Unexpected with Hannah Love

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Laying Foundations: Foundations Begin Here Apr 14, 2022

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I’ve always loved working with my hands. I suppose it’s second nature because I grew up on a farm. I’d rake hay in the summers and haul loads of wood in the fall. In college, I worked in a frame shop/fine art gallery building picture frames. I loved it. It was instant gratification to measure and cut and build something that resulted in a custom finish. I think, too, that is why God so often speaks to me through the work of my hands. Recently, I came across someone’s account who strips furniture. We’ve all seen those transformation pieces floating around on our social media feeds. In seconds, we watch as an ugly old thrifted item is transformed into something new and beautiful. I was so inspired by her furniture flips, I immediately set out looking for thrifted wooden pieces. From GoodWills to Facebook Marketplace, I was on the hunt! It didn’t take me long to snag an entire bedroom set. The style was as dated as the stain color itself, but it was all solid. Within the week I had studied up on tools and techniques and purchased all that I needed. I discovered immediately I had bitten off more than I could chew for a nap time project. (That’s what I call my window of productive time while the boys nap). This was going to be a labor of love. On every tutorial video I watched, the first recommended step was an all-over washing. Once the pieces are dusted and rinsed off, it’s time to strip the stain. I coated the wood with a thick sticky product that needed hours to set in. This was going to take time… Next, I started scraping away the layers of gunk. I scraped. I wiped. I scrubbed. All to remove the thin top layer of finish that protected the stain and wood itself. Some of the stain came up, too. But not so much that I wouldn’t have to repeat this step a time or two. I then realized, I’d have to mix water and soap and maybe even some tougher solutions just to get the rest of the the gunky residue off. I borrowed a pressure washer and set to work. Keep in mind, I had to sit this thing out in the sun to dry after EVERY step. It had to be dry before moving on to the next. Well, a week’s worth of naps later, I finally got to bust out the sander. Honestly, this was the moment I’d been waiting for. The moment I could see immediate results in the wood color. I sanded until my hands hurt. Under all of the stuff, I finally saw the beautiful white oak. The raw wood grain was more beautiful than any stain… As I sat back and thought about HOW much time and HOW much work it had taken just to get to that raw woodgrain, I marveled. A lot of furniture flippers strip it all down just to paint over it again. I didn’t want to. THAT wood was perfect in its raw state. It was beautiful to me. Right then, I felt God saying, “It’s the same with My children. The value is in what’s underneath.” It was enough to bring tears. I reeled it back in my mind. All of the things we put on ourselves… isn’t that just like the stain of the world? Dressing up our life based on what the world asks or expects us to look like. I’m sure the original stain on my furniture piece was one of the most popular choices in it’s time! But, now, the color is dated. The wood beneath, however, is timeless. And that top clear coat? The one it was SO hard to scrub away? Isn’t that just like the protective coating we wrap around our hearts? Defenses we can’t see but we all have. Built from experience in a world that loves to wound. Maybe you feel like life has left you used and purposeless. Like a Goodwill piece of furniture whose best days are in the past. But that’s not how God sees you. ... Thank you to our sponsors! Anchor: Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started.

Laying Foundations: Foundation Built Piece by Piece Apr 13, 2022

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Do you ever feel like that thing you are called to do in life is so vastly different than anything anyone around you is doing? Maybe it feels unimportant by the world standard. Maybe your friends don’t get it. Maybe it even makes you feel like you don’t fit in. But still, you hear His voice calling you to chase after that stirring. I know I do. This week, I read a verse that reminded me that God must have known we would feel this way at times. That we needed the encouragement to stand firm and pursue Him regardless of what the world insists on. 1 Peter 5:6-7 (The Passion Translation) says: “So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; He’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you.” I don’t know about you but hearing those words is like receiving a personal memo directly from Him saying “It’s okay to look different. It’s okay to see the world through my eyes and chase MY will for your life! Rejoice in it and live carefree, because My hand is on you!” I wish someone had pulled me aside years ago with this encouragement. Though, at that time, I likely wouldn’t have believed it. My young heart was full of such hesitancy and rejection. In fact, It had less to do with how I felt about myself than how others were beginning to make me feel. I never seemed to belong. I was picked on and bullied for years growing up. And the greatest point of mockery was always because I didn’t go along. I didn’t make fun of other kids, I always included everyone, and I was.. to the best of my ability, a good kid. And that’s not to say those other kids weren’t good or wouldn’t turn out to be.. but a child can only endure so many names and so much exclusion before they begin to wonder what IS so wrong with them. I never understood it. All these years later, I can see how God was positioning me. Unexpectedly. He was building my foundation; piece by piece. I remember coming home in tears one day. One of the girls sent a mutual friend to tell me that her birthday party got cancelled. I heard them all snickering nearby.. as the birthday girl told the others her mother MADE her invite me. And I knew the party wasn’t cancelled. They just didn’t want me there. I was probably around 12 years old. This was just one of many such incidents. But it was enough to break my heart. That night, mom sat me down and shared scripture with me. I’ll never forget. She showed me where in the Bible it says to turn the other cheek. At the time, I didn’t understand how she could tell me these things and not come to my defense… but looking back I’m so thankful she did what she did. She did not make me a victim or enable similar behavior. She pointed me to Truth in that moment. And every moment before and since. It was all a part of my foundation. One built on the Word of God and not on the acceptance of man. (Or in my case, all the other girls). So, when I came across this translation of this verse, it resonated all the way down into the heart of that little girl in me. “Be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; He’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you.” That little-girl-me feels God’s promise in that. His strong hand is on me. And on you, too. He’ll promote you at the right time. And, sweet friends, God doesn’t lie. He is most careful with you. This promise was just as relevant then as it is now, in adulthood. As a woman surrounded by the noise and distraction and demands of this broken world, this is the perfect soothing reminder to a tired heart. It is a reminder to be content. Be authentic. Live life based on the foundation of Biblical Truth and you will be carefree. ... Thank you to our sponsors! Anchor: Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started.

Laying Foundations: Fear Falls Where Foundations are Laid Apr 12, 2022

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I sat down the morning after Asher’s 5th birthday with coffee in hand. He had a birthday party over the weekend. His birthday was on a Monday, though, so Shay and I took him to the movies to celebrate. We watched Sing 2. He’s seen it a half dozen times already but that is what he chose. We were the only ones in the whole theater, too, because it was a Monday afternoon. In the middle of one of the songs, Asher turned to me and asked…”But mama? Why does it say there are bad things in the world?”. It took a moment for me to realize he was referring to a lyric in the song. I’m not the best at correctly hearing song lyrics so the fact that his little 5 year old ears picked up this bit surprised me. It shouldn’t have, though. Children do that. They pick up what we think they don’t and they ask questions we never would. I almost cried right there on the spot because this was the thing I’d spent the whole day dwelling on. Five years. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a shift. The year they enter school. The year they are exposed to SO much more. The year the world’s voice gets louder. All these things were fresh on my mind when he asked it. A question that will be the forerunner to all other questions about the world and our God who holds it all. Thankfully, he turned his attention back to the movie rather than expecting an answer right there. But, the truth of it remains. It has started. The really in depth part of parenting that isn’t about just keeping them happy and healthy. Later that night, I told Shay what he had asked. We watched old video clips of the last 5 years with our sweet baby turned boy. We cried at the seasons behind and before us. Then, we cried even harder when we heard a line in a show we were watching. In the show, the mother looks into the hopeful yet defiant face of her daughter and, with tear filled eyes, says “Just once I’d love to see the world through your eyes. One day you’ll see it through mine though and it breaks my heart”. I mean. I can hardly say it now without crying. It wrecked us. The truth of it is their innocence will eventually wear away. Enough life will do that. But there is a fine and delicate balance to life. The trick is to meet life’s experience with God’s perspective. That’s what I find so beautiful about the Bible. It is our foundation to stand on. Not only is the Bible full of Truth, but it is full of examples. And who better to learn from than the men and women who stood before us? Unexpectedly called and chosen by God to do things they could never do in their own power. Yes, it was a different time and culture and world… but the condition of humanity has been the same since the fall of man. All broken. All searching for meaning. All ultimately longing for something that brings wholeness, healing, and divine purpose. And that something is found in a relationship with God. So, when my five year old begins to recognize the brokenness and asks the questions… I’ll turn to my foundation to start building his. And when he turns into a young man who questions more and more, I’ll keep pouring in and pointing towards the One who gives us truth to stand on. I’ll read The Word over his life and declare Truth in the face of the unexpected questions. The Bible is the living breathing answer to questions bout right and wrong. The Bible tells us who we are. The Bible tells us what God says about us. It is our jobs as parents and mentors to fortify our own foundations so we can lay the groundwork for the generations to come.. ... Thank you to our sponsors! Anchor: Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started.

Laying Foundations: The Rock We Cry To Apr 11, 2022

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Rock Bottom. Isn’t it funny that we have to get here to begin again? When people talk about rock bottom, it carries a connotation of failure. But I feel the beauty in it. There was a season for me, as I’m sure for many of you, where I fell to me knees at rock bottom. I remember thinking, “there’s no place to look now but up”. In fact, that became my posture. Knees to the ground, face to the heavens, tears streaming down… crying out, “Take it. Please, just take it.” I wasn’t eloquent or even polite in my request. It was more like a sob. I was broken and defeated and more than anything, I was just tired. I was SO tired of trying to make life work in my own strength. Isn’t it just like God to be so poetic? We have to reach our rock bottom so we are ready to receive His help. He’s been there all along, but it’s like we HAVE to try life on our own before we recognize the weakness of our own humanity. And like the patient Father that He is, He waits. He waits until we have tried every other avenue the world could offer. He waits until we have exhausted every resource. And finally, He waits until we are broken enough to surrender our lives back to the One who gave it. And this is the place we begin again. Building foundation on the rock we cry to. The truth is, many of us have had to sit in our weakness before we’re ready to cry out to God. And the thing is, I think He loves to meet us here. At the end of ourselves. Surrendered. We call it rock bottom, but the moment we ask God to meet us there, He begins clearing the rubble. He uses that moment and that brokenness as His starting point. As we cling to Him, He begins building up His love and truth within us. Foundation. You know I love to talk about the beauty in the brokenness. After all, isn’t that the power of the unexpected? We don’t ask for these moments or even want them…but God works all things to the good! He displays His mercy and Grace through our broken bits. Throughout this podcast I hope you’ll pick up on this theme. It is the place we meet so many characters in the Bible. We will see our stories in their lives. And much like them, we will also have the opportunity to honor God in our weakest seasons. Today, I want to encourage you. If you have been in a rock bottom season, I hope you’ll look for God’s blessing through it. I hope you’ll see how it created a beautiful dependence on Him. And if you are currently in that place right now, just know it’s okay to hit your knees and look up. I hope you will. And I hope you’ll allow God to establish your foundation on Him because of the pain. Because of the failure. Because of the shame. Because of the weariness. He’s waiting for you. He always has been. To all those listening, I pray you’ll see God in the unexpected. I pray you’ll look back and see how He was working in every unexpected moment and will continue to work through those ahead. If you choose to do this, you’ll be amazed at what you discover. You WILL see Him when you search for Him. And your perspective will never be the same again. You’ll start seeing God’s hand in every place you thought He was absent. You’ll see life moments turn into strands on a tapestry. Woven together into a pattern much bigger than you. You’ll see how your threads intertwine with lives around the world. Forming God’s greatest masterpiece. Starting with the unexpected. ... Thank you to our sponsors! Anchor: Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started.

A Prayer for Holy Week Apr 08, 2022

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As we are about to enter Holy Week, I wanted to share a prayer of encouragement. My hope is that it places our hearts in a posture of hearing from God and receiving what He has in store for us in the days to come.

Welcome to Unexpected with Hannah Love.

Starting next Monday, Unexpected will release five episodes each day as we observe Holy Week. Join us.

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Welcome to Unexpected with Hannah Love. Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Unexpected with Hannah Love, a brand new podcast show on the That Sounds Fun Network! Have you ever spent much time thinking about the events that led you to where you are? Have you ever noticed, too, that some of the most unexpected moments are very ones that God used in the biggest ways? I have. Not only did I notice this theme in my own life but I also saw it all over the Bible. From Moses and Gideon, to David and Esther and Nehemiah, God seems to call the most unqualified people to do the most unexpected things. When God put this podcast on my heart, He gave me the name and I knew this was a universal theme that He has used from the beginning of time. My hope is that as you listen to stories - both biblical and present day - and to the lives of some incredible guests along the way, we all gain a new perspective of how God loves us enough to call us to the things we couldn't have imagined for ourselves . This is Unexpected. Hannah Love Mooney formerly held the title of Miss Arkansas USA in 2013. She has years of experience as a freelance writer for online publications and has been featured in national magazines, music videos, and podcasts. Hannah is a seasoned painter and writer. She is now married to Shay Mooney of country duo Dan + Shay. The couple have two sweet boys. ... Thank you to our sponsor! Anchor: Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started.

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