IN THIS EPISODE

• From the beaches of California to the Snowy Winters of Colorado | 1:49
• Writing songs that capture your heart is an amazing way to worship  | 4:57
• 6 years old at a Vacation Bible School isn’t anything to doubt | 8:28
• No one on this planet will ever love you more than your mom and your dad | 13:13
• Even when you’re not paying attention, the Lord will care for us and provide | 18:09
• God is The Great Healer and The Great Provider for us | 21:38
• It can be so easy for us to focus on the wrong things, even with the best intentions | 27:19
• Why Worship? | 30:14
• An incredible live performance to close us out | All That I Need | 34:07

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | TAKE IT TO THE LORD

We will never meet any in our lives who loves us more, knows more about us, and wants to fight for our hearts more than Jesus. When we run into obstacles that seem insurmountable or come across pain that seems unbearable, your first and only knee-jerk reaction to those circumstances should be this; bring it to Him. Those precious moments where you sit, weeping, with your Bible open praying to Jesus are special. Through His grace, we’re able to get through anything! It really is true that there is nothing new under the sun, the Lord knows what you’re going through. Today may be tough, and tomorrow may be too, but you don’t have to walk through that journey alone. And He doesn’t want you to! He wants to pick you up and hug you and carry you when you’re too weak to continue. Lean into Him!

2 | GOD IS ALWAYS WORKING FOR GOOD

He is the only one that is continually, without rest, working for good for you. When we take that first step out of the boat, eyes fixed on Him, we can accomplish anything. Lindsy discussed her husbands first marriage and their amazing conversations that come out of it because they believe that God is kind, and loving, and working for the betterment of their relationships with Him! Sometimes, the moulding and shaping that occurs while we’re in our own valleys are necessary down the road, to determine who we are to become in Christ! And we can’t always see that at the time so please, take comfort in the fact that God is on our side.

3 | WHY WORSHIP?

Because it is everything. It’s incredibly important to invest and lead those around you to the throne and we’re called to do exactly that. When we go through the presence of the Lord we are completely changed forever, and that’s what worship does. Worship is more than just song. It’s being in the Word, it’s focusing and turning your attention to Jesus, it’s rejoicing in your circumstances (always) and praise Him in the midst of the occurrences of our lives. When you set the time aside to worship and pause before the Lord, it takes the attention off of yourself and your circumstances and places it on Him!

SHOW NOTES

Welcome back to our first episode of 2019! Today, we have the privilege of hearing from Lindsy Tucker. Lindsy is a worship leader at Truth Calvary Church in Denver who is passionate about communicating what it means to truly be a,“worshipper”. Lindsy has an amazing story that she will take us through part of today in this episode.

Sharon and Lindsy discuss what it means to be a mom in uncharted territory, what it means to have those around you invest in you, and to run whole-heartedly after our Creator, every single day. We’re so glad you’re here and we’re really looking forward to an incredible 2019, with plenty of more episodes in the works.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Women’s Night of Worship | 0:44
• A peak behind the curtain into the heart of Shauna | 1:521
• How the Lord meets us, even in the “Hard Places” | 3:18
• Leading worship and returning your heart to a healthy place | 5:24
• Let the Lord sew in deeply, what you need during worship | 7:41
• If you are running on empty you can’t “Pour Out” onto others | 9:22

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | YOU NEVER KNOW THE AMOUNT OF GRACE, UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT HE’S GIVEN YOU

He is there to carry us when we can’t pick ourselves up. This is what a relationship with a Father who provides looks like! He has promised us that he will never forsake us and that he will never give us more than we can handle. When we rely on God and lean into the Grace that he pours out on us, we are carried in his arms when our feet fail us. We can take solace and comfort in the fact that He is always on our side, he’s always there with us no matter how deep and black the hole in front of us seems. Trust in Him and in His love.

2 | WORSHIP DOESN’T HAVE TO LOOK LIKE SINGING

Worship is simply about connecting your heart to the Lords. So many times we see in our society that people express themselves through instruments and their voice in worship for the Lord. Which is amazing! But he is a kind, creative God that has designed us to connect with him in a million different ways. He wants our heart to be close to His and he has built into us, a DNA to be creative in our outward expression of our love for Him. Our worship comes from a different place for each of us, and means different things to Him, so it should look different!

3 | IT MATTERS WHERE YOUR HEART IS

As women, we’re generally the thermostat that sets the temperature of the home. There are seasons where you going through things just to get through them and running empty on fumes. There are seasons where you are running into circumstances that seem impossible and unbearable. It matters where you anchor yourself, and it matters where your heart resides. When you love on Jesus, when you point yourselves towards Him, “stuff and things” fall to the wayside in importance. We want you to overflow with the Love of Jesus, and gain perspective on where you are headed with Him. He will equip you with what you need to recharge, to build, and to love where we need.

SHOW NOTES

We are so excited to sit down with Shauna Chanda today on Anchor + Waves. Shauna is a good friend of Danny Oertli’s, here on staff, and she truly has an amazing story to share with us today. Please tune in as Shauna walks us through a few tragedies in her life, how she was able to rediscover her voice through those circumstances, and now desires that you are drawn a little nearer to the heart of God and are more aware than ever, of His passionate love for you!

If you’re interested in learning more about Shauna Chanda, please click on the link below. Or, if you would like to learn more about plugging into the community where you are, or at Mission Hills Church, click the button to send us an email.

IN THIS EPISODE

• What it’s like to lose your sister | 2:33
• Jesus can handle our anger | 5:57
• When we focus on the “Even If” and pursue an “Even If” faith | 8:38
• Let it out – don’t hold that ball under the water | 13:33
• Often times we need to sit in the pain rather than run from it, God can use that! | 16:16
• Robbie + John Iobst’s Ministry | laughter, truth, and a deep well | 19:11
• God wants us to be real and bring our ‘hidden things’, respectfully, into the light | 23:52

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | THERE’S NO SHAME IN SEEKING HELP

You shouldn’t feel less than, or weak, or like you can’t do it yourself if you seek help. There are times in our lives where we can feel the waves crashing in, and it can feel like we’re drowning. That’s what grief does, it blots out the sun and casts despair into every corner of our lives. But, it’s powerful to fight in authenticity and reach out for support. God is there to meet us in our mess and wants to bring us out of that blackness. When you’re struggling, seek out the help you need. The number one thing to remember is that God Loves You!

2 | UNHELPFUL HELP + TANGIBLE HELP

When you’re grieving, we can experience both ‘unhelpful help’ and ‘tangible help’ from those that are around us. Sometimes people just don’t understand what you’re going through because they’ve never gone through something like that or they assume that someone else will be around soon to take over the care portion of the healing.
1 // Make sure you avoid unhelpful help. Be sympathetic to those that are grieving around you. Grief can take many forms, it can occur at different times, and everyone experiences it differently. Don’t try to rush the process for anyone and don’t try to impose our timelines on them. Pray for them, pray that God would heal them and pray that God’s will be done in the situation and just BE with them. Honor Him always.
2 // Try to pursue tangible help. One of the last things people experiencing grief want to do is to make another decision. Pursue practicality for them over trying to be overtly spiritual. Can you take them out to lunch, or no? Can you bring them flowers? Sometimes it’s better just to do, as well. If you ask them to call you if they need anything, often times they won’t. Take the time to bring the initiative to them. Or you can try talking about their loved ones that are gone, often people are so afraid of the subject, we’re not able to reminisce in the joyous memories they have.

3 | DON’T KEEP THE BALL UNDER THE WATER

Grief has a way of returning, even when we think we’re past it and we’ve dealt with it fully. It could be a song, or a movie quote, or a stranger’s voice in passing, we make these connections in our memories to those that we’ve lost. And it’s ok to tell their story, it’s ok to remember them. Whenever you feel the urge to bury those feelings and your grief, don’t! Don’t stuff those away, it’s one of the most toxic things that you can do. When we try and hold that ball under water, it takes all of our energy and leaves us exhausted. Inevitably, it always finds it’s way to the surface in an outburst anyways. Don’t hold back, don’t stuff, don’t hold that ball under the water.

SHOW NOTES

Today on Anchor + Waves we welcome in Robbie Lobst. Robbie has experienced a tremendous amount of grief and death in her life but has always held fast to the one thing that remains; Christ. Listen today as we look at healthy healing, growing closer in your relationships, as well as relying on Jesus when everything around you seems to crumble.

If you’re interested in learning more about supporting Robbie and her husband John, please click on the link below. Or, if you would like to learn more about plugging into the community where you are, or at Mission Hills Church, click the button to send us an email.

IN THIS EPISODE

• A look into the past of Iwona Eifling and her passion for rescuing young women | 1:06
• Bringing Maja Kowalczuk into the story – A Story from Pain to Hope | 10:46
• Maja’s story, her calling into ministry, and how she’s leading women today | 15:37
• God can take anyone, in any situation, and use them for His Kingdom | 22:03
• Getting familiar with the incredible work that Josiah Venture is doing in Poland | 28:29

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS PLANNING IN YOUR LIFE

Now, this can be terrifying. When you take a step out from that ledge and just hope and pray that you’re going to be able to fly! In this podcast, we saw examples of how Iwona and Maja both had ideas for what their lives were going to look like and how God was going to use them. But what was their common theme? It was their step out, into faith, when they leaned into what God had planned for them. Whether that be stepping into ministry or moving to another part of the world to expand His Kingdom, what is God putting on your heart?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. | Jeremiah 29:11

GET STARTED HERE WITH PROJEKT 29.11 | Polish Language

2 | GOD CAN CREATE BEAUTY FROM PAIN

Our lives have a lot of examples in them where we have felt unworthy, unloved, and undeserving of grace of any kind. Maja and Iwona both have amazing life examples of how God can take the pain from our pasts, the people we were, and the mistakes that we made and completely wash them away. These beautiful stories show how God values us, He knows us deeply and He genuinely desires to develop a relationship with us. He will pursue us to the ends of the Earth, and THAT is at the heart of the ministry that Iwona and Maja are establishing in Poland.

CONSIDER A SHORT TERM TRIP TO POLAND

SHOW NOTES

We are so happy to bring you this interview today with Iwona Eifling and Maja Kowalczuk, our amazing partner’s from Poland. Iwona + Maja both work Josiah Venture, which is an amazing ministry, whom God is using to expand His Kingdom in Europe.

If you’re interested in learning more about supporting Maja Kowalczuk, please click on the link below. Or, if you would like to learn more about plugging into the community where you are, or at Mission Hills Church, click the button to send us an email.

IN THIS EPISODE

• We are so excited to introduce you to Janet Carter | 0:27
• Janet begins to follow Jesus and pursue a relationship with Him| 3:12
• Who inspires you to grow closer to God | 3:38
• Janet didn’t begin her professional career in ministry | 4:40
• She then shifts from corporate to home to seminary | 6:29
• We are going to be starting a 7-part series on “Understanding Your Bible” | 8:30
• Bible Reading and Prayer are essential for Christian’s lives | 12:26

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | THE CHURCH IS FILLED WITH IMPERFECT PEOPLE

Sometimes people can be “turned off” to coming to church because they’re afraid they’re it’s filled with hypocrites. Which can be true! What the church is filled with, is imperfect people and that’s because only God is perfect. But, by showing grace to others, as He has shown us, we are able to grow closer to Him every day. We are able to show those around us that we can be accepting, and they’re welcome in this place.

2 | STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN EVEN IF YOU’RE STANDING ALONE

The Bible says that everyone is called to ministry, yet few are called to it professionally. Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” | MARK 16:15. No matter what you do in your “9-5” you can always be an ambassador for God by holding true to what he says to us in His Word. Hold fast to what the Word of God says and that will keep you anchored through all of life’s storms.

3 | YOU CAN START TODAY

Even if you have never opened a Bible in your life, you shouldn’t be afraid to dive right in. Open it up, and start reading a Psalm a day. You will see who God is, and how He meets us where we are no matter what we’re going through. Head over to your local Christian Bookstore, or Amazon and pick up a copy of the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION | STUDY BIBLE and a journal. Don’t be afraid to take notes and ask questions!

SHOW NOTES

If you’re interested in building community here at Mission Hills, click on the button below to learn more about our Women’s Ministry. If you don’t attend Mission Hills, don’t live in Colorado, or you are just looking for a good place to start asking questions, please email us.