True & Tried Podcast

We misread the Bible when women are left out. Dr. Sandra Glahn and I talk about why women in Scripture are not sidebars, and why their stories are for everyone.Dr. Sandra Glahn is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of over 20 books. We talk about her new book, A Woman's Place Is in the Story: Seeing Women in the Biblical Narrative. It covers how to notice setting, narrative voice, and the names the writer chooses to include (or erase), and what changes when you read the whole story instead of one piece at a time.In this conversation:- Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, and what we get wrong about her- Why good storytelling matters more than a tidy message- Culture is the backdrop, not the plot- Motherhood is a holy calling, but not a woman's only callingGet the book, A Woman's Place Is in the Story: Seeing Women in the Biblical Narrative: https://a.co/d/0dvnUICpQuestions or ideas for a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

We took a few months to rest, pray, and dream about what’s next for True and Tried. And we’re back with a new season!Last season was Stephanie, Jennifer, and Andrea talking life, faith, and womanhood. This season we’re bringing in new voices who are walking boldly in who God made them to be and helping others do the same.Coming soon: expect a new episode once a month.There’s also a new project in the works that we’ll share more about soon!

In this episode of the True & Tried Podcast, we’re pulling back the curtain on the parts of marriage that don’t make it to the "highlight reel." From the season of feeling like roommates to navigating comparison and supporting a spouse through uncertainty, we dive deep into the sacrificial, day-to-day choices that actually shape a holy marriageKey Takeaway Quotes:"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." -Mother Teresa"Marriage is a sacrificial, agape love that says 'I’m going to die for you' every single day."Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe to the True & Tried Podcast and please leave a comment below!

I want to ask you something before we get into this.When is the last time you actually stopped and thought about disappointment? Not anxiety. Not depression. Not grief. Disappointment specifically.Because here is what I have noticed. We talk about all the other things. We have language for them, resources for them, and whole therapy industries built around them. But disappointment quietly sits underneath all of it, weaving itself through the whole story of our lives, and most of us have never once stopped to examine what it has actually done to us. And I think that is a problem.It Goes Further Back Than You ThinkThink about the little girl who did not make the team. The teenager whose heart got broken for the first time. The woman who got the diagnosis she feared, lost the baby she prayed for, watched a marriage fall apart, or simply never got the life she pictured.Disappointment is not just a feeling you have in the moment and get over. It does something to you. It shapes the way you think about yourself, the way you relate to other people, the way you trust God. And most of the time we do not even realize it is happening because we are too busy surviving to stop and look beneath the surface.That is what this conversation is about.What Keeps Getting My AttentionA few years ago I read a book called Inside Out by Dr. Larry Crabb and it genuinely changed how I see myself and the people around me. There is a framework in it called the iceberg and I keep coming back to it because it explains so much.The basic idea is this. What happens to us on the outside is only the tip of what is actually going on. Beneath the surface we carry pain in our hearts from those experiences. Pain that shapes us, that drives us, that quietly produces behaviors and patterns we often cannot explain. And beneath that, if we are honest, there is sin. Not just outward sin that other people can see but sin of the heart. The stuff we would never say out loud.As victims we are vulnerable. As agents we are responsible. Both are true at the same time and that tension is where so much of our healing actually lives.The Closet We All HaveHere is the analogy I use to explain where most of us are actually living.Imagine a house. On the outside everything looks clean and put together. People walk in and feel comfortable. But there is one closet upstairs that nobody, including yourself, is allowed to go into. That is where everything gets shoved. The memories, the heartbreak, the unhealthy thought patterns, the things you do not want to face.You know it is there. You think about it sometimes. And then you close the door and keep going.The enemy loves this arrangement. His best tool is convincing you that what is in that closet is too much, too messy, too far gone to ever be sorted through. He does not want you to ask for help. He does not want you to open the door. Because the moment you do and you invite God and trusted people in to help you sort through it, that is when things start to change.God cannot fill us with good things if there is no room. And the junk in the closet is exactly what is preventing the good things from coming in.I Am Not on the Other Side of ThisI want to be honest with you about something. I did not write this from a place of having it all figured out. I am in the middle of this tooBut here is what I am holding onto. God's track record in my life is impeccable. I have seen him take disappointment after disappointment and turn it into something I could not have planned for myself. So even though I am army crawling my way through this one, I already know. The ashes will be made into beauty. I just have to keep setting my mind on that truth rather than sinking into the quicksand.The Practice That Is Changing ThingsIf any of this is resonating I want to encourage you to do something.Sit down and start listing the disappointments in your life. From childhood to now. Write the problem. Write the pain it caused. Write the behavior it produced. And then ask the Holy Spirit to show you what has been festering underneath all of it that you have not yet named.Psalm 139:23 to 24 is a good place to start. "Search me oh God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."This is not about condemning yourself. It is about bringing things into the light where they can actually be healed. Because healing does not start with fixing. It starts with acknowledging.One Last ThingIf you are carrying something heavy right now, if you are in the middle of a disappointment that has not resolved and may not for a long time, I want you to know something.He called us to suffer. But he never called us to be alone.There is a nearness available to you in the middle of the mess that the enemy does not want you to feel. He wants you to believe the closet is too full, the wound is too deep, the wait is too long. But the God who is near to the brokenhearted is right there. In the tension. In the grief. In the unanswered questions.And a broken and sincere heart is the most precious offering to him. So if all you have right now is yourself, that is enough. Bring him that.This conversation went deep and I am so glad we had it. Jennifer, Andrea, and I talk through the iceberg framework in full, share real personal stories, get into what lament actually looks like versus numbing, and land on the one thing that is the source of true healing. Not just acknowledgment but repentance.If you have ever felt like your disappointments are quietly running your life, this episode is for you.Listen to the full conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube. And if it resonates please share it with someone who needs it. You never know who is stepping over a box right now and needs to know they are not [email protected] MentionedInside Out by Dr. Larry CrabbPsalm 139:23 to 24Romans 12:21 John 4:182 Corinthians 12:9Luke 8, The Parable of the Sower

If you have ever felt like every parenting decision you make is up for debate, this episode is for you.Sleep training or not. Breastfeeding or formula. Crunchy or conventional. Screen time limits. Sugar. Schedules. Somehow every choice comes with an opinion attached and a jury ready to weigh in. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, a lot of us are quietly wondering if we are doing this whole mom thing wrong.In this episode Stephanie and Andrea get honest about the pressure that comes with motherhood, the noise of too many opinions, and what it actually feels like to stand in front of the mom jury and come up short. They talk about the weight of trying to know it all, be it all, and please everyone at once, and why that pressure was never meant to be yours to carry.The good news? Jesus has something to say about all of it. And it is not what the mom jury is telling you.You are not falling behind. You are just carrying too much. Let's talk about putting some of it down.If this episode resonated with you we would love for you to subscribe so you never miss a conversation. And share this with a mom who needs to hear it today. 🤍

Have you ever opened an Amazon box and genuinely couldn't remember ordering what was inside? Same. Sometimes it's things we actually need. But sometimes if we're honest, we're not shopping because we need something. We're shopping because we feel something.In this episode we're having a real conversation about impulsive spending, discontentment, and what's actually going on underneath the habit. Because the cart is rarely the real issue. At the root is a deeper question most of us don't ask out loud: do we actually believe God is enough? Not just theologically. Practically. Personally. In the moment when boredom hits or a hard day doesn't let up.We talk through the emotional triggers behind spending, the spiritual root of discontentment, practical tools that have actually helped us, and what Scripture says about money, desire, and finding real satisfaction.If you've ever bought something you didn't need and couldn't fully explain why, this one is for you.Resources mentioned in this episode:Every Dollar App (budgeting made simple): https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollarVersify App (Scripture memorization): https://versifyapp.comSteps to take this week: -Start with your heart before anything practical. -Invite God into this using Psalm 139:23-24. -Build a budget as an act of stewardship, not punishment. -Remove friction points like shopping apps from your phone. -Replace the urge to shop with something intentional. -Pray through the whole thing because freedom here comes through Jesus, not just better discipline.If this episode resonated with you, we'd love for you to subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And drop a comment or DM us and tell us - what's your honest Amazon confession? We want to hear it. 🛍️

If you could sit down with your 20-year-old self, what would you say?In this episode, Stephanie, Jennifer, and Andrea get honest about the things they wish someone had told them sooner — the financial moves they wish they'd made earlier, the health knowledge nobody handed them, the faith struggles they overcame, and the relationship wisdom that took years to learn.Whether you're in your 20s right now or you're looking back wishing someone had said these things to you — this conversation is for you.Because the things that matter most are rarely the things we're taught first.

Do you ever feel overstimulated before the day has barely begun?The noise. The notifications. The mental load. The pressure to be everything to everyone. It’s only 9:30am and you’re already exhausted.In this episode, we talk honestly about the overwhelm so many modern women carry and the subtle lies we believe:“Peace will come after this season.”“I’ll rest when things slow down.”“If I were more organized or more spiritual, I wouldn’t feel this way.”But Scripture reminds us that peace isn’t found in better circumstances, it’s found in a Person.In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”And in John 16:33, He reminds us that while trouble is guaranteed, peace in Him is tooWe explore why the enemy loves to keep us distracted and depleted, and how reorienting our lives around Jesus, not productivity, is where true rest begins.Peace is not something you earn when everything gets done.It’s something you receive when you come to Christ.

In this episode, we respond to a listener question many believers wrestle with: What does it look like to honor your parents and family when they aren’t walking with Christ?We unpack what Scripture says about honor versus obedience, how to live as ambassadors for Christ within our families, and how to love well while still holding healthy boundaries. We also look to Jesus’ example of honoring, dignifying, and loving people before they believed, and how we can reflect that same grace at home.Key Topics:What it truly means to “honor” your parentsBeing the only believer in your familyLoving without compromising truthHonoring others while setting boundariesLearning someone’s “heart language” so the gospel is truly good news to themResources Mentioned:John Mark Dyer - “Share the Gospel Better” (Free Course)Website: https://www.johnmarkdyer.com/Instagram: @johnmarkdyerCall In With Your Questions:📞 Listener Line: 248-780-9241

In this episode, we talk honestly about jealousy and comparison, especially in a world shaped by social media. We share personal experiences of the heart checks we’ve had to take and the lies the enemy tries to convince us of when envy creeps in: that we’re behind, overlooked, or not enough.We explore what Scripture says about jealousy, clarifying that desire itself isn’t sinful, but when it turns into idolatry, it pulls our hearts away from God (Colossians 3:3-5; James 3:14-16). We also discuss how jealousy thrives when identity is fragile and how the Gospel offers real freedom. While jealousy says, “If they have more, I have less,” the Gospel reminds us that in Christ, we lack nothing (Colossians 2:9-10).Ultimately, we’re reminded that Jesus rested securely in the Father’s love, even when others were praised more than Him - and that same security is available to us. When we know we are chosen, adopted, and deeply loved, we can truly rejoice when others are blessed (Romans 12:15).If this conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or made you feel less alone, we’d love for you to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. New conversations drop weekly, and we can’t wait to keep walking through faith, health, and real life together. Thanks for being here - we’re so glad you’re part of the True & Tried community.