Season 3 of Grow on the Go podcast for women finds Donna and Kevann continuing to talk  through  10 Smart Things Women Can Build a Better Life, discussing intentional encounters Jesus had in his time on earth, working through and learning about biblical feminism, chatting about weird bible stories and sharing books that made a difference to them throughout this season.

Season 3 Episode 44 – Summer Book Club: A Second Honeymoon With The Bible – Donna chats with her friend Karen about why we read the Bible. Do we read it for encouragement, teaching, correction or out of a sense of obligation? As new Christians, we are often very enthusiastic about Bible reading but for some of us, at some point, it becomes more of a chore. For the last episode of the Summer Book Club series, they discuss “How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible” by Keith Ferrin and how to approach the scripture as relational instead of informational.

Season 3 Episode 43 – Summer Book Club: Nothing Beyond Hope – In the latest episode of the Summer Book Club series, Kevann and Donna discuss the powerful memoir “Ghost Boy” by Martin Pistorius. Unable to move or communicate in any way with the world outside his own mind, Pistorius’ book shows there is a place beyond our body, brain and soul that can’t ever be damaged. Learn how Pistorius’ experience proves nothing is beyond hope if we have faith and patience.

Season 3 Episode 42 – Summer Book Club: When Jesus Lives On Your Street – Mike Delamont tells Donna and Kevann about “The Art of Neighboring” by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon, a book he found both convicting and helpful. As a “raging extrovert,” Mike didn’t think this book would have a lot to teach him about how to be a good neighbour. He quickly realized that the art of neighbouring means moving your life out of the backyard and into the front yard where you can actually see who lives around you and becoming intentional about being interruptible.

Season 3 Episode 41 – Summer Book Club: A Case of Identity Theft – For the first time on Grow on the Go, both of Donna’s daughters, Kevann and Kendall, join her on the podcast to discuss the devotional book “The Forgotten Way Meditations: The Path of Yeshua for Power and Peace in this Life” by Ted Dekker. They talk about freedom from perfectionism, people-pleasing, clinging to roles, and why God is never disappointed in us.

Season 3 Episode 40 – Summer Book Club: Soul Maintenance – Krista Marshall brings “The Book of Forgiveness” by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu to the podcast and chats with Donna to continue the Summer Book Club series. They talk about trauma experiences, including experiencing an earthquake and emotional wounding, and how this book has helped them with the process of forgiving. They also discuss four practical steps and hands-on exercises to help us extend empathy to others and embrace healing for ourselves.

Season 3 Episode 39 – Summer Book Club: What Would Love Do? –  Donna and Kevann talk about “Love Does” by Bob Goff, a great book exploring the relationship between whimsy and faith. They chat about several life lessons the author has learned through really outlandish choices and circumstances in his life. Through them, he shows us how to engage with God to change the world.

 

Season 3 Episode 38 – Summer Book Club: The Story of Shame – Donna and Kevann unpack “Post Secret” by Frank Warren, a coffee table book that, in a creative way, surfaces the topic of how to manage the shame we carry. They talk about the difference between guilt and shame, the origin of shame storms and the beautifully intense vulnerability of a whole life confession.

 

Season 3 Episode 37 – Summer Book Club: Don’t Judge Me – Need some summer reading? This new Grow on the Go series will have some great recommendations! In the first episode, Donna chats with her husband Randy about “Judges for You” by Timothy Keller, a book that changed his mind about the book of Judges in the Bible. While not exactly light summer reading, this book helped Randy go from a pattern of 15 years of avoiding Judges to understanding how it speaks to us.

Season 3 Episode 36 – Weird Bible Stories: Baldylocks and the Two Bears – Once again guest host Victoria Erhardt helps Donna unpack a weird—and it really is weird— Bible story. From what seems to be a rogue bear attack, this story is a great reminder of the importance and power of our words. It also teaches us that bad things happen when we fail to honour the Lord’s anointed.

 

Season 3 Episode 35- When Skeletons March: Ezekiel’s Strange Assignment from God – Donna’s niece Victoria joins the podcast to discuss the latest Weird Bible Story in the series: Ezekiel’s strange assignment of preaching to a valley full of bones. These aren’t fresh bones, either, they’ve been here a while. Ezekiel follows what seem to be ridiculous instructions from God and, as a result of his obedience, we find a message for the future of Israel and a call to life for individuals and the church.

Season 3 Episode 34 – Weird Bible Stories: When You Have a Bad Hair Day –  Donna and Kevann have a few laughs at the expense of King David’s son Absalom. His arrogance and entitlement drove him to do some terrible things and resulted in the ultimate bad hair day. This Weird Bible Story shows us how being unaware or uncaring of how our entitlement affects others and can ruin our own lives as well.

 

Season 3 Episode 33 – Weird Bible Stories: When It’s All About The Dirt –Donna and Kevann continue to unpack the story of Naaman, which gets even weirder than last week. They discuss the importance of the dirt of Israel and the dirt on Elisha’s servant. The gratitude and greed, generosity and entitlement, natural and supernatural consequences this story are just as relevant today as when it was first recorded.

 

Season 3 Episode 32 – Weird Bible Stories: When the 7th Time’s the Charm – Donna and Kevann look at the weird story of a general, a slave, a couple of kings and a prophet. Even in their unique roles, none of which most of us can relate to, they teach us something about how God wants us to relate to him here and now.

 

Season 3 Episode 31 – Weird Bible Stories: When It’s Good to Be Bad – Donna and Kevann look at a “Weird Bible Story” that involves strong women, muddy bogging, and poetic justice. As strange as this story is, they discuss how it has a lot to teach us about using what God has given us and being available to God.

 

Season 3 Episode 31 – Weird Bible Stories: When Your Pet Talks Back –

Kevann and Donna have some laughs as we look at a weird Bible story involving a talking donkey. It seems like something out of a cartoon but seriously, why not? God meddles with the laws of nature all the time and why shouldn’t He? They’re His rules! This story has things to teach us about surrender and the value of being all-in for God.

Season 3 Episode 30 – Why Obedience Is Not Just for God, It’s for Us – Kevann and Donna discuss obedience in this episode of Grow on the Go. What it is, what it isn’t, and what the Book of James has to say about it. They explore the ultimate purpose of our obedience and why it’s not just for God, it’s also for us! Plus, a new acronym to help you remember how we can take what we read in the Bible and apply it to our lives.

Season 3 Episode 29 – How to Short Circuit Worry with Prayer – The book of James teaches us how to make talking with God the soundtrack for our lives. In this podcast, Donna and Kevann talk about how to combat worry with prayer. They look at how to practically “pray without ceasing” and what it actually means to pray in Jesus name.

 

Season 3 Episode 28 – Do We Get to Heaven by Faith in Jesus Alone? – This week, Donna and Kevann explore what we need to do to get into heaven. That question has been debated throughout the years, particularly within the Christian community. Protestants generally quote the Apostle Paul for their answer while Catholics and other mainline denominations often quote James with another. Did Paul and James actually disagree on this issue or is there another explanation? Find out in this Grow on the Go podcast.

Season 3 Episode 27 – Understanding Poverty and the Christian Response. – Donna and Kevann follow the thread of James’ teaching on how we treat the poor. It isn’t just about sharing and caring, it’s also about judgement and prejudice. But sometimes elevating someone else means to descend ourselves. Learn how to address those moments when we are confronted with an opportunity to re-humanize someone but have no idea what to do in this episode of Grow on the Go.

Season 3 Episode 26 – What Your Words Say About You – In this podcast, Donna and Kevann unpack some of the major themes of James. They look at James’ teaching on how we use our words and why it was so relevant then and today. You’ll also learn how brain science affirms the truth of James’ teaching.

 

 

Season 3 Episode 25 – The Biblical Feminist: A Woman’s Place – Donna and Kevann continue “The Biblical Feminist” series by comparing the feminist view of women’s’ roles with women’s roles in the Bible. They discuss how women’s roles have changed with culture and how Jesus ignited powerful change when he invited women into his ministry. Unfortunately, some of that freedom has not been recognized by the modern church and this brief look at the principles of scripture interpretation help us understand why.

Season 3 Episode 24- The Biblical Feminist: Ableism -In this episode, Donna and Kevann discuss a tricky issue within feminist circles and churches alike: ableism. They talk about what it means, what the bible says about disabilities, and some of the ways our churches might be missing the mark when it comes to our treatment of differently-abled people.

 

Season 3 Episode 23 – The Biblical Feminist: Modesty -In this podcast, Donna and Kevann tackle modesty. Is it our fault if we cause men to lust, even accidentally? How can we dress in a way that’s honouring to God and respectful to our brothers in Christ without giving up our right to self-expression? They discuss what modesty actually means and whether it goes deeper than just “covering up.”

 

Season 3 Episode 22- The Biblical Feminist: Leadership and Submission -Donna and Kevann tackle one of the church’s most divisive issues: were women made to submit? They unpack what scripture says about it, including some interpretations you may never have heard before. Plus, some details that completely change the apparent meaning of a few well-known Bible stories.

 

Season 3 Episode 21 – The Biblical Feminist – A Brief History In Feminism  – Donna and Kevann begin a new series in this podcast with a crash course on feminist history. “The Biblical Feminist” discusses some of the common misconceptions are around feminism, what it means, and why it has a place in Christianity. This isn’t your Grandma’s feminism.

 

Season 3 Episode 20 – An Intentional Encounter with an Unlikely Witness – In the last podcast of the “Intentional Encounters” series, Kevann and Donna talk about the moments after Jesus’ resurrection. What does it mean that Jesus chose a woman to encounter him first, freshly out of the tomb? Why are we told about the folded cloth left behind in the tomb and what’s important about the pair of angels who spoke to Mary? Digging into these seemingly random details reveal some profound insights and we ponder what they mean for us today.

Season 3 Episode 19 – An Intentional Encounter on a Lake -What does it mean to follow Jesus? When Peter encounters Jesus on the Lake of Galilee, he learns what grace means, both spiritually and materially. It’s one thing when you see a miracle in someone else’ life and quite another when you experience one personally. Kevann and I talk about grace moments in our own lives and how it’s helped us learn to follow him.

Season 3 Episode 18 – An Intentional Encounter in a Crowd-We continue the intentional encounters series this week with Jesus healing the bleeding woman. Of course, we can have as much of Jesus as we want but, like there was for this woman, there is a cost. In this podcast, we discuss how being intentional in our relationship with God looks for different people.

 

Season 3 Episode 17 – An Intentional Encounter with Death -The intentional encounters we have been talking about usually have to do with who Jesus encountered. This encounter is more about the when. Jesus waits until it is too late to answer the prayers of some of his best friends. In this podcast, we explore how Jesus’ humanity and divinity are both powerfully displayed in this moving story of a knock out round of life with death. We also share several ways this encounter offers hope for the places in our own lives that are dead or dying.

Season 3 Episode 16 – An Intentional Encounter with One Very Thirsty Lady -We thirst for all kinds of things in our lives. Acceptance, security, love, purpose, comfort, sleep, and, of course, water. In this episode of Grow on the Go, Kevann and I reflect on the dialogue between Jesus and someone we know only as the woman at the well. We look at what Jesus said to her and try to discern what he wants us to learn from this intentional encounter.

Season 3 Episode 15 – Intentional Encounters – A New Start for An Old Man -Sometimes our questions are about seeking and sometimes they’re about stonewalling. Jesus always knew the difference even when the asker seemed insincere. In this episode of Grow on the Go, we talk about a secretive intentional encounter Jesus had with an ultra-religious politician with a reputation to protect. In unpacking his story, we see how a spiritual relationship with Jesus has a lot in common with creation. Jesus breathes new life into our spirit and loves our chaos into compliance.

Season 3 Episode 14 – Jesus: An Intentional Encounter with Humanity – What was Jesus’ intentional encounter with Mary communicating to us? How is divinity born to humanity important? In this Grow on the Go podcast, we talk about the difference that the humanity and humility of Jesus can make to us on our best and worst days. But most importantly, through true stories, why Jesus’ other name, Immanuel, is the beginning of all hope.

Season 3 Episode 13 – Glamping and an Intentional Encounter with Satan – Why did Jesus head into the wilderness and purposely subject himself to deprivation and temptation? In this Grow on the Go podcast, we look at Jesus’ extreme camping trip and why it remains such an important lesson. We also talk about glamping (glamorous camping), which, admittedly, is a bit more appealing.

 

Season 3 Episode 12 – An Intentional Encounter at the Jordan – Jesus had all kinds of spontaneous interactions with people. But there were certain people that Jesus met up with in a very deliberate way. In this episode of Grow on the Go, we’ll look at is His encounter with His cousin John the Baptist. John’s baptism was all about repentance. Since Jesus never sinned, why was he so determined to be baptized? Kevann and I discuss four reasons that you might consider too.

Season 3 Episode 11 – Intentional Encounters: Big Encounter With a Little Man – We are excited to start a new series called Intentional Encounters. We talk about the times Jesus seemed to go out of his way to interact with one individual. In this episode, that person is Zacchaeus. A little man with a big wound. As we look at the story we ask the questions:

Season 3 Episode 10 – Rags, Riches and Romance with God – The 10 Commandments weren’t designed to help us be good. They were designed to show us there’s no way we can be. We don’t need to just clean up our act to please God. We need a whole new act. In this week’s Grow on the Go podcast, we talk about the connection between human romance, our relationship with God, and how loving Jesus, not merely obeying Him, helps us grasp grace.

Season 3 Episode 9 – Perfectionism, Approval Addiction and Grasping Grace – What does trying to be a good person get you? Besides a nervous condition…not much. Kevann and I share about our own fear of failure and rejection, and the way grasping grace gives us freedom to fail, grow and experience peace.

 

Season 3 Episode 8 – What’s with the Cross? – Imagine hanging a little silver guillotine around your neck. What a weird thing it is that Christians place such importance on a symbol of torture. But there is something mysterious and wonderful about the way the intersection of two beams can teach us the nature of God and His unrelenting love for us. In this podcast, Kev and Donna discuss how embracing the truth of the cross can bring incredible healing of even our deepest wounds.

Season 3 Episode 7 – Redemptive Relationships – Everyone Needs Someone – It wasn’t just our relationship with God that went south in the Garden of Eden. Our relationships with other humans became tainted as well. Even though relationships are often the source of our deepest wounds, we still need them. In today’s podcast, Kevann and Donna talk about how the Bible teaches us the way to plug in toredemptive relationships in a healing way.

Season 3 Episode 6- The Peace of God and Peace With God:What’s the Difference?  In this podcast, Donna and Kevann discuss what the Bible teaches about peace and how we can actually live calmly in the eye of the storm. Donna talks through how to pray Philippians 3:6-7 to practically claim the “big peace” God promises to those who know Him.

 

Season 3 Episode 5- Live Calmly in the Eye of the Storm

Women are told we can have it all, but is that really what we want? Everybody has stress. Everybody has limits. Donna and Kevann talk about our own stress, how they each cope with it, and what Jesus said that can make all the difference.

 

Season 3 Episode 4- It’s Not About the Dot: Conquer Discontentment.

There is a sense in which God has deliberately made us discontent. Medicating that sense of longing gets us into all kinds of misery. Donna and Kevann chat today about what it really means that eternity is planted in our hearts. Our longing for what life was meant to be is what reminds us this is not it! Grasping that can help us conquer discontentment.

Season 3 Episode 3- Comparison Kills: The Secret to Being Content.  

Selective comparison is the enemy of contentment. In this podcast, Donna and Kevann talk about our own struggles with body image, life phase, and other playgrounds of discontentment. The media and actually our entire culture invites us to long for what we don’t have and by default, fail to appreciate what we do. But sometimes, the very thing we complain about is a by-product of having so much. Perfection isn’t real. What is real is that we can conquer discontentment by locking onto what the Apostle Paul called “The Secret of being content”.

Season 3 Episode 2- Accept Yourself: Cowards, Criminal and Other Failures.  Donna and Kevann continue our personal reflections on self-acceptance and look at two more cornerstones of Biblical self-esteem. What does our autonomy and Jesus’ obedience say about our real value? Listen and learn how Jesus’ words and actions reveal the amazing truth about who you are. You’ll also gain a rare glimpse into Kevann’s journey in this very vulnerable exchange.

Season 3 Episode 1- Accept Yourself: Splotches and Blotches are Intentional .  Donna and Kevann resume our discussion of my book 10 Smart Things Women Can Do to Build a Better Life. After a chat about other season finale cliff-hangers, we tackle the first of three cornerstones we can build our self-esteem on. We share pretty honestly about the messages that have messed us up and how a new definition of DNA can change the way we engage the world.