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Advent is a season for those whose lives haven’t turned out the way they expected. In this episode, we look at Mary and Joseph, two people whose plans were completely disrupted by God’s work in the world. Their story reminds us that disappointment does not mean God is absent or unkind. Even when life unfolds differently than we imagined, Advent invites us to trust that God is still good, still present, and still at work.

Advent invites us into the tension of waiting, where delay, disappointment, and doubt often collide with our faith. In this episode, we journey into the life of John the Baptist, a man of deep conviction whose certainty gave way to questions when reality didn’t match his expectations. From the wilderness preacher who boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God to the prisoner who asked, “Are you really the one?”, John’s story mirrors our own Advent longings. Through Jesus’ gentle response and powerful affirmation of John, we discover that doubt does not disqualify us from hope, and waiting does not mean God is absent. This conversation reminds us that Advent hope isn’t about ignoring disappointment, it’s about trusting that God is still at work, even when the story feels unfinished. As we wait between promise and fulfillment, we learn to prepare the way with expectation, believing that God is faithful to complete what He has begun.

Advent invites us to see time differently—not as something we rush through or try to control, but as sacred because God moves within it. This week, we turn to Isaiah, whose words remind us of both the fragility and the significance of our days. Every life has a beginning and an end; that isn’t morbid, it’s simply true. And in that truth is a profound question: How will you live the one life you’ve been given? Advent calls us to wake up to the weight of our moments, to notice God’s presence in our days, and to live with purpose, hope, and holy attentiveness. Join us as we explore a theology of time that reshapes how we wait, how we hope, and how we choose to live.

Advent isn’t just about counting down days; it’s about reshaping how we understand time. In this episode, we explore how time is not merely managed or endured, but made sacred because God steps into it. Advent teaches us to hold both longing and fulfillment, despair and hope, waiting and promise. And to begin this journey, we turn to an unexpected Advent figure: Sarah. Her story reveals the struggle and beauty of waiting on God’s promises, even when hope seems lost. Join us as we reflect on how Advent invites us to trust in God’s timing, even when it takes longer than we imagined.

We don’t become Christlike by accident — we’re formed by the cultures we join. In this final episode of the culture series, I look to explore how communities, churches, and shared rhythms of worship shape who we are becoming. From childhood summers at camp to the habits of the early church, I'll reflect on how belonging transforms us from the inside out. Drawing from voices like James K.A. Smith, Rich Villodas, and Tish Harrison Warren, I'll invite us to consider what kind of culture our communities are forming in us — and how we can help create spaces that lead us closer to Christ and one another.

We’re all shaped by stories — the ones we inherit and the ones we live. But while we can’t change the culture we came from, we can shape the culture we’re creating right now. In this episode, join me as I reflect on the everyday habits, rhythms, and stories that form who we are becoming. From a personal walking routine to the example of Daniel’s daily prayer, I'll explore how intentional practices can help us live with sacred awareness in an ordinary world. Drawing on insights from The Deeply Formed Life, Liturgy of the Ordinary, and You Are What You Love, Leora invites us to pause and ask:What kind of culture am I creating through my habits and attention?

This episode of Simply Light Hearted invites you to pause and reflect on the culture that has quietly been shaping you all along. From the routines of our mornings to the stories that fill our homes, culture isn’t neutral—it’s forming what we love, value, and pursue. Drawing insights from The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas, Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren, and You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith, we will explore how our habits and inherited rhythms influence our faith and identity. Through personal stories, everyday examples, and the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, we will unpack how becoming aware of our own formation can help us humbly engage with others and participate more fully in God’s transforming work. Before we can shape culture, we have to see how it’s shaping us. Join me as I help us begin that journey—one story, one reflection, and one small habit at a time.

We all like to be comfortable. It feels nice to know that what we are doing comes with ease and just feels right. But what happens when an opportunity comes along that will help you grow, but will take you to a place of discomfort?? Over the last few months I have been praying about changes to my job that would take me from a place of 'comfort', because it's known, to a place of discomfort, because it's not known. It has been incredibly hard to know what the right thing to do is. In this episode I am reflecting back through a few times in my life where I walked through change and how each change has taught things about myself and about God. I also looked of examples in the Bible of people who had the courage to step out in faith, away from what was comfortable, to what would likely be a place of discomfort for the sake of growth...and because God asked them too.

It seems like it should be an easy question, and for many, it might be.  But for me the question "What do you want" has been one of the most complex and challenging questions to answer. A few weeks ago I was reading an excellent book called  Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives For Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton. In the first few chapters, she shared the story of Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus "What do you want me to do for you" from Mark 10.  She went on to talk about an important spiritual practice - naming our desires.  This has always been tricky for me because the desire of my heart is to have children, and we are barren.  What do we do when our desires don't match our reality?  What do we do when the prayer for healing is answered with a no?  What do we do when our life experiences go opposite to what we want?  I've got good and bad news for you.  The good news is - I'm talking about it, the bad news is - you will not find any perfect little package in this episode or a 'how to' guide to fix all our problems.  I'm right here in the messy middle with you, holding onto the thread of hope, reflecting on Bible stories and trying to sort out the how to walk through these messy middles that don't seem to add up.  I hope that this episode brings you some comfort, knowing you're not alone. You are seen.  You are loved.  Your needs and wants matter.  Thanks for being here in the messy middle with me.

With the New Year being just around the corner - it is likely that you fall into either one of two approaches to the new year - team resolutions or team "New Years is dumb - I don't make resolutions."  I have spent time in both camps. What I have learned in the last few years is that it's not about when we make the change or what we want the changes to be - it's all about getting up again after we fail - because we will fail.   In this episode, we talk about Peter and his biggest failure ever and how Jesus helped remind him to get up again and keep on keeping on.  Your fresh start could be today, it could be on a random Tuesday in October, it doesn't matter what day you start, what matters is that you get up again when you fail.

In this week's episode, we talk about the shepherds, the glory of the Lord and how "Here on earth, we will have disruptions".  If you're like me and starting to sense the building tension of about the final stretch before Christmas - take a minute to listen in and wonder with me about the delightful disruptions that are right in front of us now.

The Christmas story is full of examples of lives that were going one way and then got disrupted by something totally unexpected.  Listen in to this week's episode as I share some of my own life's left turns along with the story of the wise men who came from afar to worship Jesus.

Welcome to week two of this year's Advent Series. As we continue in this advent season, I want to invite us to spend some time thinking about the interesting and beautiful disruptions you could have never planned for in your life. Things you maybe prayed for you, but received in a way you didn’t expect it. Or something you didn’t think you wanted, but then when it came you can’t imagine your life without it. The two key players in this week’s story are two that do get talked about a lot at Christmas, but I don’t think we often talk about them in this light. This week I want to talk about Zechariah and Joseph. With both of these men, their lives were forever changed by the disruption a child would bring to their lives. One was a longed-for, prayed-for child, the other was completely unexpected and in a lot of ways inconvenient.

When I first started thinking about Advent and this podcast series I wanted to create for you, I thought I was going to be sharing stories that were all about comfort and joy. But as I dug into the Christmas story - it turns out that although we talk a lot about wanting comfort and joy during this particular time of year, it isn't really a theme that shows up very strongly in the Biblical Christmas story, at least not in the ways you expect it to.  Instead what we can find throughout the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus is a whole lot of disruption.  Join me as I unpack and lean into this theme of having a 'very disruptive Christmas'.

Some days of the year feel complicated and hard. Mother's day is one of those days for me. It's complex there are many factors to mother's day that make it so.  Moms are great!  I love my mom! AND not being able to have children of my own means that mother's day is a reminder of that pain I feel in my life.  I have not figured out a pathway through.  Every angle I've tried in my life so far still feels hard, complicated, layered and full of grief.  But what I have learned is that even in those messy, complicated feelings - I have a good shepherd who loves me and is with me.  Especially in my messy grief.  Join me as I remind my heart that we have a good shepherd who loves us deeply.