:46

say, how do I pray for this person?

51:48

How asking God in the moment, how do I

51:50

love them well? What do I say? Is

51:52

this a moment for truth or a moment for

51:54

quiet support? Like what do

51:57

I stay here? And so just

51:59

asking God to guide those moments because he wants

52:01

their heart to be his too. And he's

52:03

going to show you how to do it. I

52:05

don't know if you feel this Jada, but

52:07

the more it seems like Christians struggle to show

52:09

love to each other, the more

52:11

I am going, y 'all go fine. Y 'all go

52:13

fight over there. I'm going to go make friends

52:15

with people who don't feel any hope. I'm going

52:17

to go make friends with people. are dying to

52:19

feel loved, who don't even know Jesus is real.

52:21

Y 'all can go fight. We'll all get to

52:24

heaven together and we'll make up there. I'm

52:26

gonna go over here. I'm gonna go over

52:28

here because there are bigger things than the things

52:30

we're internally fighting about and it's that these

52:32

people don't have any hope. Absolutely. It's actually one

52:34

of the reasons I wrote the book, because

52:37

I was like, I don't understand how old Jesus

52:39

is. This love thing is supposed to be

52:41

our mark, not like a thing

52:43

we'd be in addition to volunteering and

52:45

serving a mark. He's your

52:47

identifier. If you believe in three

52:49

different political parties, if you believe

52:51

in this kind of education versus

52:53

homeschool, if you believe in saving

52:55

or spending, if you believe, he

52:57

said, whatever it is, they're supposed

52:59

to be able to line everybody up that says

53:01

they love Jesus and see something in common. And

53:03

that should be that you love the way the

53:06

Lord loves. And we have not, we've made that

53:08

like 10th on the list. We got so many

53:10

other identifying marks. And that was really one of

53:12

the reasons I wrote the book. Like, how do

53:14

we bring love back to the top? Because Jesus

53:16

is like, this is it. Jesus says, this is

53:18

how people will know your mind. That

53:20

you love the way I love. It's

53:22

not your Bible knowledge. It's not small

53:25

church versus good church. It's not politics.

53:27

It's not country. It's not, do you

53:29

stand for this war again? It's none

53:31

of that. He was like, if I

53:33

line everybody up. this should be the

53:35

common denominator. This is the identifying mark.

53:37

And I think we've made that way

53:40

low on the list. We have far

53:42

greater identifying marks that are defining us

53:44

as believers. I'm excited for

53:46

this book to get out when I'm thinking

53:48

about all the women who lead women's ministries

53:50

that listen to us and that are a

53:52

part of the That Sounds Fun fam. I'm

53:54

thinking, man, when y 'all are picking your

53:57

summer book club book for your Bible study.

53:59

When you're like, I mean, to me, this

54:01

is the one that I want to sit

54:03

around a table with eight other women and

54:05

talk through. So this is, and for our

54:07

friends listening who do plan Bible studies, there

54:10

are exactly nine chapters, which

54:12

is a perfect summer length.

54:14

That is, I mean, I don't know if you did that on

54:17

purpose or not, but it gets you through June, July and

54:19

you've, there you go. So. Jada,

54:21

thank you for writing this and for talking

54:23

to us about love and different seasons.

54:25

Springtime feels loving to a lot of people.

54:28

And so we want to do it well though. We

54:30

want to do it well because I don't need

54:32

my non -Christian friends to pick the church I go

54:34

to. I don't want them to know a life without

54:36

Jesus. Absolutely. Absolutely.

54:39

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. Oh

54:41

my gosh. Anytime. I mean, we're going to go

54:43

back and link to this, but you're Fasting

54:46

podcast with us is one of the

54:48

best resources we have in the 980 episodes

54:50

we've got. Your fasting episode is one

54:53

of the best resources we have. So I'm

54:55

so grateful. Oh, thank you. The last

54:57

question I always ask, as you know, this

54:59

is your third time. Jada, when you

55:01

get to five times on the show, you

55:03

join the hall of fun. So we're

55:05

really trucking you there. I believe in it.

55:07

I think you're going to hit it.

55:09

Will you answer this question? Because the show

55:12

is called That Sounds Fun. Tell me

55:14

what sounds fun to you. What

55:16

sounds fun to me is probably gonna sound,

55:18

I don't know, this would not have sounded fun

55:20

20 years ago. Don't judge your fun. We

55:22

you. Listen. I, what is fun

55:24

to me is that right now

55:26

I have two rooms in my house

55:28

that are in shambles because I

55:30

have, I'm in the process of ordering

55:32

all of my new organization containers.

55:34

Yes girl. I'm shelving in my home

55:36

office. I just redid my laundry room.

55:38

By the way, I remember when you and I

55:40

had that conversation about you doing your laundry room. That's

55:42

exactly right. The things that bring me joy. I'm

55:45

like, oh my god. Yes. I'm a grocery shopping dancer

55:47

on Saturday. I can really do

55:49

my laundry. I just bought new containers

55:51

for my dish soap and hand soap

55:53

and my olive oil and everything's pretty.

55:55

Like I'm like, thank you Amazon. You

55:57

know, so that's it. That's what's fun,

55:59

like making, like going through little things,

56:02

doing these fine little things to beautify

56:04

my little space. And so it's very

56:06

fun. I'm you. That's very springtime of

56:08

you. It is. I give away a

56:10

lot. It's wonderful trash bags of stuff.

56:12

Yes. I just did the same. I

56:14

just, I just, all I did on my porch is

56:16

I got a couple of new pillows and I got a

56:18

new piece of art for the wall and I was

56:21

like, new space. Here we go. This is it. Yeah, just

56:23

makes you feel new. That's right. Jade, I love you

56:25

so much. Thanks for doing this. Thank you so much for

56:27

having me. I appreciate you. You

56:30

guys, isn't she the best? I just

56:32

love her. I love her so much.

56:34

She's so wise. She's such a good

56:36

pastor and teacher. I just I

56:38

am all things Jada, all things Jada. Listen

56:40

to her preach, read her books, follow her

56:43

on socials. Get a copy of her new

56:45

book, A New Way to Love Your Neighbor.

56:47

Make sure you're following her on social media. Tell her thank

56:49

you for being on the show. And

56:52

you can go back and listen to

56:54

our Q &A episode on faith and

56:56

fasting, where Jada joined and helped

56:58

us answer your questions. It is really,

57:01

it is one of the best episodes we have

57:03

and so many of you love it. You talked

57:05

to me about it a lot. It's linked in

57:07

the show notes below for you. If you have

57:09

any questions from this episode, you can drop them

57:11

in the Q &A box on your Spotify app. If

57:13

you're a Spotify listener like me, or send them

57:15

straight to us on Instagram at That Sounds Fun

57:17

podcast, we'll try to answer them there for you.

57:20

If you need anything else from me, you

57:22

know, I am embarrassingly easy to find. Any

57:24

uptowns on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, anywhere you

57:26

need me, that's where you can find me.

57:28

And I think that's it for me today,

57:30

friends. Go out or stay home. Do something

57:32

that sounds fun to you and I will

57:34

do the same. Today, what sounds fun to

57:36

me is heading to Gatlinburg this weekend. I

57:38

get to be at the Women of Joy

57:41

Conference on Saturday. Y 'all know I

57:43

love a little trip to Gatlinburg. I cannot wait. And

57:45

then I'll be preaching at Crosspoint this Sunday. You're

57:47

welcome to join us in person if

57:49

you are in Nashville at 9 a .m.,

57:51

11 a .m., or 5 .30 p .m., or

57:53

you can join us online. But before we

57:55

get to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we

57:57

got Thursday. And on Thursday, you

57:59

get to hear me Eddie and our monthly

58:01

episode of Annie and Eddie talking. It's

58:03

a wild one. We'll see you Thursday. life.

58:31

When down, get your feeling right. That

58:34

sounds fun. That

58:40

sounds fun.

58:42

That sounds fun. Are

58:53

you looking for your new favorite

58:55

podcast that's both entertaining and will

58:57

challenge you in your walk with

58:59

Jesus? Hey, we're Mackie Kenz from

59:01

the For Girl podcast. Every

59:04

Tuesday, we break down everything that

59:06

we wish someone had told us in

59:08

our 20s. From faith in relationships

59:10

to wild career transitions, we're getting real

59:12

about all of our mess ups

59:14

and the things God has taught us

59:16

along the way. Think of us

59:18

as your hilarious weekly dose of honest

59:20

conversation with your internet besties been

59:22

exactly where you currently are. So

59:24

come check out For The Girl on

59:26

Apple Spotify or wherever you love

59:28

to listen to and make sure to

59:31

click follow on our show that

59:33

each new episode is dropped right into

59:35

your personal feed. Hi,

59:41

dear one. I'm Dr. Edie your new

59:43

favorite Christian life coach, and I want

59:45

to invite you to the House of

59:47

Joy podcast. If you're a woman over

59:49

40 or the daughter of one who

59:52

wants to build a positive mindset, healthier

59:54

habits, and thriving this is the show

59:56

you. We talk about personal growth, faith,

59:58

resilience, and creating a life you're obsessed

1:00:00

with. So you're tired, of stuck and

1:00:02

ready to step into more joy and

1:00:04

purpose, come join us. Listen now, wherever

1:00:06

you get your podcast.