Queen Esther: Would You Speak Up When It Costs Everything?

Click to Comment! I pay for Amazon Prime so my stuff will get here fast, and half the time it takes longer than it would on a regular account. I still check the tracking six times a day anyway. That’s how bad I am at waiting, and I think most of us are right there with me, especially when it comes to the things that don’t come with a tracking number.In this episode I’m talking about Hannah in the Bible, a woman who prayed year after year for one thing and kept right on showing up. Her husband loved her and couldn’t fix it. A priest completely misread her. And before anything had even changed, she did one small thing that I still can’t get past.It’s the fourth episode in our Women of the Bible series, and yes, there are a few curvy back roads along the way.Find the full blog post and show notes at simplyblesseddesignz.com/hannah-in-the-bible-waiting-on-god. If you’d like to be part of JoAnne’s Prayer Action Warriors, praying the Lord’s Prayer together every day at noon, the details are in the show notes.Support the podcast at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show

Click to Comment! Sam will order something in a heartbeat, but if it comes out wrong, he won't say a word to the waitress. Ashley is usually the one flagging her down, and it got her thinking about how many of us would rather let something slide than speak up. In this episode, she takes that question all the way to a Persian palace and Queen Esther, an orphan who couldn't walk into the king's throne room unless he sent for her, and who hadn't been called in thirty days. Walking in could cost Esther her life, and staying quiet could cost her people theirs.It's the third episode in the Women of the Bible series on Unscripted Conversations, and yes, there are a few curvy back roads along the way.Find the full blog post and show notes at simplyblesseddesignz.com/queen-esther-speak-up. If you'd like to be part of JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors, praying the Lord's Prayer together every day at noon, details are in the show notes.Support the podcast at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show

Click to Comment! Sam was working nights when I stumbled onto a Netflix preview for "Ruth and Boaz" — and what started as background noise turned into a story she couldn't stop thinking about. In this episode, I try to connect the modern Netflix retelling to the real story of Ruth and Naomi from the book of Ruth — a famine, two dead sons, one daughter-in-law who goes home, and one who refuses to leave. It's a story about loyalty that costs something real, and what it looks like to stay when leaving would be so much easier.This episode is part of the Women of the Bible series on Unscripted Conversations.Find the full blog post at simplyblesseddesignz.com/ruth-and-naomi-stay-or-go, and if you want to be part of JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors — praying the Lord's Prayer together every day at noon — details are in the show notes.Support the podcast at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show

Click to Comment! It's September, and if your brain already jumped from "popsicles on the porch" to "wait, is Thanksgiving in six weeks" — you're not alone. We're kicking off a brand new season, Women of the Bible, starting with two sisters most of us have heard about a hundred times: Mary and Martha. Turns out this story was never really about kitchens — it's about presence, and it's got a lot to say about how we're living through these busy "ber" months. Comparing NLT and The Message side by side, we dig into what Jesus actually meant by "the better part," and why it's not what most of us were taught growing up.Plus, a mid-episode reminder about JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors — join in on the daily noon Lord's Prayer.Support the show

Click to Comment! We're closing out the entire Sermon on the Mount this week, and it's a good one. Ever had a friend who talked a great game and then completely disappeared the second things got hard? Same. This week we're covering false prophets and fruit, the "Lord, Lord" warning that should make all of us a little uncomfortable, and the wise and foolish builders, the finale everybody knows even if they don't know it's from the Bible.Plus, I finally admit my mama has been right about people her entire life (annoying, honestly but did I inherit that from her?), we bring in Galatians 5 and the fruits of the Spirit, and I tell y'all a story about our own house's foundation that I've never shared publicly much before.In this episode:How to actually spot a fake, in others and in yourselfWhy "Lord, Lord" and doing impressive things isn't the same as being known by GodThe wise and foolish builders, and why both houses face the exact same stormA story about what's literally buried under our front doorOne simple thing to check in your own life this weekMentioned in this episode: JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors — praying the Lord's Prayer over people every day at noon.Come hang out with me at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com, and if this episode blessed you, consider buying me a coffee at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz — every bit helps keep this podcast going.New episodes drop every Wednesday at 4pm EST.Support the show

Click to Comment! "Ask and you shall receive" gets quoted like it's the simplest math problem in the world — until you've actually lived long enough to ask for something and not get it. This week we're covering more ground than usual: prayer (verses 7-11), the Golden Rule (verse 12), and the narrow gate (verses 13-14), all in one episode.We talk about what "keep on asking" really means, why unanswered prayer doesn't mean an absent God, why the Golden Rule is a lot harder to live than it is to cross-stitch, and why the narrow gate costs something every single time. Plus — I finally admit on mic just how terrified of snakes I actually am, and why that matters for this passage.In this episode:Why "ask, seek, knock" isn't a one-time prayerWhat it means to trust God's timeline instead of our ownThe Golden Rule: going first instead of waiting your turnWhy the narrow gate is narrow, and why most people never find itOne simple thing to actually do with all of this, starting this weekMentioned in this episode: JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors — praying the Lord's Prayer over people every day at noon. Come hang out with me at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com, and if this episode blessed you, consider buying me a coffee at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz — every bit helps keep this podcast going.New episodes drop every Wednesday at 4pm EST.Support the show

Click to Comment! The "do not judge" verse gets thrown around more than almost any line in the whole Bible — usually right after somebody got caught doing something they shouldn't have. But there's a whole lot more going on in Matthew 7:1-6 than most of us realize.This week we're talking about the kind of judging that doesn't even feel like judging — the fast, quiet, automatic kind. The mugshot on Facebook. The yard sign. The stranger you sized up before they said a word. We dig into the speck and the log, why Jesus calls it a "critical spirit," and how this same theme runs from Genesis all the way through the New Testament.Plus — a story from my hometown about a man everybody thought they had figured out, and didn't.In this episode:Why "don't judge" doesn't mean "turn off your brain"The speck and the log, and why it's kind of ridiculous when you picture itHow judgment shows up throughout the entire Bible, Old Testament to NewA practical, doable way to trade judgment for prayer this weekMentioned in this episode: JoAnne's Prayer Action Warriors (PAW) — praying the Lord's Prayer over people every day at noon. Come hang out with me at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com, and if this episode blessed you, consider buying me a sweet tea at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz — every bit helps keep this podcast going.New episodes drop every Wednesday at 4pm EST.Support the show

Click to Comment! I've got two sheds, and one that was supposed to be my business headquarters is now just full of stuff, three years deep. This week we're digging into treasure, worry, and serving two masters — why Jesus says don't store up what can rot, rust, or get stolen, why worry is really a faith issue in disguise, and why I'm finally cleaning out that shed. Part of our Living the Kingdom Way series, talking verse by verse through the Sermon on the Mount.More at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com. Support the show at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show

Click to Comment! Jesus talks about prayer and fasting back to back in this chapter, and it comes down to the same question both times — are you doing this for God, or for an audience? We're digging into what real, private prayer looks like, why "don't babble" doesn't mean "pray less," what fasting has to do with a reels ad I saw the other day, and a special invitation to join a daily prayer movement started by my friend JoAnne. Part of our Living the Kingdom Way series, going verse by verse through the Sermon on the Mount.More at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com. Support the show at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show

Click to Comment! We're starting a new chapter this week — Matthew 6. Jesus talks about giving to people in need, and He's not just concerned with whether we give, but why and how. We're digging into what it actually looks like to give without needing anybody to see it, why the size of the gift matters less than what it costs you, and why this might be one of the hardest things to actually live in our day to day lives. Part of our Living the Kingdom Way series, talking verse by verse through the Sermon on the Mount.More at SimplyBlessedDesignz.com. Support the show at ko-fi.com/simplyblesseddesignz.Support the show