Podcast

Home Partner With Us 21. How Not To Fear Grief These are the stories of friends who showed up like beacons. If Episode 20 was all about the foreign country of grief, these stories will give you the courage and the advice you need to journey to that intimidating place without fear. Perhaps life has…

Home Partner With Us 20. Why It Might Be Time To Claim A New Name This is the story of a man who chose his own name. And this is the story of a name handed down from mother to daughter to son. If Episode 19 was all about letting go of hurtful labels, this…

Home Partner With Us 19. You Called Me WHAT Now? This is the story of the labels people pin to us – to our bodies or our lives, or our families or our homes – and that we sometimes start to believe must be true. This is the story of starting to say that we will…

Home Partner With Us 18. We Were Wrong About Marie Kondo This is the story of the secret shame we all carry about our houses. And the one thing that can free you from it. This is a story about Christie’s house Maplehurst being adrift in a sea of mud and construction and the pungent…

This is the story of a Jasmine-scented South African summer night.

This is the story of your worst fear come true.

This is the story about promises buried like Spring.

This is the story of a Christmas baby.

This season is all about gifts. We give gifts to one another, and we remember the very good gift of God’s son, given to a weary world on the first Christmas Day.

But is God still in the business of giving good gifts?

This is the story of how to keep doing your ordinary work without feeling discouraged during the Christmas season.

The wonder of the holidays can be diluted when we have to balance it with the work we do that makes gifts and celebrations possible. This week Lisa-Jo and Christie unpack the reality that everything doesn’t stop just because it’s December. Instead there are still deadlines and work commitments and maybe that’s actually OK too. Maybe we don’t need to believe the Hallmark premise that everything stops around the holidays in time for hot chocolate and mistletoe. Maybe for so many of us the courage to keep providing for our families in the midst of the meaningful season is itself a good and generous gift.

This is the story of a how to be a Keeper of Seasons.

We share our favorite do’s and don’ts around the Advent and Christmas season. For example, DO give yourself a “get out of Advent free” card if you’re a mom of littles or just a weary wanderer like so many of us. And DON’T stress celebrating the season in any way other than works for you and your people.