47. When God Is More Focused on Your Character Than Your Calling with Desiree Taylor

47. When God Is More Focused on Your Character Than Your Calling with Desiree Taylor

Have you ever felt frustrated because it seems like God is taking longer than expected to move your life forward? In this episode of the Not Just Waiting Podcast, I'm joined by author, speaker, and mentor Desiree Taylor for a conversation about the seasons when God seems more focused on shaping our character than advancing our calling. Together, we talk about learning to live from being with Jesus instead of constantly doing for Him, releasing timelines and expectations, and discovering the beauty hidden in the middle of the process. Desiree shares honestly about an eight-year season of pruning, grief, caregiving, and growth—and how God used it to deepen her dependence on Him and prepare her for what's next. If you've ever wrestled with impatience, comparison, perfectionism, or the feeling that your life is moving slower than everyone else's, this conversation will remind you that God is still working—even when you can't see the fruit yet. In this episode, we discuss: • The difference between being with Jesus and simply doing things for Him• Releasing timelines, expectations, and the illusion of control• Finding purpose in long seasons of waiting and pruning• How perfectionism and people-pleasing keep us from living freely• Learning to enjoy the process instead of rushing to the outcome• Why every season of life is preparing us for eternity Connect with Desiree: Website: arenewedcreation.com [http://arenewedcreation.com] Book: Created to Relate: Living Beyond Religion [https://indiepubs.com/products/created-to-relate-9781956370447] Substack: A Renewed Creation [https://substack.com/@arenewedcreation?r=4lx2ew&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] Free Resource: Download the Comparison Audit [https://reannaiveyhoffmann.myflodesk.com/comparisonaudit]—a simple worksheet to help you identify the timelines you've been measuring yourself against and refocus on God's timing. If this episode encouraged you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs hope in the waiting.

46. How God Forms Us Through Waiting, Trust, and Unexpected Detours with Cassandra Crawley Mayo

Have you ever wondered if God is doing more in your waiting than you can see? In this episode of the Not Just Waiting Podcast, I sit down with author, speaker, and coach Cassandra Crawley Mayo for a conversation about trust, purpose, and the ways God forms us through life's unexpected detours. Cassandra shares powerful stories from her own journey—from navigating career challenges as the first African American woman in leadership roles, to learning how to trust God with major decisions, to experiencing a moment with God that forever changed her faith. Together, we talk about what it means to release control, stop comparing ourselves to others, and become the women God created us to be. If you're in a season where you're asking, "God, what are You doing?" this conversation will encourage you to keep trusting Him—even when you can't yet see the outcome. In This Episode: * Why trust is often the lesson God keeps teaching us * Learning to wait for God's direction instead of forcing our own * A powerful story of God showing up in a moment of deep doubt * How comparison can keep us from becoming who we're meant to be * What it means to actively and passively wait on God * Finding purpose through hardship and unexpected seasons * Why your past doesn't have to define your future * How to rise beyond the limits you've placed on yourself Connect with Cassandra:📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandracrawleymayo 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandra_crawleymayo/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandracrawley/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cassandracrawleymayo 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cassandracrawleymayo  Resources Mentioned: Is Your Way In Your Way? by Cassandra Crawley Mayo [https://www.cassandracrawley.com/store]

45. How to Trust God When the Story Isn't Finished with Victoria Fortuna

What do you do when the story you believed God was writing doesn't unfold the way you expected? In this tender and honest conversation, I'm joined by my most requested guest, Victoria Fortuna. Together, we talk about long seasons of waiting, unanswered prayers, grief, adoption, surrendering expectations, and learning to trust God when life looks nothing like we imagined. Victoria shares pieces of her story—from an eight-year adoption journey and heartbreaking loss to the unexpected ways God has shaped her character in seasons that felt invisible and uncelebrated. Through it all, she offers a powerful reminder that God's goodness is not dependent on our timelines and that even unfinished stories can be filled with hope. If you've ever wondered where God is in the waiting, struggled with unmet expectations, or felt caught between joy and grief, this conversation will meet you there. In this episode, we discuss: * What God forms in us during long seasons of waiting * The difference between pursuing God's gifts and pursuing His presence * Learning to hold both joy and grief at the same time * Trusting God's goodness when prayers seem unanswered * How loss reshapes our understanding of restoration * Why your story isn't over yet * Finding freedom in the phrase "to be continued" Connect with Victoria: Instagram: @victoriarosefortuna [https://www.instagram.com/victoriarosefortuna/] Substack: victoriafortuna.substack.com [http://victoriafortuna.substack.com] Free Resource: Feeling behind in life? Download my free Comparison Audit [https://reannaiveyhoffmann.myflodesk.com/comparisonaudit] worksheet and discover whose timeline you've been measuring yourself against.

44. How God Builds Your Character Before Your Calling with Kate Massey

This conversation with Kate Massey felt like sitting across the table from a friend and talking honestly about fear, obedience, waiting seasons, and the ways God forms us long before anyone sees the fruit of it. Kate shares about her journey from resisting the worship team to stepping into speaking opportunities, how God used uncomfortable seasons to build her confidence and character, and why bold faith often looks much more ordinary than we expect. We also talk about: * why fear keeps so many of us stuck * how God develops our character before advancing our calling * the danger of forcing timelines God never asked us to force * what Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Noah, and Moses teach us about waiting * how asking someone “Can I pray for you?” can change more than we realize * learning to trust God when His timing doesn’t make sense * why understanding your identity in Christ changes everything If you’re in an in-between season wondering what God is doing, this episode is for you. Connect with Kate: Instagram: @katemasseywrites [https://www.instagram.com/katemasseywrites/] Website: KateMassey.org [https://www.katemassey.org/] Kate’s books: * Purpose and the Pain [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHYJ5J25] * Purpose and the Waiting (coming soon)

43. You Are More Than What You Hold: A Conversation on Identity, Waiting & Becoming with Dawn Stephens

What happens when God removes the very thing you thought defined you? In this week’s episode of the Not Just Waiting Podcast, I sat down with author, former teacher, and publisher Dawn Stephens for one of the most honest and hope-filled conversations about identity, purpose, and becoming that I’ve had in a long time. Through the beautiful metaphor of pottery and children’s books, Dawn shares how God walked her through seasons of being filled, emptied, pruned, stretched, and rebuilt. From teaching to running a school, becoming an author, experiencing burnout, and stepping into publishing, Dawn reminds us that God never wastes a season — even the ones that feel hidden or confusing. We talked about: * Why we often tie our identity to what we “hold” * The danger of defining ourselves by roles, titles, or productivity * What it means to become a “fruit pot” * How waiting seasons prepare us for what’s next * Why God sometimes allows cracks instead of fixing them * Burnout, striving, and learning to rest * How God uses every season of your story This conversation felt like sitting down with a friend who gently reminds you that becoming takes time — and that God is still forming something beautiful in the in-between. If you’ve ever felt emptied, overlooked, behind, or unsure of who you are in this season, I think this episode will deeply encourage you. Connect with Dawn: * Website: dawnstephensbooks.com [https://dawnstephensbooks.com/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DawnStephensBooks/ [https://www.facebook.com/DawnStephensBooks/]  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnstephensbooks/ [https://www.instagram.com/dawnstephensbooks/] * Twitter: https://x.com/dawnstephens https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnstephens/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnstephens/] * Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dawn_stephens_books [https://www.tiktok.com/@dawn_stephens_books] * Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DawnStephensBooks/ [https://www.pinterest.com/DawnStephensBooks/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DawnStephensBooks [https://www.youtube.com/@DawnStephensBooks]   Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement in their waiting season.