Author: Jill & Denise

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Feed Your Spirit: A Podcast talking with ordinary people about those moments in life when God’s word gives you just what you need when you need it most. We all have those moments when we randomly open our bible and there it is – His words of faith, renewal, courage, patience, or a good ol’ dose of tough love fills us with what only He can give. Hosted by the 2 Scripture Sisters, Jill and Denise, this conversation-style podcast aims to share stories that will feed your spirit. 

On today’s episode, we talk with our dear friend, Carol Ann. She is a wife, mother, instructor for adults with disabilities, volunteer, and life-long student. Carol Ann shares with us how she surrendered herself and her husband into God’s hands for healing. Through the uncertainty, pain, recovery, and healing, Carol Ann openly talks with us about how her husband’s addiction has led to her own healing. We also explore what it meant for Carol Ann to “lay down her Isaac” to be fully obedient to God. She is forever thankful to her church and the ministry at America’s Keswick for playing an important role in her spiritual life and for being a part of God’s provision. 

With the determination to consciously live in the word, we invite you to plug in and prepare your heart as we Feed Your Spirit with everyday stories of God’s grace from everyday people. 

www.2scripturesisters.com

Carol Ann’s favorite… 

Scripture:

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Devotional:

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp https://www.amazon.com/New-Morning-Mercies-Gospel-Devotional/dp/1433541386 

Other mentions in the show: 

Websites:

America’s Keswick is a ministry that teaches and models biblical Christian living through Addiction Recovery for men and women https://addictionrecovery.org/

https://americaskeswick.org

Love Them to Life – https://lovethemtolife.com

Books: 

Living in Jesus by Marilyn Meberg

Beside Still Waters: Discovering Peace in the Midst of Your Child’s Addiction by Cherri Raws Freeman

Church:

https://www.baysidechapel.org

Listen to our new episode now!

While reading a devotional this morning, “Grow: Becoming More Like Jesus” http://bible.com/r/42S the author talked about how trees are the second most mentioned living thing in the Bible (humans being first), The author went on to compare humans to trees; if we have a strong root system (faith and obedience to God) and a source of water (connections and support) we will grow strong and healthy.

I love this metaphor because it is true. As my roots grow stronger through my time and work spent all for His glory, I realize how the streams that feed me come from one source, God. Whether it is a song, devotional, ministry work, writing, time spent with friends, groups, conversation, or work I know He is feeding my roots so I can weather any storm.

One perfect example of this is our new project, the Feed Your Spirit podcast, released last week. After its release, we heard from some people about how they connected to the message our guest talked about. Their roots were fed through a connection made between a set of headphones. This is one way God is working through us to provide water to help His trees grow strong. Like a tree I know I will bend and sway through storms but with God’s love, I will not break. Love ~ Jill

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”  Jeremiah 17:8

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Feed Your Spirit: A Podcast talking with ordinary people about those moments in life when God’s word gives you just what you need, when you need it most. We all have those moments when we randomly open our bible and there it is – His words of faith, renewal, courage, patience, or a good ol’ dose of tough love fills us with what only He can give. Hosted by the 2 Scripture Sisters, Jill and Denise, this conversation-style podcast aims to share stories that will feed your spirit. 

On today’s episode we talk with our dear friend, Ellen. She is a wife, mother, owner of multiple businesses, volunteer, and world traveler. Ellen shares with us how she navigates the struggles of being responsible for employees as well as the victories that come from hard work and come from trusting God with it all.  

With the determination to consciously live in the word, we invite you to plug in and prepare your heart as we Feed Your Spirit with everyday stories of God’s grace from everyday people. 

www.2scripturesisters.com

Ellen’s favorite… 

Scripture: Be still and know I am God (Psalms 46:10) 

Devotional: The Greater Devotional by Steven Furtick https://stevenfurtick.com/store/greater-devotional/ 

Podcast: https://elevationchurch.org/podcast/  

Other mentions in the show: 

Ellen’s Business Websites:

https://www.urbanschack.com

www.myzyia.com/ellenschack   

Church:Bayside Chapel https://www.baysidechapel.org 

 

Listen to our new episode now!

Do you ever feel like you are watching your life go by without being in it? It’s pretty scary. What’s even more frightening is that you can have this feeling for years before realizing that something may be wrong. But when you do realize that you drifted, you wonder how much of your life did you really miss and then you reset your course to get back into the present.

I, like many, experience this feeling throughout different times in life. On June 12th I turned 45. My age rarely bothers me; however, this year is weighing heavily on me. According to my estimates, and family history, I’m lucky if I have another 40 years left. I understand this is a lifetime to many but for some reason, it is hitting me hard and panic is surrounding me.

When this feeling starts, I usually disconnect from those around me and go inside my head to refocus my course. Doing this comes at a price. Everyone notices. Everyone comments on how they can tell something is “off” with me. I don’t explain, I usually respond with, “I’m fine.” Because how do you tell people that you just need space and time to refocus? How do you tell people that it’s nothing they can help you with? How do you tell people that you want nothing more than to put yourself into a hole and be alone with your thoughts and to be alone with God?

Jesus did this often. He knew how to spend time in solitude. He knew how to set boundaries. He, unlike me, knew when it was time to be alone with His father. So while I’m in this type of mood, I’m turning to the word of God. I’m letting His word give me solitude, give me peace, and surround me with His love to rid of the panic. After some time, I know His gentle hand will lead me back on course to fulfill my calling. I have to trust that He will grant me enough time to accomplish all that He placed in my life. I have faith in Him.

Love, Denise

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. ~Mark 1: 35

Anxiety is crippling. It is a tool that Satan uses against us to keep us away from God. That is very easy to say, however, when you are in the throes of letting anxiety get the better of you, it is not easy to see.

I used to think I could identify when I was in the anxiety storm, my stomach would be a mess, my insides would feel like they are vibrating, my brain would not be able to focus on anything for longer than 5-10 minutes, and I am forgetful. Last year was particularly bad for me. I walked away from a job I loved because changes within the district caused debilitating anxiety. I was out of work for a year. I was a mess…depressed, anxious, not exercising, not able to focus on any project, not following through on any commitments, and I felt alone. I had applied for over 100 jobs, some would result in interviews, but more often than not, it was nothing but crickets.

One would think, wow, a year off, I could be so productive! But when you feel like you are in the bottom of a deep, dark, pit, there is nothing that can bring in the light. Only one person knew how I was feeling, my sister. I even hid this from my husband! I put up a good front, I was active in church ministries, I cooked dinner every night, I did the housework, etc. On the outside, no-one knew how I was suffering. Then, God intervened. I received a call from an old colleague with an opportunity to return to administration. I jumped on it, even though the district is a 90-minute commute each way! I thought this was it. Finally! I can leave depression and anxiety behind me!

For the most part, I did. I love my job, my staff, my kids, and my work. Then this May hit with a vengeance. May is always a stressful month for NJ educators. This is due to the demands of state testing, contract renewals, end of year planning, summer planning, and looming deadlines weigh down on us. On top of all that, and the daily demands of being a school administrator, I felt like there was a 100-pound weight on my shoulders every time I got into my vehicle to go to and from work.

It wasn’t until two weeks ago that I realized how stressed out I was. I wasn’t sleeping regularly, I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t writing, I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t spending productive time in His word, I wasn’t doing anything but driving to work, working, and driving home. Repeat. Satan was using my anxiety in a new and different way to keep me from God. A way that morphed and disguised my symptoms as work-related stress. Comparing Satan to a chameleon is an understatement.   

I knew it had to stop. One Saturday, I spent 4 hours and gave myself permission to not do anything or be anywhere but in His word (this is a big deal for me, more to come on that on a later post). I spent the entire morning losing myself in my devotional, the Gospel, and listening to my Worship playlist. It was then that He woke me up to the fact that my anxiety was back; Satan had used it in a way which attacked my body and mind in a devious way. I had let it creep back in and pull me away from His word. As I spent more time in His word, I was able to recognize how strong of a hold my anxiety had on me. I was able to start to break the anxiety chains, link by link that bound me. On that Saturday, I made a promise to God to spend some quiet time every day in His word, no matter how stressful work is, how many things are on my to do list, or how bad my voice may sound singing His praise driving to work. By making the commitment to spend time every day in the gospel, I am able to take steps closer to God and further away from anxiety.

Love, Jill

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. ~Psalm 94:19