Episode 125 :: Elizabeth Woodson :: Stories of Longing, the Power of Discipleship and Hope in Christ No Matter What
Today I have the absolute pleasure of sharing my conversation with Bible teacher and author Elizabeth Woodson. Elizabeth is a beam of sunshine and hope, and the light of Christ just radiates from her smile and her passion for people knowing and loving Jesus. She shares with me her journey into full time ministry, first on various church staffs such as leading singles ministry at Dr. Tony Evans’ church and then was most recently on staff at Village Church, teaching, equipping leaders, and doing theological equipping with the body,, and now she is pursuing her full time personal ministry. She is passionate about deep theology for every day folks because life is hard and God’s word is a lamp to our feet in every dark, foreign or uncertain land. Her first book just recently released, and speaks directly into that space. It's called Embrace Your Life: How to Find Joy When the Life You Have is Not What You Hoped For. Elizabeth shares so powerfully about practically walking out longing and lament in your life, and still experiencing the gift of joy and an abundant life. Her beautiful book looks into the Word of God about how to take our longing before the Lord and to work it out with Him, and then figure out the next step even when we don’t know what to do or how to feel. She offers some practical ways to process this in this conversation and it's just so insightful and full of experiential wisdom and Spirit led truth.
We cover so much ground in this episode. We talk about how to better love our single friends in the church, encouragement for pursuing mentorship and discipleship within the body of Christ, and also for those who are not currently part of a church, why it matters to have right theology, and to know who God truly is, and so much more. This word is a powerful one that carries the need for the salvation of Easter and the lament and longing of the Lord’s second coming because it is a hot. mess. down. here. But there is joy in the longing. There is beauty to be found in the middle of the story and I cannot wait for you to hear it.
I’d love to hear if this episode resonated with you! It means so much to me and to our guests when you share this podcast with the people in your life or to hear how the Lord is intersecting your story. Don’t forget, friend. No matter where you are, you matter. Your story matters. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Thanks for hanging out with me, and I’ll see you next time.
Today’s episode sponsor: Tony Crabtree Homes with Exit Realty
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Connecting with Elizabeth:
Book: Embrace Your Life: How to Find Joy When the Life You Have is Not What You Hoped For
References:
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS)
Dr. Tony Evans and his church Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
Growing Together by Melissa Krueger
The Book of Psalms- David (and other authors’) honest and emotional outpourings to the Lord
All sin is equal before the Lord’s eyes
World on Fire: Walking in the Wisdom of Christ When the World is Fighting About Everything
“Promises” and “Million Little Miracles” by Maverick City Music
“Wait on You” by Maverick City Music
Scripture References:
Acts 26:18, 1 Peter 2:9- Moving from darkness to light
Ephesians 3:20- Exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask or imagine
2 Corinthians 4:17, Ecclesiastes 3:11- There is an eternity that awaits us
John 4:13-14, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 1 Peter 1:3-6 -The hope we have in Jesus
Psalm 139:1-12, Psalm 23- He’s on the mountain tops and in the valleys
John 15, (and many other scriptures shared below) God has called us to cultivate and grow ourselves and relationships with Him and with the body
Jude 1:24,Psalm 121;7- He is a God who keeps you
Matthew 6:31-32, Matthew 7:11, Luke 12:24 Philippians 4:19- God will provide
Isaiah 63:7, Deuteronomy 11:18- We know and remember what God has done for us
Acts 1-2- How the Church began
Deuteronomy 7:9, John 13:34,-Being faithful because God is faithful
Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 18, Ephesians 4:26-Handling disagreement in the body
Acts 9:15, Acts 22:21- Paul would be the one to go to the Gentiles
Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 John 3:1-2-The body of Christ is a family
Ruth 1:16-17-Where you go I will go
Genesis 5:32-10:1- Noah was told to build the boat, and then… years go by
Judges 6-7- Gideon and alllllllll his words from the Lord and all his angels (God love him)
John 10:10- Satan works overtime to seek and destroy
Ephesians 3-4- Our calling is so big as the Church/ the purpose of the church, the divine mystery of our transformation ministers to principalities
Matthew 5:1-12- The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:4-Blessed are those who mourn
Ecclesiastes 1:9-There is nothing new under the sun
Romans 6:23- All sin cost the same: the death of Christ
Ephesians 2:8-9, 2:20- We are all saved by the same grace and gift of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection
Genesis 1:27, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27- We are all image bearers, called not to uniformity but unity
Matthew 22:36-40- When we love the Lord our God rightly, then we can love our neighbor as yourself
Psalm 13- honest lament before God
Daniel 3:16-20, Esther 4:14- And if He will not
Psalm 27:13-14- God has good for me in the land of the living
Galatians 5:22-23- Joy is a fruit of the spirit
Revelations 21- There’s an end date on the things that hurt us
Psalm 16:11- In His presence is the fullness of joy
1 Peter 1:3- We live with hope
2 Samuel- 11:1-In the season when kings go to war…. David was not
Matthew 1:6-7- Bathsheeba is in the named lineage of Christ
Psalm 27:13- The AMP translation of “what would have become of me if I had not believed I would see the good in the land of the living”
Isaiah 63:7- Let us rejoice and recount the goodness of the Lord
John 14:26- We have a helper, a counselor in the Holy Spirit
Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:
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*Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com