Led by Cords of Love: Trusting God's Guidance in Hard Seasons

Led by Cords of Love: Trusting God's Guidance in Hard Seasons

Do you ever feel like you’re straining against God’s guidance, wondering why life is so hard if He really loves you? In this episode, we look at Hosea 11:4’s “cords of love” and discover how God gently leads, protects, and nourishes us—even in barren seasons like infertility, grief, and loss. Description In this Life as Worship episode, Angela talks with author, teacher, and former nurse practitioner Heather LaVigne about what it means to be led by God’s “cords of human kindness” and “ropes of love” in Hosea 11:4. Heather explains the context of Hosea—God’s people acting like an unfaithful spouse—and why this tender image of God bending down to feed His rebellious people is so stunning. Using pictures like a toddler on a leading cord and a child in a safety harness, they explore how God gives real freedom while still protecting and redirecting us toward what truly leads to life. Heather then shares from her own long journey with infertility and loss, where she often felt the tension between her plans and God’s timing, and how His “cords of love” held her even when she wrestled and doubted. If you’re in a barren or painful season and wondering whether God is really kind, this conversation will help you see His gentle, persistent care and invite you to rest in His leading. Episode Highlights * The story and context of Hosea: God uses Hosea’s marriage to picture Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness—and His faithful, pursuing love. * What “cords of human kindness” and “ropes of love” meant in the ancient world, and how the “leading cord” image of a toddler helps us see God’s gentle guidance. * How the yoke imagery points to both work and rest, and why Jesus’ “my yoke is easy” is such good news for weary hearts. * Heather’s story of infertility and loss, the tension of pulling against God’s cords, and learning to trust His love when life felt unfair. * Practical ways to cry out honestly to God, name your doubts, and keep coming to Him instead of misreading His character in seasons of silence or suffering. Great Quotes * “We think we’re running on our own, but God is behind us holding the cord, keeping us from falling on our faces.” * “Those cords don’t feel like love when life hurts—but over time, you see they were never there to harm you, only to keep you from destruction.” * “This isn’t a prosperity gospel. Jesus Himself had the hardest life; our hope isn’t in ease, but in His stunning grace.” * “Hard seasons are not proof that God has abandoned you; they’re often the places where He bends down, lifts you to His cheek, and feeds you exactly what you can handle.” Resources Mentioned * Hosea 11:4 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2011%3A4&version=CSB] – God leads His people with cords of human kindness, ties of love, lifting the yoke and bending down to feed them. * Matthew 11:28–30 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2011%3A28%E2%80%9330&version=CSB] – Jesus’ invitation to take His easy yoke and find rest. * James 1:2–4 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201%3A2-4&version=CSB] – Trials as tools God uses to mature and refine us. * Psalm 23 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=CSB] – The Lord as our shepherd who provides, guides, and gives rest. * Circle of Hope [https://www.twelve12ministries.org/circleofhope] – Online support community for women walking through infertility, pregnancy, and child loss. * Heather’s site & socials: * heatherlavigneauthor.com [https://heatherlavigneauthor.com/] * Instagram @heatherlavigneauthor [https://www.instagram.com/heatherlavigneauthor/] * Facebook: Heather LaVigne [https://www.facebook.com/heather.lavigne.5] Related Episodes * Ep. 21 – Held in His Hand [https://angelamackey.com/trading-fear-for-being-upheld-in-gods-hands/] (Kelly Hall) – Trusting God’s care in a painful season. * Ep. 8 – We Do Not Lose Heart [https://angelamackey.com/how-to-never-give-up-even-if-you-feel-broken/] (Laura Acuna) – Persevering when life feels heavy. * Ep. 27 – When Your World Ends: Beginning Again with God [https://angelamackey.com/gods-creative-process-for-rebuilding/](Dawn Mann Sanders) – Walking with God through grief and disruption. * Ep. 39 – Strength for Those Who Hope [https://angelamackey.com/strength-for-those-who-hope/] (Rebekah Storey) – Hope when you are waiting on God. * Ep. 50 – Prayer: An Invitation to Release Worry [https://angelamackey.com/prayer-an-invitation-to-release-worry/] (Rachel Wojo) – Releasing fear and control to God. Newsletter Invitation If you’re walking through a hard or confusing season and long to see how your life can still be worship, I’d love to keep encouraging you. Subscribe to the Life as Worship newsletter for weekly biblical encouragement, honest reflections, and a free devotional to help you worship God with your whole life, in every season: https://eepurl.com/h3Nafz [https://eepurl.com/h3Nafz].

From Trauma to Testimony: When God UsesYour Story with Mischelle Saunders-Gottsch

What if the parts of your story you most want to hide are the very places God wants to heal and use for His glory? In this conversation, you’ll hear how God met childhood cult survivor Mischelle Saunders‑Gottsch in her deepest pain and turned her trauma into a testimony that brings hope to others. Description In this Life as Worship episode, Angela talks with Mischelle Saunders‑Gottsch, founder and CEO of Altered Stories Ministry and host of The Altered Stories Show, about how God turns trauma into testimony. Mischelle shares her journey as a childhood cult survivor and how Jesus met her in deep emotional and spiritual pain, bringing healing as she began to tell her story. Together they explore why personal stories can soften hard hearts, how to notice where God has been at work in your own life, and practical ways to begin sharing what He has done—even when you still feel a bit fragile. Episode Highlights * How God used sharing her story to bring healing and launch Altered Stories Ministry. * Why testimonies often reach people more effectively than arguments. * Simple steps to notice and tell your own God stories as an act of worship. Great Quotes * “You cannot really argue with a person’s story.” * “Sometimes the heaviest chain is believing we have to do everything ourselves instead of leaning on the Lord.” * “This isn’t something special that Angela did or something special that Mischelle did. This is something special that God did.” Resources Mentioned * Luke 8:26–39 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%208%3A26%E2%80%9339&version=CSB]  * Psalm 23  [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=CSB] * Altered Stories Ministry and The Altered Stories Show – helping women share their transformational God stories (alteredstories.org [https://alteredstories.org/]). * The Story Within You: The Healing Power of Your Story – 30‑day devotional by Mischelle Saunders‑Gottsch. Amazon Affiliate Link [https://amzn.to/4dHjwMG] Related Episodes * Absolutely NOTHING Can Keep You from God’s Love [https://angelamackey.com/absolutely-nothing-can-keep-you-from-gods-love/] – ep 54 Christina Custodio * Healing in His Wings: Spiritual Healing When God Seems Silent [https://angelamackey.com/healing-in-his-wings-spiritual-healing-when-god-seems-silent/]– ep 63 Virginia Grounds * Rooted in God’s Love: How Ephesians 3:17–19 Shapes Your Everyday Worship [https://angelamackey.com/rooted-in-gods-love-how-ephesians-317-19-shapes-your-everyday-worship/] – ep 65 Cynthia L Simmons Newsletter Invitation If this conversation helped you see your own story a little differently, I’d love to keep encouraging you. Subscribe to the Life as Worship newsletter for weekly biblical encouragement, honest reflections, and a free devotional to help you worship God with your whole life, in every season: https://eepurl.com/h3Nafz [https://eepurl.com/h3Nafz.].

Treasuring God Above All: Learning to Desire Him First

Do you want to love God most, but find your heart pulled in a hundred directions—kids, ministry, health, even good dreams for the future? In this episode, Angela and guest Sue Donaldson walk through Psalm 73:25–26 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2073%3A25%E2%80%9326&version=CSB] and talk honestly about what it looks like to treasure God above everything else in real life, from singleness and marriage to parenting adult children and living a legacy life. Description In this story-rich conversation, Angela Mackey talks with speaker and author Sue Donaldson about Psalm 73:25–26: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.” Sue shares how these verses first convicted her in college—she knew they weren’t fully true of her yet, but she wanted them to be—and how God has used them to shape her through marriage, raising three daughters, and facing weakness and comparison. Together, Angela and Sue unpack Psalm 73’s movement from complaint to clarity in God’s presence and talk about learning the “sanctified no,” fighting social-media comparison, and living a legacy life that builds into people and God’s Word so that, increasingly, God Himself becomes our greatest treasure. Episode Highlights * Sue shares how Psalm 73:25–26 first convicted her in college and became an ongoing prayer: “These verses aren’t true of me yet—but I want them to be.” * Angela and Sue explore Psalm 73’s movement from complaint and comparison to clarity in God’s presence, where God Himself becomes the psalmist’s treasure and portion. * They talk about how treasuring God reshapes priorities in everyday life—learning the “sanctified no,” resisting comparison, and trusting God as the strength of our hearts when our flesh and emotions feel weak. Great Quotes * “These verses were not true of me yet—but I wanted them to be true.” * “We get worn out when we’re striving for things that don’t matter.” * “If it’s building into people or the Word, it lasts forever.” * “God just wants us to want Him.” * “Whom have I in heaven but Thee… He’s the only one I’ve got that I can talk to and depend on.” Resources Mentioned - Amazon Affiliate Links below * Psalm 73:25–26 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2073%3A25%E2%80%9326&version=CSB] * Colossians 3:1–4  [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203%3A1%E2%80%934%C2%A0&version=CSB] * Luke 10:38–42 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010%3A38%E2%80%9342&version=CSB]  * Sue’s podcast: Welcome Heart: Living a Legacy Life  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/welcome-heart-living-a-legacy-life/id1483405770] * Sue’s website: welcomeheart.com [https://welcomeheart.com/]  * Sue’s book: Never Alone: Stories of Invitation and Connection [https://amzn.to/4tIyLej] * Free resources Sue offers: * 30 conversation starters for meaningful [https://welcomeheart.myflodesk.com/v6wwjwq7hp], Christ-pointing connection at the table. * Simple recipes [https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60db7ed16b275532b755c224] to make hospitality easier so hosts can focus on guests. Related Episodes * Steadfast Love of the Lord - ep 6 [https://angelamackey.com/steadfast-love-of-the-lord/] Kim Cusimano  * Grace Abounds All the More - ep 15 [https://angelamackey.com/finding-peace-because-grace-abounds/] Julie Sanders * Rooted and Built Up - ep 14 [https://angelamackey.com/continually-growing-deeper-in-relationship-with-jesus/] Lisa Meiners Newsletter Invitation If this conversation with Sue stirred in you a deeper desire to treasure God above everything else, I’d love to keep walking with you beyond the podcast. When you subscribe to my Life as Worship newsletter at http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz [http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz], you’ll receive ongoing biblical encouragement plus a free Philippians 4:8 devotional to help you rethink your thinking in light of God’s Word and learn to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Winning the War in Your Mind: Taking Every Thought Captive with 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Do you ever feel like you’re losing the battle in your mind—stuck in discouragement, doubt, or “what ifs,” even though you know what Scripture says? In this episode, Angela and guest Paula Romang walk through 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 to show how, in Christ, believers can take every thought captive, demolish lies with truth, and learn to fight their inner battles with Holy Spirit–empowered weapons instead of sheer willpower. Description In this interview episode of the Life as Worship podcast, Angela Mackey talks with writer and bereaved mom Paula Romang about 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 and what it really means to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Paula shares how this passage became a lifeline in the early years of parenting twins, including a son with special needs, and then on the long, painful road of watching her son Matthew suffer and eventually go home to be with Jesus. Through her story, she explains how Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and simple, practical choices helped her move from barely hanging on in discouragement to fighting on offense with the truth of God’s Word. Angela and Paula discuss the nature of spiritual warfare in the mind, how to discern lies about God’s character, and how remembering both God’s works in Scripture and His faithfulness in personal history sustains hope. If you feel weary, overwhelmed, or unsure how to fight the mental battle in a Christ-exalting way, this conversation will point you back to God’s power, presence, and covenant love in the middle of your hard places. Episode Highlights * Paula shares why 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 became a key passage during the early years of raising twins, including a son with significant medical needs, and battling ongoing discouragement. * Angela and Paula unpack the context of 2 Corinthians, the false “super apostles,” and Paul’s reminder that believers are in a real war—but not one fought with worldly weapons. * They explore how much of the spiritual battle happens inside the mind as believers discern whether thoughts and teachings line up with Christ and Scripture. * Paula describes moving from “playing defense” in her thinking to fighting on offense—actively demolishing lies with truth, renewing her mind, and saturating her home with God’s Word. * She shares how God met her in the long, exhausting journey with Matthew, how He strengthened her to trust Him even as circumstances worsened, and how eternity reframed her hopes for her son. Great Quotes * “There is a war on… The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world, but that doesn’t mean that they’re inferior at all. That means they’re divinely empowered.” * “We are pulling down these strongholds of lies that we believe and lies in our culture. It’s an active thing that we’re doing—and we’re doing it with divine power.” * “I realized that I was fighting an ongoing battle with discouragement and disappointment and that I had the weapons at my disposal—I just didn’t know how to use them.” * “I’m not gonna be a casualty of my circumstances. I’m gonna fight in the power of the Holy Spirit… I’m gonna do this in His power because I have the Holy Spirit within me.” Resources Mentioned * 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor%2010%3A3-5&version=CSB] * Ephesians 6:10–18  [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%206%3A10%E2%80%9318%C2%A0&version=CSB] * Romans 12:1–2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012%3A1%E2%80%932&version=CSB]  * Philippians 4:6–9  [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=phil%204%3A6-9&version=CSB] * Paula’s book: Thriving in the Barren Place [https://amzn.to/4ndODnk] (Amazon Affiliate Link). * Paula’s website [https://www.paularomang.com/] * Paula on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/paula.romang] * Paula on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/promang869] Related Episodes * •God’s Comfort In Suffering: Voices In The Wilderness – Stories of experiencing God’s presence and comfort in hard, wilderness seasons. * Ep 63 – Healing In His Wings: Spiritual Healing When God Seems Silent [https://angelamackey.com/healing-in-his-wings-spiritual-healing-when-god-seems-silent/] – Virginia Grounds * Ep 54 – Absolutely NOTHING Can Keep You From God’s Love [https://angelamackey.com/absolutely-nothing-can-keep-you-from-gods-love/] – Christina Custodio * Ep 52 – Experiencing Joy Through God’s Presence  [https://angelamackey.com/experiencing-joy-through-gods-presence/] – Carol Kent * Ep 53 – Come To God: It Is NEVER Too Late [https://angelamackey.com/come-to-god-it-is-never-too-late/] – Tikka McCoy Newsletter Invitation If this conversation with Paula helped you see the battle in your mind more clearly and reminded you that God’s Word and Spirit really are enough for what you’re facing, I’d love to walk with you beyond the podcast. When you subscribe to my Life as Worship newsletter at http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz [http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz], you’ll receive ongoing biblical encouragement plus a free 9-day devotional on Philippians 4:8 to help you rethink your thinking in light of God’s Word and notice His faithful work in your everyday life.

Seeing God's Faithfulness: How to Trace HIs Covenant Love in Our Lives

We say “God is faithful,” but do we really see His faithfulness in our own lives? In this episode, Angela and guest Jennifer Tirrell linger in Deuteronomy 7:9 to remember who God is—the faithful God who keeps His covenant of love—and talk about how, as we obey and look back, we begin to trace His steady love across our days. Description In this interview episode of the Life as Worship podcast, Angela Mackey sits down with author and speaker Jennifer Tirrell to reflect on Deuteronomy 7:9 and the God who keeps His covenant of love to a thousand generations.  Together, they explore the context of Deuteronomy, where Moses calls a new generation to remember the works of God and live faithfully as His people, and they consider what that means for believers today.  This conversation is a rich reminder that God’s faithfulness is not only something to affirm intellectually, but something believers learn to recognize as they look back and ask where He has been working.  Angela and Jennifer also talk about how daily obedience—rooted in gratitude, Scripture, prayer, and remembrance—is not burdensome, but part of the way God leads His people into flourishing. Episode Highlights * Angela and Jennifer center the conversation on Deuteronomy 7:9 and the truth that God is the faithful, covenant-keeping God. * Jennifer explains how Moses was instructing a new generation to remember God’s works and live faithfully in response. * They reflect on how believers often recognize God’s faithfulness most clearly when they look back over their lives. * The conversation connects obedience to gratitude, showing that God’s commands are for believers’ good and flourishing. * Angela and Jennifer encourage listeners to stay in the Word, pray, and intentionally remember what God has done. Great Quotes * “There’s a lot in that little, little sentence.” * “Moses… is trying to instruct the new generation on how to remember the faithfulness of the works of God.” * “There with the covenant that comes, the blessing comes with obedience… So God’s faithfulness just reminds us that he is steady.” * “The commandments that he gave us are so for our benefit… They’re the way that we can live our best life.” * “There’s no one way to stay grounded in this world, but we can stay grounded in God because he is faithful.” Resources Mentioned * Deuteronomy 7:9 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deut%207%3A9&version=CSB]  * Jennifer Tirrell’s work as an author of children’s books [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DS94NRJR/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=7d313318-15de-4b61-bd44-2c9f6adab382&ccs_id=277c71b7-d6a8-44f8-90f0-7c28c23c8333] * Jennifer's website: www.writingwithjet.com [https://www.writingwithjet.com/] Related Episodes * ep 32 with Brandice Lardner - Permissible And Beneficial: How God Is Calling Us To Live In Freedom  [https://angelamackey.com/permissible-and-beneficial-how-god-is-calling-us-to-live-in-freedom/] * ep 62 with Amarely Quintanilla - Keeping It Real With God And Money: Trusting His Provision  [https://angelamackey.com/keeping-it-real-with-god-and-money-trusting-his-provision/] * ep 64 with Hadassah Treu - God’s Comfort In Suffering: Voices In The Wilderness  [https://angelamackey.com/gods-comfort-in-suffering-voices-in-the-wilderness/] Newsletter Invitation If this conversation helped you see God’s faithfulness more clearly and stirred a deeper desire to live in grateful obedience, stay connected through the Life as Worship newsletter.  You’ll receive ongoing biblical encouragement and a free Philippians 4:8 devotional to help you renew your mind with truth and notice God’s faithful work in everyday life. Click here to sign-up http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz [http://eepurl.com/h3Nafz].