A Mess, Nonetheless

13/08/2024

Who is excited for season 3?!

23/05/2024

Miss and Rachel discuss the last season of podcasting and what they learned this year through the processing of creating episodes with you guys in mind. They will be back sometime in the next school year because they take off for the summer. See you then!

16/05/2024

Are we slow to speak and quick to listen? Melissa and Rachel cannot say that's something that has come naturally to them! In fact, Rachel is still pretty much straight up bad at it! Melissa shares how God taught her to do just this thing, especially in conflict, and in the end it saved her marriage! We truly cannot know what God can do in the "space" unless we allow there to be "space". Tune in to this episode to hear what the Bible says on the topic and how you can be challenged today to grow in this area (with Rachel!).
Show Notes:
James 1:19 Be quick to listen, slow to speak.
Proverbs 29:20 Do you see people who speak too quickly? There is more hope for a foolish person than them.
Ecclesiastes 3:7 (paraphrase) There is a time to keep silent and a time to speak. But when? How? To discern the difference between knowing when to speak or be silent, we need to humbly seek the Lord through prayer, immerse ourselves in scripture and ask for his wisdom and discernment.
Challenge: Take inventory of yourself in conflict, are you quick to listen and slow to speak? How might your conflicts change if you applied the verse from Ecclesiastes 3:7?

09/05/2024

When other people don't see us for who we are, or misunderstand our character, it hurts. It's painful and yet sometimes we aren't meant to defend ourselves. Sometimes we have to surrender the situation to God and trust Him to resolve it when and how He sees fit. Miss and Rachel share about their experiences with the difficult subject and share an abundance of scripture to discuss what the Bible says on the topic.
Show Notes:
1. It sucks. It’s one of the worst feelings ever, IMO
Psalm 56:8 (GNTD) You know how troubled I am; you have kept a record of my tears. Aren't they listed in your book?
2. Jesus was almost constantly misunderstood, even by his best friends and family!
Mark 3:21 When his family heard about this (people crowding around him and the insanity of his growing ministry), they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
3. We don’t have to defend ourselves
Psalm 62:5-7, David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter”
Psalm 121 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

4. Stand confident in who we are in Christ
In Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) we see David praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you.”
Jeremiah 12:3 (NLT) “But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts…”
Psalm 139:1 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.” God knows us. He created us.
Trust that God will reveal the truth, and time will tell the story.
Luke 2:2-3 Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an inner room will be shouted from the housetops.

Challenge: Take the baby steps, keep looking at Jesus. Ask God to quiet the mind when we are consumed with the hard parts. Put on worship music and take back control of what the enemy wants us to do, being consumed with the circumstances.

02/05/2024

In this episode Miss and Rach talk about the difference between Biblical convictions and personal convictions, and what happens when we put our personal convictions on others—legalism! They share examples from their own lives and talk through what the Bible says about it.
Show notes:
There are things the Bible lays out and we should attempt, as best we can, to interpret, apply and adhere to them (murder, adultery, lying, etc)
There are things the Bible is not clear about and each person should rely on the Holy Spirit to direct, discern and convict. (Alcohol, tv, how we spend our money, etc)
Then there is legalism, and that’s trying to impose a personal conviction on someone else, as if they are conditions for salvation, or meant to be universal standards for holiness. That gets real ugly real fast:Self righteousness (I am better than you, or holier than you, feeling morally superior)
Pride (a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements

The Bible calls us to live with grace and humility, the opposite of those two things:Forgive others and bear with one another (Colossians 3:13), treat others as we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12) Love others (Romans 13:8, Matthew 5:44) this all points to grace.
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Humility - Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
“Those who major in legalistic religion often fail the final exam. If you miss love, you flunk the course. Compassion is a vitaL sign of spirituality. Disregarding others reveals ungodliness, regardless of how much Holy talk or Christian speak you use. (1 john 4:20)”

What do we do when we feel legalism creeping in?Confess, surrender, repent.
Judging isn’t our job
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

What do we do when we feel legalism being put onto us?Pray and ask for clarity, is it a conviction we’ve missed? If not, surrender and forgive

Challenge: Evaluate your mindset, do you find yourself putting your personal convictions on others? How will you plan to change that moving forward?

25/04/2024

➡️New episode⬅️Do you ever find yourself responding to someone or a scenario based on how you feel, rather than on reality? Emotions are not bad, or unbiblical, but responding out of our feelings can get us into a lot of trouble. Join Miss and Rach as they talk about their own issues in the area and the tools they’ve implemented to hold them accountable.

25/04/2024

Do you ever find yourself responding to someone or a scenario based on how you feel, rather than on reality? Emotions are not bad, or unbiblical, but responding out of our feelings can get us into a lot of trouble. Join Miss and Rach as they talk about their own issues in the area and the tools they've implemented to hold them accountable.

Show Notes:
There is nothing inherently wrong with feelings:Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Jesus displayed His emotions. He was overwhelmed (Matthew 26:37-38) He cried at the tomb of Lazarus. (John 11:35) There are several places where Jesus rejoiced.
Psalm 2:4 says, “God sits in the heavens and laughs.”

Feelings are not the same as truthIt’s dangerous territory when our feelings begin to replace reality, or be mistaken for truth.
We HAVE to be willing to challenge our feelings (and allow others to) when they begin to take priority over truth and reality.

We cannot always trust our feelingsProverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Emotions would come under the heading, “your own understanding.” We should not allow our emotions to control our lives or our relationships with others.

We are not to suppress our emotions but we must not trust them or allow them to control us.
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Phil 4:5a Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.


Challenge: Evaluate yourself next time your feelings get big. Do you let yourself respond out of your feelings or do you wait for truth and clarity to come?

29/02/2024

Melissa and Rachel walk through the different ways that Jesus modeled community and what we can learn from Him. Tune in this week to see how you can be challenged in your relationship with the community around you! Find us on your favorite podcast app + YouTube.

29/02/2024

Melissa and Rachel walk through the different ways that Jesus modeled community and what we can learn from Him. Tune in this week to see how you can be challenged in your relationship with the community around you!

Melissa and Rachel walk through the different ways that Jesus modeled community and what we can learn from Him. Tune in this week to see how you can be challenged in your relationship with the community around you! Show Notes: 1. Jesus was very often surrounded by people, he seemed to fully embrace....

22/02/2024

Miss and Rach talk with Katie Olson about what it’s like to not only walk through infertility, but to be in your 30’s and 40’s without children when the majority of people around you have them. We hope and pray that all our listeners will listen to find some practical things we can do with and for our friends who can’t have kids, or don’t have kids, in order to make them feel loved and included.
Follow Katie on Instagram: .olenorbs

15/02/2024

In last week’s episode Miss and Rach dove into some really important points regarding seasons of silence with God. They have a few points left to cover in this episode including the intimacy and trust that can come from being allowed to be silent with one another in relationships. Tune in this week because part 1 was just getting us started, there is so much more to come!

08/02/2024

Rachel and Melissa discuss the seasons in our lives when God feels silent. We are actively showing up, but we can’t feel His presence for weeks, months or years on end. They also talk about times when we’re praying for specific guidance and we don’t hear anything back. Walking through the story of Job and God’s long silence in his life during an agonizing time, they dive into what we can learn from the story. Find us on your podcast app + YouTube

07/02/2024

01/02/2024

Miss and Rachel had something planned at the start of this episode, but they decided that “bombs go first.” Rachel was having a really tough morning and needed to dig into some tactics to fight the enemy. So they ended up spending the episode talking about that. They also discuss visualization and how it can be a powerful part of our prayer lives. Tune in on your favorite podcast apps + YouTube.

31/01/2024

Things you don’t expect in a “which celebrity do you look like” game 😂😂😂😂

25/01/2024

In this episode Rachel talks with Kristin Smith about grief and what it looks like to move forward after experiencing a devastating loss. Kristin shares the kinds of things that are helpful when walking alongside a friend who is grieving, and what kinds of things are NOT helpful. We think everyone can benefit from this episode and we are very grateful to Kristin for opening up and sharing her heart with us on this difficult topic.

Ministry Spotlight:
Starlightmin.orgministries

18/01/2024

Very few people don't ever yell, and very few people aren't surrounded by people who make them feel crazy once in a while! Miss and Rach dive into what the Bible says about the subject and what we should do when we habitually (or even occasionally) yell at our loved ones.

12/01/2024

If you’re married, you know it’s hard, but do you know it’s hard for others too? Miss and Rach talk about the hard times in marriage and the benefit of sharing it with others so we know we’re not alone in the journey.

21/12/2023

We’ve all had to forgive others at different times, it’s a part of life. Have you ever noticed that sometimes even after forgiving someone it feels like the hurt feelings continue to resurface? Miss and Rach talk about how forgiveness is a two-step process; it takes intentionally changing our perception of the offender in order to start seeing them through a new lens and not a continual lens of the hurt. Tune in on all your favorite podcast apps + youtube!

14/12/2023

We might not think that we live with fear in relationships, but what about when we don't bring something up for fear of how another will react? Or we don't ask for help because we are afraid of how people will perceive us? These are small and sneaky ways that fear creeps into our relationships and can create tiny wedges that grows into very big ones over time. Miss and Rachel discuss fear, what the Bible says about it and why this is such an important topic for all types of relationships.

07/12/2023

Most women have a mother-in-law and most women will become one themselves. Let's be honest, the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship comes with plenty of bumps along the road – it's quite unnatural! Melissa and Rachel discuss their experiences with having a mother-and-law, becoming one themselves and some tips they’ve learned along the way. Tune in, we think everyone can benefit from this one!

30/11/2023

Is it ok to be angry? If so, when and what does that look like? What does the Bible say about it and what can we learn from it? Miss and Rachel journey through the topic and dig into it. We hope you'll benefit from this episode!
Ministry spotlight .

16/11/2023

As we head into the busy, holiday season, we decided to re-air this episode from last year. Even if you already listened to it, we think this episode is filled with important reminders for all of us during this time of the year!
Is it sometimes easy to dread spending time with people during the holidays, even if you also love them? Do you ever find yourself getting stressed over the idea of being with certain people, or maybe reliving past hurts and frustrations in your mind? Do you "just know" certain things are going to happen again? Melissa and Rachel have been there and are working on not staying there. They share the ways they've moved beyond their frustrations with other people and what the Bible says about it. Don't skip this episode before you spend time with people this holiday season, we are sure you'll get something out of it!

09/11/2023

Phew, this is a tough topic, but we believe it's an incredibly important one in today's world. Rachel talks with Kristin Smith about their experiences walking through depression and su***de with loved ones. We hope you will take some time to listen. Whether this episode will help you in your own personal struggle, or in support of someone you love, we are hoping to help remove the stigma of mental health and su***de.

Ministry Spotlight:
Eminent eminentsnp.com


***de ***deprevention

05/11/2023

Don’t miss out on joining our community conversations! Click the link in our bio!

02/11/2023

In part 1 of this topic, Miss and Rach talked about the power of our words and tone. In this episode—part 2—they discuss learning to control our tongue. Using Scripture to guide the conversation they stress the importance of learning to listen to the Holy Spirit regarding not only what things we should be saying, but also the things we should NOT be saying!

Ministry Spotlight:
Boughtbeautifully.org

26/10/2023

This two-part series touches base on all sorts of areas involved in how we speak: to others, about others, our tone, how we speak in anger, and what the Bible has to say about all the speech-related-topics!
Rachel and Melissa share vulnerably about the areas they have struggled with their words, and even areas they currently struggle in these departments. You'll want to listen and find out what areas God might be calling you to dive into and work on this week!
Ministry Spotlight:

19/10/2023

Regardless of where you think you land with food issues, we truly believe something in this episode with resonate with you. Miss and Rach talk with Heather Creekmore from all about our relationship with food, its effect on the way we view our bodies and how we can take a more Biblical perspective with health and fueling our bodies.
You won't want to miss this episode. It falls right in line with our body image episodes and we think it's something that's prevalent with so many women!

12/10/2023

Hey listeners. We are taking a fall break this week. Rachel is in San Diego with her kids and Miss is recovering from her heart surgery! We will be back next week and we promise, we have some great episodes ready for you! Have a great week!

05/10/2023

Melissa and Rachel know better than anyone the pros and cons of living a disciplined life. They've been on both sides of the fence, and for different reasons! They discuss what the Bible says regarding the subject and talk about why it's such an important and impactful matter for us to consider. Tune in to see where you might have some growth to do. This was a convicting topic for them, even while recording!