Episode 34: She Shouldn't Have Survived: Finding God's Presence Through a Brain Aneurysm with Sarah Faulkner (Part 1)

Episode 34: She Shouldn't Have Survived: Finding God's Presence Through a Brain Aneurysm with Sarah Faulkner (Part 1)

What happens when faith is no longer theoretical—but all you have left to hold onto? In this deeply moving first installment of a two-part conversation, Virginia sits down with author, speaker, and founder of Milk & Velvet Pearls, Sarah Faulkner, to explore a story marked by profound suffering, miraculous survival, and the sustaining presence of God. Sarah shares her journey from a difficult and painful past marked by addiction, anxiety, brokenness, and despair to discovering the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ. Through the beautiful symbolism of the pearl, she reveals how God often forms beauty through hardship, shaping us layer by layer into the people He created us to become. But this episode goes even deeper. After years of spiritual growth, Sarah experienced a catastrophic brain aneurysm rupture that left doctors stunned she survived. As she endured unimaginable pain, emergency surgery, and a long road of recovery, she discovered something that would transform her life forever: the tangible presence of God in suffering. This conversation is a powerful reminder that God is not absent in our pain. He meets us there. In This Episode You'll Discover: • The inspiring story behind Milk & Velvet Pearls • Why pearls are a powerful picture of spiritual formation • How God uses suffering to shape beauty in our lives • Sarah's dramatic encounter with Jesus in the midst of brokenness • The miraculous story of surviving a ruptured brain aneurysm • How prayer and Scripture sustained her through unimaginable pain • The difference between knowing about God and experiencing His presence • Why spiritual formation often happens in life's hardest seasons Key Scriptures Referenced 📖 Romans 12:2 📖 James 4:7 📖 Romans 8:37 📖 Psalm 18 📖 Matthew 6:9-13 Memorable Quote "Pearls are like people. Bad things make them prettier on the inside." Connect with Sarah Faulkner Learn more about Sarah's work, writing, and jewelry ministry at her website Milk Velvet Pearls.com [https://www.milkvelvetpearls.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqbkL0X9KPIQxg766oED4EDpqZeIf07TtfRXl6Ao3IRCvqAQ0jj] Find Sarah on Instagram  @mvpearlgirl  Connect with Virginia If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Your support helps more people discover biblical truth, spiritual formation, and life with God. Follow @vwear and @theformedlife on Instagram for weekly encouragement, practical spiritual rhythms, and conversations that help you become more formed into the image of Jesus. ✨ Don't miss Part 2 next week as Sarah shares how God met her in complete surrender and what happened after doctors discovered her aneurysm had returned.

Episode 33: The Hidden Cost of Hurry: Why Busyness Is Forming You More Than You Think

What if the greatest threat to your spiritual life isn't sin in the way you typically think about it—but hurry? In a culture that celebrates packed calendars, endless productivity, and constant activity, many of us have unknowingly embraced a pace of life that is shaping our souls. Yet when we look at the life of Jesus, we see something radically different. His days were full, but He was never hurried. His life was marked by attentiveness to the Father, presence with people, and an unshakable peace that flowed from communion with God. In this episode of The Formed Life, Virginia invites listeners to examine the hidden costs of hurry and consider how the pace of our lives is influencing our formation. Through the stories of Mary and Martha, the example of Jesus, and His beautiful invitation to "come and rest," you'll discover why the Kingdom of God is built on abiding rather than striving. This gentle yet challenging conversation will encourage you to slow down, pay attention, and embrace the unforced rhythms of grace that Jesus offers. In This Episode: * Why hurry is a spiritual formation issue, not just a scheduling issue * How busyness can subtly shape our hearts and priorities * What Jesus modeled through His relationship with the Father * The hidden costs of living in constant urgency * The difference between productivity and presence * How to discern what may be driving your hurry * Jesus' invitation into rest, abiding, and deeper communion Key Scriptures: * Mark 1:35 * Luke 10:38–42 * Matthew 11:28–30 * Romans 12:2 Reflection Questions: * What is shaping me more right now: communion with God or the demands of my schedule? * What might be beneath my sense of hurry? * What is the hidden cost of hurry in my own story? * How is Jesus inviting me to slow down and be present with Him? Resources Mentioned: 📖 The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer Connect with Virginia: Follow along on Instagram: @vwear If This Episode Encouraged You: Would you take a moment to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? And on Apple will you please take that extra step and WRITE A REVIEW!? Reviews help more people discover The Formed Life and join this growing community of incredible followers of Jesus who are on the narrow road and want to be formed more like Jesus. And if someone came to mind while listening, share this episode with a friend. You never know how God might use a simple conversation to encourage a weary soul.

Episode 32: The Gospel vs. Eugenics: What Makes a Human Life Valuable?

What determines the value of a human life? Is it intelligence? Productivity? Ability? Independence? Or is human dignity rooted in something far deeper? In one of the most personal episodes ever shared on The Formed Life, Virginia opens her heart and invites listeners into a sacred part of her story as the mother of an amazing son who happens to have Down Syndrome. Prompted by a recent cultural conversation and moved by the Holy Spirit, she explores the doctrine of Imago Dei—the biblical truth that every human being is created in the image of God. With tenderness, conviction, and theological clarity, Virginia examines the dangerous ideology of eugenics, the Christian understanding of human worth, and why the Gospel offers a radically different vision of dignity than the one often presented by modern culture. This is not merely a conversation about disability. It is a conversation about what it means to be human. Raw, heartfelt, and deeply rooted in Scripture, this episode reminds us that our value is not something we achieve—it is something bestowed by our Creator. In This Episode: * What eugenics is and why Christians should understand it * The biblical doctrine of Imago Dei (Image of God) * Why human dignity is intrinsic rather than earned * How Jesus consistently moved toward the vulnerable and marginalized * The theological lie beneath eugenics * A deeply personal reflection on raising a son with Down syndrome * Why every human life possesses immeasurable worth and dignity * How believers can respond with truth, compassion, and conviction Key Scriptures: * Genesis 1:26–27 * John 9:1–7 * Mark 1 * Mark 2 * Mark 10 Memorable Quote: "Human worth is not based on intelligence, productivity, ability, or independence. Our worth is rooted in the fact that we were created by God and bear His image." Resources Mentioned: * National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) [https://www.ndss.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Connect with Virginia If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Your support helps more people discover spiritual formation, biblical truth, and life with God. Follow @theformedlife and @vwear on Instagram for content that nourishes your soul

Episode 31:When the Lie Feels True: Overcoming the Enemy's Voice with the Truth of God

Have you ever found yourself believing something about God—or about yourself—that felt true because of your circumstances? In this deeply personal episode of The Formed Life, Virginia shares a powerful revelation from her own spiritual formation journey: the enemy often recycles the same lies in different seasons of life. Whether you're walking through disappointment, unanswered prayers, suffering, loss, or a season of waiting, your circumstances can make those lies feel convincing. But feelings and circumstances, while real, are not always reliable interpreters of truth. Together, we'll explore how followers of Jesus can recognize the lies of the enemy, renew their minds through Scripture, and anchor themselves in the truth of who God is and who God says they are. Through personal stories, biblical teaching, and practical spiritual formation insights, Virginia offers encouragement for anyone struggling to trust God's goodness in difficult seasons. In This Episode: * Why the enemy's primary strategy is deception * How difficult circumstances can make lies feel believable * Common lies Christians are tempted to believe about God and themselves * The importance of renewing your mind through Scripture * How spiritual practices help us discern truth from deception * What it means to live from your identity in Christ * Practical steps for replacing lies with God's truth Key Scriptures: * John 8:44 * Romans 12:2 * Ephesians 1:3–8 * 2 Corinthians 5:17 * Hebrews 13:5 Spiritual Formation Reflection: What lies have your circumstances made believable? What truth from God's Word is He inviting you to embrace instead? If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Your support helps more people discover The Formed Life and grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus. Follow @vwear and @theformedlife for a community that nourishes your soul  #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualFormation #IdentityInChrist #RenewYourMind #SpiritualWarfare #BiblicalTruth #FaithJourney #WaitingOnGod #ChristianGrowth #Discipleship #TheFormedLife

Episode 30: The Spiritual Discipline of Generosity: A Life Poured Out Like Jesus

EPISODE 30: The Spiritual Discipline of Generosity A Life Poured Out Like Jesus APPLE PODCASTS + SPOTIFY SHOW NOTES What comes to mind when you hear the word generosity? For many Christians, generosity begins and ends with financial giving. But what if biblical generosity is far deeper than money alone? What if generosity is actually about becoming the kind of person who lives open-handedly with their time, attention, home, friendships, talents, and presence? In this episode of The Formed Life Podcast, Virginia explores the spiritual discipline of generosity through the lens of spiritual formation — drawing wisdom from Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and John Mark Comer while sharing personal stories from marriage, motherhood, friendship, hospitality, and everyday life. Together, we explore how generosity forms us more into the likeness of Jesus and how fear, scarcity, hurry, self-protection, and consumerism can quietly keep us from living with open hands. This conversation will challenge you to move beyond convenient generosity and into a life poured out in love. In this episode, we discuss: * The spiritual discipline of generosity * Why generosity is more than financial giving * Biblical generosity and spiritual formation * Dallas Willard on trust and open-handed living * Richard Foster on simplicity and possessions * John Mark Comer on hurry and attention * Generosity with time, hospitality, friendships, and influence * Relational generosity and opening your circle * Hospitality as a spiritual practice * Scarcity mindset vs. Kingdom abundance * How Jesus modeled radical generosity * The role of the Holy Spirit in transforming our hearts Referenced Resources: * The Divine Conspiracy — Dallas Willard * The Spirit of the Disciplines — Dallas Willard * Celebration of Discipline — Richard Foster * The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry — John Mark Comer Scriptures for Reflection on Generosity:  * John 3:16 * Matthew 6:19–24 * Acts 2:42-47 and 20:35 * Romans 12:13 * Hebrews 13:2 * 1 Peter 4:10 * Philippians 2:5–11 If this episode encouraged or challenged you, would you share it with a friend and leave a review? Your support helps more people discover The Formed Life and grow in intimacy with the Trinity through spiritual formation  Connect more with Virginia: @vwear and @theformedlife