Even though LuAnn has experienced firsthand the brokenness of this world, she exudes an unbelievable amount of joy! LuAnn has one of the most beautiful and genuine smiles, her laugh is contagious, and she always seems to have a song in her heart. As we talk together on this episode today, you’ll quickly find out where her abundant joy comes from (spoiler alert: it comes from her deep love for Jesus!). God's work in her life has produced such beautiful fruit. Through many years of walking closely with Him, she has developed a sweet dependence on Him, she treasures His Word, trusts His promises, believes in the importance of staying in close community with other believers, and regarding our topic today, she has learned about the necessity, comfort, joy, and power of prayer. I hope as you listen you are spurred on in your own prayer life. Or maybe it will prompt you to start praying for the very first time. I love how practical LuAnn got and I think her insight will help and encourage you, as it did for me. And really, as we continue to talk through these many ways to fight for joy, I can’t think of many that top prayer!

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

Today I’m joined by Sara Waddel, my cousin and dear friend. On this episode we talk about how harmful and damaging these tendencies can be when they take over. How quickly perfectionism can rob us of peace, freedom, contentment, and JOY. As Sara shares her story, you’ll be encouraged by her fight for joy in the struggle. God has been teaching her a lot and I’m grateful for her willingness to share so openly and honestly. I think you’ll especially be helped by some of the practical things that she implements into her daily life to fight against perfectionism.

There is so much joy to be found when we rest in Christ’s work, not our own…knowing that we are not accepted and loved by God because we do everything “perfectly” and never fail, but because as believers, Christ’s righteousness counts for us! And, we know that the Holy Spirit is producing good fruit in us that delights God. We don’t have to earn his love or our salvation. We don’t have to seek the love and approval of others - or find our value in doing things “better” than those around us. This is freeing and joy-producing!

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

My guest today is a great example of this. I’m so excited to welcome my friend Shelly Waltz to the podcast. Shelly and I got connected through Instagram and her voice on social media is one of light, beauty, and joy. Shelly calls herself "Little Ms. Magnolia" and says that she fights for joy by embracing ordinary goodness. She is a self-proclaimed "steel magnolia" who is "living out her Plan B with her 4 beautiful babes"!

On today's episode we talk about things like gratitude, contentment, creating a home that is a refuge, turning 50, and looking for beauty in the ordinary things that are all around us! I’m grateful for Shelly's willingness to share a little bit of her story and how she has learned to fight for joy after her life took an unexpected and hard turn. I know you will be blessed by her wisdom and beautiful perspective.

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy . Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

Most of the tools that I have been having my guests highlight are tools that I implement in my own fight for joy as well, and this episode is no exception. My guest today is Chris Heuertz, and among the many other hats that he wears (author, speaker, non-profit consultant, and activist to name a few), Chris is an Enneagram teacher and coach. I wanted to highlight this tool because of how helpful it has been to me in grief. I realize that for some of you, this may be the very first time that you have ever heard the word Enneagram. It’s still fairly new to me too. But as I’ve learned about it and therefore learned more about myself and others, its been a helpful tool in my life, especially in relationship to my grief. Three main things come to mind in regards to WHY and HOW it has been beneficial for me.

First, it’s pushed me to have more compassion towards myself - especially in recognizing my tendencies in stressful times and what I am prone to when life is hard. Oftentimes we can wonder, “Why am I responding like this? Why did I react that way? Why is this bothering me and it doesn’t seem to be bothering her?” Learning about my specific dominant type has caused me to better discern how I become discouraged and the lies that I am tempted to believe when I’m struggling. It's also helped me to grow in appreciation for my strengths and the things that I contribute to the world and to my relationships, both in happy times and in difficult times. I’ve just been kinder to myself and more grateful to God for the ways that He has uniquely designed me - and also more motivated to mature, develop, and transform in more Christ-like ways.

Secondly, I’ve grown tremendously in understanding and in compassion towards others. I’ve been especially grateful for the insight the Enneagram has provided into the various ways that each of us living here in the Blick house might tend to process and deal with heartache and pain. All 5 of us lost Jackson, but each of us have had a markedly different journey in grief these last 6 years. I’ve also found myself better able to extend grace and patience to the people around us who have wanted to walk with us in our sorrow (and honestly, towards those who haven’t). As I better understand why different people are responding in different ways, I can better appreciate what they ARE bringing to the table and look to them for help and friendship in the natural ways that they are wired, appreciating their strengths and perspective, and letting go of expectations that might be unrealistic for the way that God has uniquely created them.

And lastly, the Enneagram has given me such a bigger picture of God…his creation, his glory, and his holiness. His greatness is powerfully reflected in the special and unique ways that He has created and wired each one of us and the personal ways that He meets us and loves us.

I really think you will enjoy hearing from Chris today. He is such a thoughtful voice in this world. I was so honored to have this time with him and excited to share another practical tool that may help you fight for joy!

Naomi is passionate about wholistic care. She works to help people thrive with a healthy body, a healthy soul, and a healthy spirit. We are created as whole beings, so what is going on in our mind affects our body, and what is going on in our body affects our soul, and so on. Pursuing health in all of these areas better equips us to deal with the blessings and difficulties in life. Living wholistically is also a key tool in growing in our love for God and our love for others, and of course, helps our fight for joy.

The work that Naomi does through wholistic care is so special and unique and I’ve loved learning more about it. I’m thrilled to introduce her to you today and share another tool that can help you fight for joy!

My guest on this episode is Jenny Estudillo. Jenny is my neighbor, a very dear friend, and someone that I live a lot of daily life with here in Fremont. I’m so excited that she is my first guest in 2020 because the topic that we cover today is something that a lot of people tend focus on at the start of a new year - and that is exercise. After enjoying the holidays, it's typical for people to make new year’s resolutions around physical activity...and that’s great! We do need to be moving our bodies and finding ways to fit exercise into our lives on a regular basis - but what is special today is that Jenny and I are going to focus in on how working out and training our bodies can actually be one of the most practical and helpful tools in our fight for joy. We are whole beings and taking care of our physical bodies can also tremendously help our emotional and spiritual well being! Physical activity is a practical tool that almost everyone can implement into their life in some way. I hope you find this episode really helpful as you continue to explore the various topics that I’m highlighting during this season, and I know you are just going to love getting to know Jenny! Thanks for listening.

I don’t think there is anyone who would argue that this world is not broken. There are so many hard things to deal with in this life…both big and small. But, I started this podcast to remind us all that there IS still hope to be found. Yes, the fight for joy can be hard-fought, but we can help one another keep fighting! Through our stories, we can point each other to the comfort, help, and peace of Christ, and encourage one another to keep pressing forward and keep moving towards God and His love - and today Jen does exactly that! I hope you are helped and encouraged by our special conversation.

Today you get to hear from my friend Kelle Carnes. On this episode she shares about how something as practical as writing has helped her press on through the midst of a hard season in her life - moving their family of 6 away from the comfort and familiarity of Nebraska to New York!! She has started a wonderful blog (www.tryingtolivesimply.com) as a result and you definitely need to become a subscriber!

Listen in as Kelle so honestly shares about how she experienced new levels of sadness, fear, and regret after the move, and how she has had to let herself grieve the loss of many things that she held dear. You will be inspired by hearing about the new ways that Kelle turned to prayer, writing, and gratitude. These practical tools began to help her see this huge life change as an invitation to trust God more deeply. I hope you are encouraged by her words (and her writing)...she has such a beautiful and tender story of fighting for joy to share!

Laura is in a tougher season right now, but I'm so grateful that she came on the podcast during this time. We need examples of people who are willing to share what the battle looks like in the MIDST of the storm. It’s brave to say, “We are still trying to figure that out." Or, "I’m not quite sure how this is going to play out for us yet”. Laura is tender and honest as she shares about what grief looks like in adoption, feelings of isolation, prayer, seasons of waiting, social media, and of course, fighting for joy!

I hope you are helped and encouraged by this conversation. I know you will see beauty in the brokenness of Laura's story. God is doing some amazing things in her heart and life, and her love and gratitude for her sweet family is evident and inspiring!

Nancy and her husband, David, live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their son, Matt, living close by. They have two other children, a daughter, Hope, and a son, Gabriel, who were both born with a rare genetic disorder and both died within their first year of life. Having experienced the brokenness of this world in heartbreaking ways, Nancy has fought for joy by finding comfort and hope in God’s Word, trusting in His sovereignty, and helping others see the trustworthiness and beauty of Scripture, and the help that it provides.

For many years, Nancy has served as a mentor and influential teacher in my life. Her books and studies have equipped and helped me as I have studied the Bible, and her ministry has greatly encouraged my walk with the Lord! After Jackson died, she embraced me as a friend and fellow grieving mom and has tenderly walked with me these past 5 years. It is such a blessing to learn from a friend who is a number of years ahead of me on this grief journey. As I have mentioned in previous episodes, the Guthries host weekend retreats for couples who have lost a child, and attending one of the those retreats shortly after Jackson died has been one of the most helpful things for us in grief.

Nancy is a gracious friend and a wise teacher - I’m so grateful for her willingness to record this episode with me. Today you will hear Part 1 of our conversation.

Mike and Leanne's second son, Andrew, was born with complications and he was given a 25% chance of survival. After enduring 7 and 1/2 months of traumatic ups and downs, sweet Drew went to be with the Lord in July of 2013. With Jackson dying in June of that same year, our grief journey has been on a very similar timeframe. Our stories are different and our sons died at different ages and through different circumstances, but God has given us such likemindedness in one another. It has been such a help to have a kindred spirit like Leanne to walk through grief with. In the midst of such heartbreaking circumstances, we have seen our friendship as a kindness of the Lord. I think you will be touched by this tender conversation between two grieving moms who have become friends and confidants through great loss and great hope.

Melissa's own suffering has made her keenly aware of mine and she has been such a help to me in grief. She was one of the first people to show up at our door when Jackson died and she hasn't stopped showing up for me since.

No matter where you land on the political spectrum, please know that this podcast is not about politics...it's about friendship, and faith, and pressing on. Melissa leads by example in this fight for joy. She has a strong and deep faith that has provided such hope and gratefulness, but her story reminds us once again that faith doesn't make the consequences of this broken world hurt any less. I hope you are encouraged and inspired in your OWN fight for joy as you listen.

Shortly after we graduated from college, Cathy experienced the sudden and traumatic loss of her mom. Listen in as she shares some of her story of loss and how it has shaped her life and faith. Cathy is such an encouragement to me, and I know she will be for you too!

Our goal in this first episode is not to fully or perfectly tell our story. In fact, there are a few details that we almost edited out because we remembered them differently. But, that is part of trauma...and part of going through grief together, but separately. So we didn't make any edits. With this podcast, I've decided that "done is better than perfect". Grief is messy...and this podcast will be messy at times as well.

I'm thankful that Eric agreed to be my first guest. He has believed in this project from the start and I seriously couldn't have gotten it started without him. So I'm excited for you to get to know him a little bit as we share our hearts and help you better understand the “why” behind this podcast.