Lauren Gaskill Inspires

She Found Joy #2: Katie Reid: There’s No Shame in Being Made Like Martha

July 11, 2018 • 8 Comments

Katie Reid joins me today for She Found Joy #2. Katie is a dear friend, author, speaker, wife and mom (AND, she’s speaking at the Nashville, Tennessee and Elkhart, Indiana She Found Joy events this fall!) Her book, Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done released yesterday, July 10, which also happened to be my birthday … so, you know, it was basically one of the best days of the year!

In this episode, Katie invites modern Marthas everywhere to exchange try-hard striving for hope-filled freedom without abandoning our doer’s hearts in the process.

As a child and young adult Katie knew she was saved by grace, but regardless of that head knowledge, she spent years living like it was her works that make her worthy. Over time however, God began to show her that she didn’t have to earn the love she already had from Jesus. In this time of spiritual growth, she realized was enough regardless of how many things she crossed off of her to-do list. She was enough because of what Christ did on the cross. And guess what? So are you. You are enough in Christ.

In addition to talking about living like we’re enough, we also talk about: learning to serve within the strength God given us, not the strength we wish we had; how to rest while we work; the importance of praying bold and unedited prayers; and the power of faith.

Katie tells Marthas, “God isn’t asking us to shed our efficiency or put down our to-do lists forever. He wants us to get things done, but He wants us to do those things as a response to His love … not as a means to try and earn the love that we actually already have in Him.”

I pray this show encourages you to live in the present as you embrace your identity as a beloved daughter of Christ. Enjoy!

P.S. If you’ve been blessed by the She Found Joy Podcast, or if this episode blesses you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review on iTunes. This will help more people find the show and learn more about the joy of Jesus.

P.P.S. We are giving away a copy of Katie’s book to one lucky listener! Simply comment below with your favorite takes away from the podcast to enter!!!

The Promise of Peace, a Promise He Keeps

July 9, 2018 • 4 Comments

I am a woman with an affinity for turbulence. When a thunderstorm comes rolling in, I pop a bag of popcorn and sit back and watch. When the plane I’m traveling on goes through a series of dark and ominous clouds, I grin, waiting eagerly for the first bump. When the ocean rages and the waves start to crash wildly on the shore, I run to meet them. I love a good thrill or plot twist. Put a predictable, slow-moving book or movie in front of me and I’ll leave to find a new adventure.

But there’s a catch. You see, I’m fine with observing exterior turbulence, but when commotion and agitation touch down in my own personal life, well, that’s a different story.

Sitting here on the eve of my twenty-sixth birthday, I crave a calmer and more predictable life — one with fewer health problems, deadlines, doctor’s appointments and unknowns and more peaceful, sure and solid moments. To put it simply, if my life could mirror that of someone who went on a permanent beach vacation, I’d be happy as a clam.

But life is not a permanent beach vacation. If anything, it’s more like a shipwreck from which we have to swim for our lives, and half the time we feel like we are navigating blind.

For the love of peanut butter cups, could someone please tell the sea to calm the heck down?

Some of us, by God’s grace, are fortunate enough to experience smooth sailing for a good number of our days. But if you’re like most people, including me, eventually the waves will pick up and something will cause your ship to wreck.Read More

She Found Joy #1: Carey Scott: Living Unafraid and Authentic

July 2, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Today is a super exciting day, 1) because my sweet friend Carey Scott is joining me on the podcast and 2) this is the first episode since rebranding my ministry from “Finding Joy” to “She Found Joy!”

One of the reasons I love Carey is because she’s devoted to honesty and authenticity, and she’s all about helping other women live untangled, uncommon and unafraid lives. (Those adjectives also happen to be the names of her bestselling books, with her most recent book Unafraid: Be You. Be Authentic. Find the Grit and Grace to Shine releasing July 1.)

In this episode, Carey and and I talk about what it means to live authentic — to live a life that’s deeply rooted in Christ and the identity He gave us through His work on the cross.

I love what Carey had to say about learning how to filter the messages the world sends us about ourselves through God’s Word. “We have to settle in us the biblical truths of “This is who I am in this very moment … This is what God says about me.” Now, this is a tall order because the world tells us that we aren’t good enough … but I encourage women to ask themselves, “What is the lie I am believing about my identity?” and then filter it through what God’s Word says about us. For example, let’s say the world says you’re a failure but God says you’re blank.”

Carey challenges us all to take 24 hours and write down all the negative things we say or think about ourselves and then ask God to tell us the truth of who we really are in Him. Y’all. This is a powerful exercise, and I highly recommend you join us in doing this! Enjoy the show.

Links from the Show

She Found Joy tour information
Unafraid Book

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We see 2,000 messages a day that tell us who we should be. But what does God say?…

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God doesn’t apologize for how He created us. He loves us just the way we are. #SheFoundJoyPodcast

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Introducing … She Found Joy!

June 4, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Hey, sweet friend! I know it’s been a little quiet around the blog, but I have some pretty exciting news to share with you today!

Remember the rebrand I told you was happening with Finding Joy Ladies Night Out? Well, on June 1 we had our brand reveal party to unveil the story behind the new name God has given us AND the new direction the ministry is taking.

Finding Joy Ladies Night Out is officially … SHE FOUND JOY!

New name, new website, new vision, same tour and expanded ministry offerings. You can tune in HERE for a recording of the reveal party and some encouragement from the book of Nehemiah, but I also want to include a recap in this post for those of you who might not have time to watch the video.

Here are some of the highlights:

The tour is still happening this fall, and tickets will sell out soon. So, if you or a friend lives near any of these spots, grab your ticket today!
- Jacksonville, FL // Oct. 2 from 6-9 PM at Southside UMC
- Woodstock, GA // Oct. 7 from 6-9 PM at Venue 92
- Des Moines, IA // Oct. 19 from 6-9 PM at Jasper Winery
- Fayetteville, AR // Oct. 26 from 6-9 PM at Pratt Place Inn & Barn
- Southlake, TX // Oct. 28 from 6-9 PM at CAMBRiA Southlake
- Elkhart, IN // Nov. 2 from 6-9 PM at Elcona Country Club
- Nashville, TN // Nov. 5 from 6-9 PM at The Loveless Barn
- Raleigh, NC // Nov. 9 from 6-9 PM at The Raleigh Convention Center
Next year, in addition to the tour, we will also be offering a 2-3 day retreat (we are still praying over details). The goal for the retreat is to provide a place where women who are struggling — maybe they suffer from an illness, maybe they lost a loved one, maybe they are going through a divorce — can come and be ministered to, body and soul.
Soon, we will also start to offer online resources and Bible studies/devotionals designed to help women grow deeper into their faith and relationship with God and create community with other women. So stay tuned!
Lastly, we now have a shop! Visit the She Found Joy shop for encouraging Tshirts and accessories designed to point you and others to choose to live in the JOY of the Lord each and every day.

With joy and love,
Lauren Gaskill

Trusting God in Tough Seasons {A Guest Post by Tiffany Bluhm}

April 30, 2018 • 1 Comment

Tiffany Bluhm joins me for a guest post on the blog today. Tiffany is the author of Never Alone and its companion Bible study. She is a speaker and writer who is passionate about helping women come to know their value and purpose because of a loving, redeeming God. In a style that speaks to women right where they are, she shares insights from a life spent chasing after Jesus. Read her blog at www.TiffanyBluhm.com.

Have you ever thought you were walking into a good week, month, or year only to find a season of aches, pains, and not-so-wonderful surprises? Maybe it was harder and more costly than you could have dreamed? I certainly have. A few years ago, I was certain I was arriving to an oasis only to find a desert.

Eager for a new season, both my husband and I transitioned from jobs we knew to ones we didn’t. My husband left teaching to go into real estate, and I left full-time ministry to stay home with kiddos, write during naptime, and teach Bible study in the evenings. We knew it was time for something new but found ourselves grossly underprepared for the waves of change. We changed jobs, churches, pre-school for our son, and life groups. No stone went unturned in our obedience as we felt strongly it was time to move into a new season.

In no time at all, housing deals fell through, and our savings account ran low. We stayed awake wondering how we would make the mortgage payment. In the natural, it was a season of lack, no question. Yet, we held onto hope, believed God was with us, and sought the sanctuary of his presence. Day by day, we felt a bit stronger and a bit braver.

Desperate times call for desperate prayers. We uttered dozens of them while we kissed our babies to sleep, under our breath as we drove, or with tears in our eyes in the shower. We knew God was near; we clung to him like he was our first and last hope, because he was. In those days we found something sacred. We found the abundant presence of God. It was as if we were on a honeymoon, craving the presence and goodness of God in every moment knowing he would meet our every need. We never went without a meal or a mortgage payment unpaid, but the miracles were greater. The miracle of his holy presence, alive in our hearts convinced us He was and ever will be enough. He would never leave us alone. It was our peace for the day and our hope for tomorrow.

I muttered to Him, “What do you want me to do in all of this, what are you teaching me? Do you see me full of anxiety and worry as I clip coupons, change dirty diapers, and clean peas off the floor? How can I thrive alongside my husband as we battle unforeseen disasters, one after another? Lord, we thought this would be a season of vibrant new beginnings, not a season of hopelessness and loneliness. He answered every prayer I uttered with his good presence and grace. I couldn’t escape it. He taught me to trust him regardless if I liked the outcome of his will and timing. He reminded me that my life, my marriage, and my destiny was no surprise to him. He was with me and would never leave me. He reminded me to embrace the discomfort and frustration, pressing into him all the more. This was a time to thrive in my faith, not merely survive.

We can all easily trust God in the joyous seasons of life but what about the hard ones?Read More

Finding Joy #55: Barb Roose: Winning the Worry Battle Once and for All

April 23, 2018 • 5 Comments

Today is a super exciting day, 1) because one of my best friends, Barb Roose is joining me on the podcast and 2) while this episode marks the end of the “Finding Joy” season of my ministry, it marks the beginning of an amazing new frontier, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to wrap this chapter up than with Barb.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be podcasting, writing and speaking. But I’m going to take a break for a little while as I get ready to share with y’all the NEW THING God has spoken over me and my ministry. I can’t wait until the day comes for me to unveil all of this to you, but until then, don’t miss my incredible conversation with Barb (and while I’m taking a break, feel free to catch up on the other 54 episodes too!) OK, onto today’s show.

Barb Roose joins me today for Finding Joy #55. Barb is not only one of my best friends, but she’s also an amazing speaker and the author of several books, including the recently released Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle book and Bible Study companion.

As you’ll hear in our conversation today, Barb spent years struggling to get a grip on the worries, anxieties and mental movies that attacked the victorious position she had been given in Christ. People told her to “just pray about it and trust God,” but the worries remained. Barb’s journey in overcoming worry led her to write books that would provide others with practical techniques and biblical tools to win the worry battle once and for all.

In this episode, Barb and and I talk about those books and discuss practical strategies to beat worry and claim God’s victory in this fight of faith—day in and day out. We also talk about the value in learning to view uncertainty from God’s perspective rather than our own. Uncertainty can drive us mad if we let it, but Barb has found another way to deal with the unknowns of the life.

I love what Barb had to say regarding the breakthrough she had in learning to change her perspective and get comfortable with uncertainty. “I came to a point where I realized that God has no cliffhangers,” she says. “And if he has no cliffhangers, that means we can trust that the information He’s given us is all we can handle for right now. And the rest of the uncertainties? Well, when it is time, He will let us know what else we need to know and give us what we need.”

I hope you enjoy our conversation, and please don’t miss the chance to enter to win a copy of Barb’s latest book below!

P.S. If you’ve been blessed by the Finding Joy Podcast, or if this episode blesses you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review on iTunes. This will help more people find the show and learn more about the joy of Jesus.