Episode 12: Hope in The Midst of Church Hurt - Sydney Dirling

I’m so excited to introduce you to our guest today! I’ve known him since he was 16 years old, back when we worked together at skyline chili here in Cincinnati, Ohio. We’ve kept in touch through the years, as life has taken some twists and turns… such a turn, in fact, that my friend Robbie found himself in the midst of a prison cell searching for hope. Quick warning: This episode does contain drug and alcohol references, so that’s a tender spot for you, I ask that you steward, your heart wisely, as well as maybe saving this episode for later if you have little ears around. I wanted to have him here today, to share his story and his perspective from a physical place many of us will never experience in our lifetime… however everyone of us have battled with, or will find ourselves in the midst of a mental, emotional, or spiritual prison at some point…whether that stems from an external factor, or from something that we create ourselves. Robbie is going to share with us how we can also turn our rock-bottom into a firm foundation that can very well become a launching pad.

This week we are digging in with a more personal topic. We are going to talk about how to find hope in our body image. One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen. While 69% of men are dissatisfied with their own bodies. Today we have the beautiful former Miss Nebraska America AND Miss Nebraska U.S.A, founder and CEO of Powerhouse Pageantry, as well as a 7 figure sales coach … Megan Rhodes joining us to discuss why this might be so and how we can begin to see, as well as treat ourselves with love and honor. Megan is a fearless leader fighting for women to discover their purpose, unleash their voice, and walk in their calling! She helps women unlock their income potential through sales & speaking, so that they can impact more people with their message. Hear her story of going from the background to center stage and the journey it took to get there!

Pastor and author of “Like Me or Not,” Dawn Beard joins us to talk about how we can hope in the midst of the very human experience of Rejection. While today is a day focused on love, it might seem like a negative topic… but hang with me! This episode we talk about how we can live a life free from the residual effects of rejection and live fully in the identity and freedom God wants for us!

Deconstruction is taking the modern day church by storm and is a common topic of conversation between both Christians and non Christians. Today Savannah Locke joins us to share her very turbulent experience with this controversial concept. In this episode we will demystify some common misconceptions and judgements as well as shine a light on the beauty at its core. Deconstruction doesn’t have to be divisive. So let’s talk about how it might actually connect us…

R&B singer/songwriter, Miss Tennessee USA 2010, loving wife and Disney princess supermom, Tucker Nichol, joins us to break down the negative connotation the concept of boundaries has picked up along the way and help us find the freedom and depth of love that resides at its foundation.

Hope has to be anchored in something to have any weight to it. I believe that Hope doesn’t just have a weight, it has a name, and that name is trustworthy. How do we know that? Join me in this final episode our our “Hope Has a Name” series to find the truth in the traits of God as both El Olam and Emmanuel. I’m excited to announce that the 3rd season of Cultivate Hope will launch in February! To stay connected, go to sentimentswithsarah.com to join the e-newsletter updates, then find me on Instagram @sentimentswithsarah ❤️Merry Christmas!

Worship recoding artist and songwriter, Skye Reedy, joins us to share her testimony and how she’s has experienced God as Jehovah Rapha; The God who heals. In this episode we talk about the difference between hope and faith and how God meets us right where we are, in the midst of our pain, but never leaves us there. Don’t forget to purchase her new song, “In The Mighty Name,” with One House Worship!

Carmen Justice joins us to share how we can trust that God is both Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Shalom. Being right around the holidays, I need this reminder right about now! Come along as we take a deep dive in scripture and experience His faithfulness in our own stories!

Hope has to be anchored in something to have any weight to it. I believe that Hope doesn’t just have a weight, it has a name, and that name is trustworthy. How do we know that? Join me and my friends as we take a deep dive into a couple of the names of God that we see throughout the Bible and how we’ve experienced Him in these ways!

How to we navigate hurt and mishandling when it happens in the very place we go to for healing? How do we handle that with honor AND integrity? How do we find true healing and reconcile our wounds? How do we move forward without throwing it out all together? Today I have my friend, Sydney darling, joining me to discuss how being on staff at various churches, as well as being a member of a church body has given her a unique perspective into this topic. She is a pastor’s wife, a mom to two young boys, and a DIY extraordinaire! You can follow their house flips and projects on Instagram @dirlingmade. While her family has walked through their own experience with church hurt, she will be sharing with us what they have learned, are learning, as well as some tools we can use to To restore, rebuild, and hope again and what it truly means to be in God’s family.