Podcast

HomePartner 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 smell…

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.

These are the stories of a sick child and the birth of a book.

“How do you do it all?” we’re often asked. The short answer? We don’t. The longer answer? Well, those are the stories we’re telling today. Because life often feels like a series of interruptions stitched together.

But interruptions can be invitations. Invitations to rest, invitations to care, invitations to pay attention. Interruptions can also be serious, heavy disruptions. What then?

This is the story about an invisibility cloak.

Because it’s only natural to feel unseen when the ordinary routines of ordinary life close in around us. No one is handing out gold stars for washing the dishes, or changing the oil in the car, or dealing with that pile of junk mail. No one gives a round of applause when we tackle one more ordinary task on one more ordinary day.

This is the story about a house, a baby, and a hope disappointed.

Lisa-Jo and Christie get real honest this week as they wonder out loud if hope really is a risk worth taking. Because what if you’re disappointed. What does that say about the God you believed and hoped in? What does that say about you?

They both share their riskiest hope stories today. How they were both deeply disappointed and then what came next.