Episode 6: When Fear Steals Today: Learning Wonder from Anne of Green Gables

Episode 6: When Fear Steals Today: Learning Wonder from Anne of Green Gables

Matthew 6:25–34 + Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. How much of your life are you missing because you're worrying about tomorrow? Many of us spend our days mentally living in the future—anticipating problems, rehearsing conversations, bracing for losses, and trying to control outcomes we cannot control. Meanwhile, the life we're actually living slips quietly past. In this episode of Be Still, Lisa reflects on Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Jesus' invitation in Matthew 6 to consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Anne's life was marked by uncertainty, disappointment, and longing. Yet she possessed a remarkable ability to notice beauty, delight in ordinary moments, and hope for goodness even when she had no guarantees about the future. Lisa explores: * Why fear often steals the present moment * The difference between being childish and childlike * How naming beauty helps us notice God's gifts * What Jesus meant when He told us to consider the birds and lilies * The hidden cost of waiting for certainty before allowing ourselves joy * How friendship grows through ordinary, repeated moments * Why wonder is not the absence of anxiety, but the decision to keep noticing beauty anyway You may not know how your story will unfold. Anne didn't either. But neither of you has to know the ending to enjoy the chapter you're living right now. This episode is an invitation to stop borrowing trouble from tomorrow and begin receiving today as the gift it truly is. Journaling Questions 1. What future concern has been occupying my thoughts lately, and how might it be preventing me from fully receiving the gifts God is giving me today? 2. If I were Anne, what would I name as a "White Way of Delight" or a "Lake of Shining Waters" in my own life right now? Key Scripture Matthew 6:34. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.” (NRSV) Show Mention For the young girls in your life who need your light and need your voice and need your leadership in order to blot out the darkness in their world: learn more about BLAZE [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/bible-study/tween-teen-girls/] and the resources we provide to speak to her heart. Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Walking with Purpose, Discovering My Purpose Bible Study [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/blaze/products/discovering-my-purpose-bible-study] for tween/teen girls. Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 5: When You Don’t Feel Like Yourself: Returning to the Voice of Love

Luke 3:21–22 + The Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. There are moments when nothing is obviously wrong—and yet something feels off. You feel disconnected. Unsteady. Not quite like yourself. In this episode of Be Still, Lisa reflects on Luke 3 alongside Henri Nouwen’s The Inner Voice of Love, a deeply personal journal written in a season of profound interior struggle. Together, they offer a steadying truth: when we lose our sense of self, it is often because we have drifted from the voice that tells us who we are. What voices are shaping the way you see yourself? Where are you looking to secure your identity? What would it mean to return to the voice that calls you beloved? In this episode we explore how to: * Recognize the competing voices within us—and gently return to the truth * Receive identity as a gift from God, not something to earn or prove * Distinguish between achievement and fruitfulness * Stand firm in moments of pain, rather than collapsing into striving or despair * Listen for the quiet, steady voice of God in the midst of inner noise God does not steady us by demanding more from us. He steadies us by reminding us who we are. Journaling Questions 1. What voices have I been listening to lately, and what have they been telling me about who I am? 2. Where in my life am I trying to secure my identity through achievement, approval, or control? 3. If I place myself before God right now, what do I sense Him speaking over me? Key Scripture Luke 3:21–22. After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Show Mention Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Walking with Purpose, Rest: 31 Days of Peace [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/books-devotionals/products/rest-31-days-of-peace] Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Walking with Purpose, Fearless and Free [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/study-guides/products/fearless-and-free-6-lesson-bible-study] Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 4: When Life Feels Like One Long Wait: The Quiet Work of God

Lamentations 3:25–26 + Gilead by Marilynne Robinson In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to wait. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” //Lamentations 3:25–26 Waiting rarely feels good. We call it frustrating. Delayed. Unfair. We ask God for patience—and then find ourselves in long lines, long conversations, long healing processes, long seasons where nothing seems to move. But Lamentations was written in the rubble of Jerusalem. The city had fallen. The temple had burned. The people were living with the consequences of idolatry and injustice. And right there—in the middle of grief—comes this quiet declaration: The Lord is good to those who wait for him. Waiting in Lamentations is corrective. Waiting in Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is mortal. Reverend John Ames is not under judgment—he is under time. Yet both kinds of waiting lead to the same place: Dependence. In this episode, Lisa explores how waiting exposes our limits, loosens our grip on control, and invites us to entrust the future to God. Through Scripture and story, we discover that waiting is not wasted time—it is often the quiet work of God forming us from the inside out. Not all waiting is the same. But all waiting confronts us with the same question: Will I try to rescue myself—or will I entrust myself to the Lord? In this episode, we explore: * Why Lamentations calls waiting “good” in the middle of devastation * The difference between corrective waiting and mortal waiting * How dependence, not control, becomes the turning point * What John Ames teaches us about blessing what we cannot manage * How quiet waiting is not passivity—but surrendered faithfulness * The interior work God may be doing when nothing seems to change Waiting does not always change our circumstances. But it changes our sight. It steadies us. Journaling Questions 1. In what area of my life am I waiting?  2. As I wait, what is already in my hands that I can honor? 3. What virtue might God be developing in me through this wait? Key Scripture Lamentations 3:25–26. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Show Mention Abriendo tu corazón [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/study-guides/products/abriendo-tu-corazon]. This translated Spanish version of our most popular Bible study, Opening Your Heart, is now available in our shop.  Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 3: When You’re in a Changing Season: Holding Endings and Beginnings Together

Ecclesiastes 3:1–9 + The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to slow down together with one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: “For everything there is a season.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) There are seasons in life we welcome with open arms—births, beginnings, planting, building. And then there are seasons we would rather skip—endings, letting go, watching time pass. In this episode, Lisa reflects on the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3 alongside Katrina Kenison’s memoir The Gift of an Ordinary Day. Together, they offer a gentle invitation for anyone navigating midlife, motherhood, relocation, identity shifts, or the quiet ache of change. What do we do when a chapter closes? How do we make peace with what was while stepping into what is becoming? How does God hold us steady when everything feels like it’s moving? In this episode we explore how to: * Bear witness instead of trying to control * Embrace slowness instead of striving * Release nostalgia without losing gratitude * Root identity in being a beloved daughter of God—not in roles or seasons God does not steady us by freezing time. He steadies us by being present in every season. Journaling Questions 1. What season am I resisting right now—and why? 2. Where might God be inviting me to bear witness instead of control? 3. What “ending” do I need to bless so that I can step more freely into what is beginning? Key Scripture Ecclesiastes 3:1. For everything there is a season. Show Mention Spiritual Motherhood: The Transforming Power of the Feminine Genius [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/study-guides/products/spiritual-motherhood-bible-study]. Pre-order for shipping in early August 2026.  Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 2: When You Can’t Fix It: Letting God Fight for You

Exodus 14:14 + He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to slow down together with one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). What do you do when you can’t fix it? When a relationship is strained. When someone you love is struggling. When a diagnosis, injustice, or uncertainty feels unbearable. In this episode, Lisa reflects on He Leadeth Me by Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., and the powerful promise of Exodus 14:14. Standing at the edge of the Red Sea, the Israelites faced what felt impossible. Behind them: Pharaoh’s army. Before them: the sea. No way forward. No way back. And into that panic, God gave a command that feels just as counterintuitive today: Be still. In this episode, we explore: * Why our instinct is to control when we feel afraid * The hidden pride beneath our striving * The “if only” spiral that keeps us stuck in regret * How surrender is not passivity, but trust * What Father Ciszek discovered about freedom in the midst of suffering Sometimes God does not part the sea immediately. Sometimes He asks us to trust Him inside it. This episode is an invitation to release what was never yours to carry—and to believe that the Lord is fighting for you, even when you cannot see Him moving. Journaling Questions 1. Name your Red Sea. Where in your life do you feel trapped—with something threatening behind you and something impossible in front of you? What fear is driving your urge to control? 2. Consider your grip. Is there a plan or outcome you are holding tightly? What would “being still” look like there? Key Scripture Exodus 14:14. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still. Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].