Why the Undone Life
There are a lot of strong voices and heated opinions being thrown around on the Internet. Opinions about politics. Suffering. Injustices. Current events. And, of course, FAITH. Faith seems to always be at the center of any debate.
But in the midst of all the noise and vitriol, what we don’t have enough of is connection. Tight and unflinching relationship. The kind of relationship that loves a good conversation and isn’t the least bit afraid of differences. The kind where we can circle up and ask the questions we’re too afraid to ask anywhere else.
The kind of relationships where judgement doesn’t show up,
anything goes, and love never leaves.
That’s what we’re doing right here, right now. We’re creating a place where you and I can ask hard questions and share honest conversation in our quest for answers. It’s not about solving every problem, resolving every angst, or coming to perfect agreement.
It’s about believing God’s reality even when we can’t unravel His mystery. And searching for real faith and real community, right here in the middle of the mess.
Sound like a conversation you want to join? I hope so. We wouldn’t be the same without you.
What you can expect
- A seasonal podcast, released three to four times per year
- Eight podcast episodes per season, centered around a specific topic/theme
- A final ASK MICHELE ANYTHING episode where you get to lead the conversation with YOUR QUESTIONS.
Season 2 | February 2020
Relentless
Are you aching for a love that will never leave? A presence that will push back the dark?
If so, I have Good News for you. God’s love is relentless, even when your faith isn’t. And the circumstances you fear might drown your faith, could become the stones giving testimony to it. Join me, and let’s find evidence of him together.
Episode 15: A God Whose Presence Lives in You
Here we are friends, walking the final few steps of our Relentless journey together- looking for the presence of God in the midst of our suffering, and what a road it has been! But we have just one more thing to wrestle with…
Join me for the episode 15.
Episode 14: A God Whose Presence Lives in You
This week, I invite you to retreat from the crazy chaos of life, and in solitude and silence, push into Jesus. Leave the externals behind you for a moment, and turn inward. Where do you see evidence of God’s presence within your very being?
Join me for episode 14.
Episode 13: A God Who Is With You in Pain, Suffering, and Death
Suffering is a great unifier, because all of us experience it and it puts all of us on the same ground. It’s also the great divider because it forces us to choose. We cannot stay neutral when dealing with suffering. We either have to believe in God even more or we have to reject him completely. There’s no middle ground. Through my own experiences with suffering, I have begun to learn why pain is necessary for survival, what I can value from my experience with pain, and how I have even grown to be thankful for it.
Join me for episode 13.
Episode 12: A God Who is With You In Your Hunger
Our souls crave intimacy like our stomachs crave sandwiches, and the scary feelings look a lot less like monsters when held up to the candlelight at a meal between friends. You don’t have to look much farther than our addiction-enslaved culture for evidence of this soul hunger. This leads us to Altar Stone #10. This week take some time to look for evidence of God’s presence amidst your hunger. Both our physical and spiritual hunger indicates needs we were created to have.
Join me for episode 12.
Episode 11: A God Who is with You in the Process
Have you ever walked into a room and felt completely out of place? Like somehow there was something inherently flawed about you? That for some reason you just did not belong? Perhaps it’s happened to you from within a room you were even invited into. This room could’ve been real- a home, an office, a church, but it also could’ve been figurative- Facebook, Instagram, social media.
Join me for episode 11.
Episode 10: A God Who is with You in Your Doubt
With my super strong faith, I could successfully avoid the unwanted measure of guilt and shame that accumulated alongside any creeping doubts.
Why do some people get the big, life-changing, or even life-saving miracles, while others collide with tragedy, loss, or even death?
As it turns out, my trying to get God to prove himself through my mathematic equation didn’t render the results I had hoped for. Moreover, I realized that, “Miracles don’t always make faith.”
Join me for episode 10.
Episode 09: A God Who is with You in Your Humanity
So much of life is outside of our control, and yet we experience the effects of others’ decisions, of illness, and of tragedy as if we’d consciously decided to stand directly under our own anvil. Like the coyote constantly stumbling into the traps he set for the roadrunner, we are frequently rendered dumbfounded as to how our own lives have become almost unrecognizable in comparison to who we thought we’d be by now. This painful humanity leaves us longing to be seen, known, understood.
How is it that suffering, something so universal, can leave us feeling so isolated and alone?
Join me for episode 9.
Episode 08: A God Who is With You When You Reach the End of Yourself
“Is there more than just shame at the end of this rope?”
It had been an exceptionally hard day, and coming from someone battling Cancer for the third time, that was really saying something. Treatment had been especially brutal, and I was in desperate need of support. I logged onto Facebook, and posted a simple request for prayer from my community, something I rarely resort to. After just a few minutes, one short comment succeeded only in adding insult to injury…
Come on now, Michele, it’s not that bad. You can still walk. You’re not in a wheelchair. Toughen up. You’ll be fine.
Join me for episode 8.
Episode 07: “For When Church Leaders Fail”
I thought they’d come to offer compassion and support. Instead, they’d come to criticize and correct.
I was desperate for comfort, maybe some wisdom or guidance. What I received was something quite different. When I look back on that day, the memories still feel painful. I am no longer the young girl I once was. And yet these church leaders whom I’d loved and respected for most of my life left me heaped in accusation and shame. They “neglected connection for the sake of harsh correction.” And I can still feel the sting.
Join me for episode 7.
Episode 06: “Lost in the wilderness without a canteen…”
In chapter four of Relentless, we consider a God who refused to leave, even when we wander. To the Israelite exiles, He came as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, leading his people through the wilderness, every step of the way. He provided for their needs, he endured their grumbling, and he answered all of their woes & whys with his unshakeable presence.
“He was with them every step of the way, even in their questions.”
Dear friend, it’s okay to doubt. It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to cry. But please hear me when I say:
We mustn’t stay there.
Join me for episode 6.
Episode 05: “For the one who can’t see past the pain…”
In chapter 3 of Relentless, I tell the story from Genesis 32, of a wrestling match between Jacob and God.Jacob, refusing to let go until he’s blessed, wrestles with God through the night.Come morning, God does indeed bless Jacob, but he also leaves him with something else.
A limp.
After Jacob lives to tell of an all-night wrestling duel with the Divine, he does not detail the pain, the sweat, the struggle. He doesn’t even mention it.What Jacob recalls is God’s face.
Episode 04: A God Who Promises To Be With You
In Episode 4, we look into Chapter 2 of my book Relentless. Michele discusses how in biblical times, contracts weren’t drawn up by attorneys and finalized in courts of law. The people of God made covenants. And these covenants were far more intense than the shake-on-it agreements we make today over wastepaper basketball for who’s buying lunch. Join me.
Episode 03: What to believe when, “Everything happens for a reason” is no longer reason enough.
We jump into Chapter 1 in Episode 3 of the Relentless podcast. Michele discusses the well meaning yet empty phrase “everything happens for a reason” while navigating a time of darkness and suffering.
Episode 02: 6 Strategies When You’re Not Ok
Join Michele in this episode on Episode 2 of the Relentless podcast, where she digs in to the introduction of the book. She decided to go public with one of the hardest parts of her story. She also shares six of her personal strategies for moving through those days that hang heavy with despair and the weight of it all.
Episode 01: An Introduction to Relentless
As we journey over the next eleven months together, I have three goals in mind. First, that we would all encounter hope, feel less alone, and strengthen our faith through the brave engagement of owning our hard stories within community. Secondly, it is my aim to provide tangible proof of the reality of God- his goodness, unending affection, and relentless presence that cannot be suffocated by the pain, doubt, and suffering of this life. Finally, I look forward with anticipation to revealing behind the scenes information about the personal stories told in Relentless, in order to remind you that the God of light and life never leaves your side.
Season 1
Faith & Pain
How do we hold steadfast in our faith when life crumbles around us? Join me for conversations with real people that wrestled with their faith through the hardest that life can throw at you and why they still believe He is a GOOD Father.
Episode 01: Four Steps to Facing Down Shame
Part of the human experience is discovering that, in spite of your best efforts, you are flawed, wounded, imperfect. Although you do your best to put forward your best front, behind the scenes there is likely something you feel embarrassed about, maybe even ashamed of. Whatever it is—your appearance, a regret, a disability—shame will try to convince you that you are unworthy of love and belonging as a result. As a result, you will want to hide, runaway, get smaller and smaller and smaller in an attempt to silence shame’s voice. But the only way to silence shame is to talk back.
Episode 02: The Kindness Factor: The One Practice Your Life and Leadership Can Not Live Without
Although some view Kindness as meek or weak, practicing kindness—especially with those you don’t deserve it—can be some of the hardest and most rewarding work you do. Rather than say something about the recipient, kindness reveals the character of the giver. Today I give you five EASY kindness practices that can help you develop this skill in you daily life.
Episode 03:Two Tiny Words That Hold the Power To Reframe Failure
Listen in as we learn how two tiny words hold the power to reframe our failure.
Episode 04: When Fear Has You By The Throat: 5 Steps To Get You Through
Listen in as I discuss how to deal with fear and the five steps to get you through.
Friend, whatever led you to land here, I need you to know something before you go:
ONE, you’re not alone. Not even close. You don’t need to clean up, buck up, or pull yourself together. We’re a bunch of in-progress people doing our best to find meaning, growth and deeper faith exactly where we are. That means you belong.
And TWO, you matter. Your story. Your work. Your struggle. You aren’t a random accident, a problem to be solved or an invisible face in a sea of a billion others. You are the intentional creation of a God who loves you more than you can possibly know.
I’m glad we’re in this together.
Episode 05: Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Savoring the Divine
Today I talk about a newer tradition and perspective for me involving Ash Wednesday, Lent and savoring the divine.
Episode 06: The Single Most Important Strategy to Diffuse a Charged Situation
From all my experiences and research, today I share the single most important strategy to help you diffuse a charged situation (which you will probably be able to use today).
Episode 07: 5 Necessary Skills to Learn How to Listen
We all need to learn how to listen better. I’ve never met someone who has perfected the art of listening to everyone in their life. Usually we do well with some people and fail with others. Learn with me today as I share the five necessary skills needed to learn how to listen.
Episode 08: 4 Steps to Tackle Criticism
We all have those moments. We get the text, the email, the Facebook message with someone who shares their unsolicited advice, criticism and opinions.
It hurts. It exposes. It doesn’t feel good.
But then we have a choice. We can choose WHAT we do with that message. Here are the four steps you can use to tackle criticism.
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