Fighting For Joy

Latest Episodes:

Episode 54: Fighting for Joy with the Comfort of God Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

“What a wonderful God we have—He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the One who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? SO THAT when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more He will shower us with His comfort and encouragement!” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 TLB

“God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in our troubles SO THAT we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT

On this episode, my husband Eric joins me to talk about God’s Comfort, specifically in the context of the verses above. “Sharing God’s Comfort with Others” was the focus of my last Fighting For Joy Live event (Episode #53) - and as we were preparing for that evening, and in the weeks following it, this topic stayed on the forefront of our minds. It has been such a key part of our help and healing in grief…both experiencing it AND sharing it with others. So listen in today as we share some of the things we’ve been thinking through, dig a little deeper into the passage, and talk about some of the ways that God has brought comfort to our broken hearts. I end the episode by encouraging each one of YOU to run to the God of all comfort in your hurt as well - and remind you that once you’ve experienced it, YOU TOO are then equipped to share the hope of God’s comfort with others who are struggling!

God has used the most broken parts of our story to help so many others. He will do the same for you and through you! Use this reminder to keep fighting for joy in your brokenness with the comfort of God! And THEN, seek to help others in their fight for joy, in their brokenness, by sharing the comfort you’ve received with them.

***I'm excited to tell you about a new (*unpaid) sponsor of the podcast: Access Period. Access Period is a nonprofit organization in Omaha that provides free menstrual products to anyone that needs them. Period Poverty, or the lack of access to menstrual products, affects one in four women. When people don't have access to the products they need, they either stay home from work and school, perpetuating the cycle of poverty, or they use unsafe and uncomfortable alternatives like toilet paper, socks, or cardboard.
Too often, period poverty is invisible, which makes it hard to connect with our neighbors who most need help. By supporting Access Period, you'll help to place menstrual products into the hands of the people who need them most, both through the organizations that already serve them, and through free pick-up locations throughout Nebraska.
If you're interested in learning more about Access Period, getting involved with fighting period poverty in your own community, or if you are someone who needs menstrual products, please visit www.accessperiod.com, or find them on Instagram @accessperiod.

Episode 53: FFJ Live Event 2: Sharing God's Comfort With Others - Guest Scott Jensen Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Remember last fall when I hosted a LIVE podcast event in my backyard (Episode #43 if you missed it)?!?! Well, I’m excited to share that I was able to host one again this fall...Fighting for Joy Live #2! I look at an evening like this as an extension of the podcast and a part of what I'm building within the Fighting for Joy Ministry as a whole. For years I had been dreaming about gathering a big group of friends with the purpose of encouraging, connecting, and sharing, but it wasn’t until we moved 2 years ago that I felt like God had brought enough healing and progress in my grief to begin doing it. Somehow our move brought renewed hope and a desire to invite people in again. Our previous home held so many precious memories and sacred moments of grief that I became pretty protective of it, causing me to pull inward. Hospitality felt too exhausting and hard. But when we moved, parts of the pre-grief Jodi bubbled back up to the surface and as God began to fill my heart with a new kind of hope and joy, I courageously began to dream again. And these live events are a beautiful reflection of His restoring and redeeming work!

On this episode you'll get to hear my husband Eric and I have a live conversation with our dear friend Scott Jensen in our backyard with 6 tables full of friends from various seasons/parts of my life (30 different guests than the women who joined me last fall). It’s one thing to listen to a podcast episode by yourself, which I would guess is how most of us usually listen, I certainly do. Driving in the car, out on a walk, cooking dinner…usually alone and usually multitasking. But a night like this brought a group of women together to listen to the conversation WITH each other, in person, in real time. This allowed for some special interactions and discussions and the ability to soak things in a little more.
I know you will love hearing from Scott. He serves as the chaplain at our local hospital and we got to experience first-hand the important work that he does in our community when he was called in to comfort all four of the affected families in the emergency room on the night of the accident. We share some memories of that horrific night as well as how powerful it is when God brings comfort to his people THROUGH his people.

**Thank you for listening. Today's episode is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an amazing online Christian counseling service. I'm excited to offer my listeners 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

Episode 52: Season 5 is here! Conveying Hope through Storytelling Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Well, I can hardly believe it, but today I am kicking off Season 5! Thank you for listening. I hear over and over that the podcast continues to help people fight for joy in all kinds of difficult circumstances. I never dreamed the podcast would reach as many people as it has - and yet, I know that people are desperate for hope. I'M desperate for hope!! The brokenness of this world can bring such discouragement and we need each other to help fight for joy. I feel very privileged to use this podcast as a conveyor of HOPE. When you convey something, you carry it...transport it. And I think that is powerfully done through storytelling. Through giving testimony of the ways that God keeps hope and joy alive, EVEN in the storm. Even walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Until I’m with Jesus, I will keep telling others about how to find real and lasting peace, comfort, help, rest, hope and joy! But I don’t just want you to hear it from me, I also want you to see how He is at work in a variety of situations.To help you see how BIG our God is, how faithful He is, and that He is always at work. So this season I am planning to return to more of a guest format. I want you to keep hearing the message of hope from as many people as possible. God teaches us so much through story. And as we share our stories with one another, we get to see more of God and learn more about His ways. It's amazing to know that God is writing OUR stories into HIS big story. That makes me excited to bring more stories to you this season…more stories that are a part of HIS story. To have more people give testimony that even if the story is hard and messy, the fight for joy is worth it…and there is REAL hope to be found.

As you listen this season and hear these stories of hope, take time to reflect on God’s work in YOUR life. How have you seen him help you? Provide for you? Give you hope? Reflect on this - because even if you are never a guest on a podcast or never get the opportunity to share your story in a public way like this, I want you to realize that YOU TOO can STILL be a powerful conveyor of hope! Acknowledge and recount the ways that God has been at work in YOUR life (probably through your most broken parts) and THEN, go spread that HOPE to others. Be a hope spreader with me! Transport it. Carry it. Bring the message of hope to those around you - the message that no matter what we may face in life, we can fight for joy. And find it!! And live with hope springing up in our hearts, and in our homes, and in our families…even while we face difficult things. The "both/and", right?!? The both/and of living in a broken world AND, at the same time, living in hope and with great joy!

I’m so glad you found this podcast. I’m praying that Season 5 will convey hope. I want to transport and carry the message of God’s hope to you so that you can then grab the baton and pass it along to someone else. Let’s spread hope as we fight for joy together!

Episode 51: Fighting for Joy and Celebrating Celiac - Justine Bryan May 24, 2022

Show notes

This is such a special episode! It's a conversation with my daughter Justine about her difficult health journey and how hard she has had to fight for joy. After many years of struggling with confusing and painful symptoms, she was eventually diagnosed with celiac disease. This diagnosis was hard AND freeing...both! Listen in as she shares about the ways that she has begun to CELEBRATE celiac by turning to blogging, baking, and helping others.

Even if you can't relate to a health condition like celiac, I know this episode will still encourage you! We all face challenges and deal with things that can make us feel isolated, scared, discouraged or lonely. Different circumstances, but similar feelings of being "set apart". The only one. Not fitting in. Suffering quietly and alone. Justine's fight for joy will inspire you to keep persevering through your own difficulties and unique struggles.

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

Episode 50: Fighting for Joy with 25 Promises of God May 20, 2022

Show notes

On the last episode, Eric and I talked through some tender and candid reflections on what would’ve been our son Jackson’s 25th birthday. Every April 12th without him here is painful (we have endured 9 of them now), but as we shared on that episode, his 25th birthday felt especially hard for me. So as the date on the calendar was approaching, I began working on a social media post to share, not just to express my own thoughts, sorrow, and grief, but truly in hopes of helping others who may be facing difficulties of their own. On today's episode, I thought that it might be helpful to just read the post that I wrote, providing a sort of resource for you. Something that can help you when you face "your April 12th", whatever that may be. So, I invite you to listen today and soak in these truths, but I also encourage you to come back and listen again and again...whenever you need hope. When you feel alone. When God feels distant. When you are discouraged. And when you just need to be reminded of God’s promises!

Episode 49: Grieving through "set apart" days: Jackson's 25th birthday May 06, 2022

Show notes

Last month Jackson would’ve turned 25. Every April 12th without our boy here is painful (we’ve endured 9 of them now) but his 25th birthday felt especially tender. On this episode, Eric and I candidly talk through some of the ways we processed this milestone birthday. Often these “set apart” days bring unique challenges and extra heartache for those in grief. This one certainly did for us.

Here is a link to the article that Eric mentioned he wrote about processing his lament:

https://blicksblog.org/2022/05/01/the-apostle-john-gives-us-two-concrete-reasons-we-can-experience-and-believe-the-love-god-has-for-us-now-his-spirit-and-his-revelation-of-himself/

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

Episode 48: Fighting for Joy by Staying Active Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

On the episode today, Eric and I have a conversation about one of the tools that we use almost every day in our fight for joy: staying active with physical activity. Although it was a consistent part of our lives before Jackson died, it has become even more important and helpful these past 8 1/2 years. Listen in as share some of the ways that it has helped us to process our sadness and keep moving forward as we grieve. Because God created us as wholistic beings (body, soul, mind, and spirit), moving and training our bodies goes beyond physical wellness into stronger mental health - and even, for us, deeper spiritual growth and some powerful healing and progress in grief. We hope this episode encourages you to get into a regular routine with exercise and reminds you of its potential to greatly accelerate your fight for joy!

Episode 47: Fighting for Joy with Rhythms of Rest Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God….for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

What are your thoughts as you read these verses? Have you learned to integrate a day of rest into the rhythm of your week? Even though this is one of the Ten Commandments, what if you began to also think of this Sabbath day as a GIFT…a gracious gift that God has given to us. More than a “day off”. Something He knew we would desperately need. Something that is designed to help us thrive! Something that points us to HIM! Something to sustain us in this broken world.

Sabbath = “to stop”; “to cease”. Listen in as Eric and I talk about the ways this weekly practice has helped our family. Helped us as individuals. Helped us to delight in the Lord. To be still. To quiet our souls. To rest from work. And the “work under the work” (to quote Eric, who quotes Pastor Tim Keller). To remember that He is better. Better than the hustle and bustle of life. To remember that He is enough.

A “rhythm of rest” has been transformative for us and we believe that it can seriously change your life as well! Practicing a day, or at least part of a day, of Sabbath rest, changes not only that 1 day of the week, but the other 6 days as well!! We hope this episode gives you some things to think about and that it further helps you, as Psalm 37 says, to delight yourself in the Lord. There is much delight to be found in our good God, and taking some time every week to slow down, quiet yourself, and focus on that could be what you are missing in your fight for joy.

Episode 46: Pulling Close When It Is Uncomfortable Jan 15, 2022

Show notes

Last week I shared a social media post about friendship in grief. We had just been out for dinner with our friends, Jay and Jodi Nemec, and I was reflecting on the thoughtful (and costly) ways they have walked by our side since Jackson died. I sat down to write a quick sentence or two, and 20 minutes later, a few paragraphs had poured out!! My first thought was to just send it to them and stick with putting out a simpler social media post, but I ended up sharing the whole thing because I wondered if it might be helpful for others to get a glimpse into some of the specific ways that two of our friends came alongside of us, specifically the bold questions they asked in an effort to learn how to best walk with us. The ways they pulled close when it would’ve been totally understandable for them to pull away.

People continually reach out to me about how to help others, not just grief, but in a variety of difficult situations. They often desire to help but worry that they will somehow add to the hurt by saying or doing something wrong. And to be truthful, that CAN happen, but usually it won’t. Usually any genuine act of kindness or thoughtful words will help because often it’s not the words that you say, or the specific thing that you did - it’s your presence. Your tender care. Your compassion. Your willingness to face the discomfort. Being brave enough to say something. Do something. To "sit on the mourning bench". To sit in the hospital room. To sit on the couch and cry with them. To show up, knowing that it may be terribly awkward and hard. It takes courage to walk into these kinds of unknowns.

Because the post seemed to resonate with so many people, I thought it might be worth sharing it here, on the podcast as well. So on this episode, I will read it, with a little commentary on the side. My desire in sharing something like this is never to diminish other friendships or other meaningful ways that people have rallied around us in grief. It’s just to give a specific example of how to come alongside of a hurting friend. I hope this helps just one person pull close to a friend when things get sad and uncomfortable.

Episode 45: Fighting for Joy in Parenting Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

Today Eric and I talk through one of our FAVORITE topics…parenting!! The joys and struggles of raising our 4 children is something that we have spent countless hours talking through together and praying over, many times through tears. Although we haven't fully transitioned out of full-time parenting (we still have a senior at home), we are at a stage where we can hopefully offer some helpful thoughts and insights about some of the things that God has taught us these past 25 years.

Parenting brings so much happiness and excitement AND it can easily steal our joy and feel thankless, discouraging, and even hopeless at times. For those of you who are parents, I think you'd agree that there aren't too many areas in life that can bring ALLLLL of the feelings/emotions/experiences together so similtaneously! We hope this episode will encourage and help you in your own fight for joy as parents.

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