Faith Beyond the Checklist: Moving from Performance to a Deeper Relationship with God

Faith Beyond the Checklist: Moving from Performance to a Deeper Relationship with God

Have you ever felt like you were doing all the right things in your faith, reading your Bible, attending church, completing devotionals, and praying, but still felt like something was missing? In this episode of Perspectives Into Practice, I sit down with friend, Jody for an honest conversation about what happens when God reveals that faith is about more than checking spiritual boxes. Together, we explore the difference between performing faith and truly abiding in Christ. Jody shares how retirement created space for her to recognize that although she was faithfully participating in Bible studies, devotionals, and prayer, she had unknowingly settled into a passive faith. Through a season of reflection, God began showing her that He wasn't asking for more activities. He was asking for more of her heart. We also talk about surrender, control, prayer, grief, and the ongoing process of spiritual refinement. Jody vulnerably shares how losing her daughter in 2018 deepened her faith and how God continues to use both her pain and her healing to draw her closer to Him. This conversation is a beautiful reminder that our stories are never finished and that God continues shaping us in every season of life. If you've ever struggled with striving, perfectionism, spiritual performance, or wondering why your faith feels stuck despite doing all the "right" things, this episode will encourage you to slow down, listen for God's voice, and pursue a deeper relationship with Him. In this episode, we discuss: • Moving from a checklist faith to an authentic relationship with God • The difference between spiritual activity and spiritual intimacy • Learning to surrender control and trust God's leading • How prayer deepens our connection with God • Walking through grief while holding onto faith • God's ongoing work of refining and transforming us • Finding purpose in every season of life • Why your story isn't over yet Friend, if you've been feeling spiritually dry, exhausted from striving, or longing for something deeper in your walk with God, I pray this conversation reminds you that God doesn't want your performance. He wants your heart. If this episode encourages you, please share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you don't miss future conversations. And if God is teaching you something in your own life right now, I'd love to hear your story. Visit PerspectivesIntoPractice.com to learn more about being a guest on the podcast. Looking for a place to rest, reflect, and reconnect with God? I'd also love to invite you to join us for the upcoming Wholeness in the Wilderness Retreat, a peaceful weekend designed to help women encounter God in the middle of life's wilderness seasons.

Trusting God in Uncertain Seasons | Faith, Grief, Surrender & Life Transitions

In this episode of Perspectives Into Practice, I sit down with my friend Heather for an honest conversation about what it looks like to trust God in the middle of life's uncertain seasons. Heather shares her journey of stepping away from a 25-year career, launching something new, navigating the transition of a child leaving for college, and walking through the recent loss of her father. Together, we talk about the tension between faith and doubt, learning to surrender control, and trusting God one step at a time when the future feels unclear. Heather shares powerful stories of God's faithfulness, the simple rhythms that help her stay grounded, and the reminders God has given her along the way that He is still present, still working, and still leading. If you've ever felt stuck in the messy middle, waiting for direction, grieving a loss, or wondering how to trust God when you can't see the whole path ahead, this conversation will encourage your heart. You'll be reminded that God rarely gives us the entire roadmap. Instead, He invites us to walk with Him one faithful step at a time. Key topics from this episode include: • Trusting God during major life transitions • Letting go of control and surrendering the outcome • Navigating grief with faith and hope • Recognizing God's presence in everyday moments • Building practical rhythms that strengthen your faith • Finding peace in seasons of uncertainty If this episode encouraged you, I'd love to invite you to share your story on the podcast. Some of the most powerful conversations come from ordinary women experiencing God's faithfulness in everyday life. And if you're longing for rest, renewal, and deeper connection with God, join me for the Wholeness in the Wilderness Retreat. Learn more about the retreat and how to become a guest on the podcast at PerspectivesIntoPractice.com.

When Comfort Becomes a Barrier to Growth: Finding God's Peace

Have you ever found yourself praying for a breakthrough, only to realize God was inviting you to ask a different question? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Heather for an honest conversation about comfort, peace, obedience, and the deeper work God wants to do in our hearts. What started as a struggle with health goals and consistency became a powerful lesson about hidden patterns, striving, and the subtle ways comfort can keep us from experiencing the freedom God has for us. Heather shares how God revealed an unexpected idol in her life, why she had been asking the wrong questions, and how everything began to change when she stopped focusing on the surface problem and started inviting God into the deeper issue. Together, we explore the difference between comfort and peace, why recurring struggles often point to something beneath the surface, and how repentance and forgiveness can lead to lasting freedom. We also talk about anxiety, fear, trusting God's process, and learning to recognize the cycles that keep showing up in our lives. Heather's vulnerability and practical wisdom offer encouragement for anyone who feels stuck, frustrated, weary, or unsure why they keep facing the same battles. If you've ever wondered why some prayers seem unanswered, why growth feels harder than it should, or how to move from striving into genuine peace, this conversation will encourage you to slow down, ask God deeper questions, and trust that He is always leading you toward freedom. As Heather reminds us, peace isn't always comfort. Sometimes the very thing God is using to grow us is the thing we're tempted to avoid. I'd love to hear what stood out to you from this conversation. And if God is teaching you something in your own life right now, I'd love to invite you to be a guest on the podcast and share your story. Sometimes the lesson you're learning is exactly what someone else needs to hear. Also, registration is still open for the Wholeness in the Wilderness Retreat, happening June 25-28 near the Oregon coast and California Redwoods. If you're feeling weary, stretched thin, spiritually dry, or simply longing for intentional time with God, I'd love to have you join us. Learn more at PerspectivesIntoPractice.com and click Retreat. Key Moments * Heather shares how God revealed a hidden pattern connected to comfort. * The surprising difference between comfort and true peace. * Why asking better questions can lead to deeper breakthroughs. * How fear, anxiety, and striving often point to deeper heart issues. * A powerful story about choosing ministry over personal plans. * What it means to notice unhealthy cycles and pray differently. * Why repentance and forgiveness remain powerful tools for freedom. * Practical encouragement for anyone feeling stuck in recurring struggles.

When God Says Move, But Doesn’t Give You the Whole Plan | Trusting God in Uncertainty, Obedience, and Surrender

What do you do when you feel God asking you to move forward, but He doesn’t give you the full roadmap? In this episode of Perspectives Into Practice, you’ll hear an honest conversation with Sherrika about what it looks like to trust God one step at a time, even when the path feels uncertain. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re hearing God correctly, struggled with waiting, or wondered why His provision doesn’t look the way you expected, this episode will encourage you. Together, we explore the tension between obedience and control, faith and fear, and trusting God when circumstances seem to be falling apart instead of coming together. Sherrika shares powerful stories of stepping out in faith, launching an event with countless obstacles, navigating seasons of surrender, and learning that God’s faithfulness often looks very different than what we imagine. You’ll be reminded that God rarely asks you to understand the entire journey before taking action. More often, He invites you to trust Him with the next step. As Sherrika shares, sometimes the greatest act of faith is simply moving forward with what God has already shown you and trusting Him to reveal the rest in His timing. In this conversation, you'll discover: • How to trust God when His direction feels unclear • Why obedience often requires deeper surrender than expected • What to do when God's provision doesn't look like what you hoped for • How to recognize God's voice through relationship and time with Him • Why waiting for the full plan can keep you stuck • How worship, prayer, and Scripture sustain you during difficult seasons • The importance of taking the next faithful step, even when you're unsure If you're walking through a wilderness season, facing a major decision, or feeling called into something that stretches your faith, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone. God is faithful, even when you cannot see the whole picture. He is present in the unknown, and He will guide you one step at a time. If this episode encourages you, please share it with a friend who needs this reminder today. Have a story about what God is teaching you in this season? I'd love to hear it. Visit PerspectivesIntoPractice.com to learn more about being a guest on the podcast. And if you're longing for a chance to slow down, reconnect with God, and find renewal in the middle of your own wilderness season, I'd love to invite you to the Wholeness in the Wilderness Retreat, June 25-28. You can find all the details at PerspectivesIntoPractice.com under the Retreat tab.

When God Feels Silent, Finding God Again Through Obedience, Journaling, and Community | Perspectives Into Practice Podcast

What happens when you obey God, but life still feels confusing, disappointing, or painfully quiet? In this heartfelt episode of Perspectives Into Practice, I sit down with Brenda for an honest conversation about spiritual frustration, unanswered expectations, and learning how to seek God again in difficult seasons. In this episode, Brenda shares her journey of leaving a job in obedience to God, stepping into writing and ministry, and then wrestling with anger, disappointment, financial uncertainty, and feeling spiritually disconnected when things did not unfold the way she expected. Together, we talk about what it looks like to navigate seasons where prayer feels empty, Scripture feels distant, and God’s voice seems hard to hear. In this episode, we discuss: * What to do when obedience does not lead to the outcome you expected * How journaling and writing can help clear spiritual and emotional fog * The danger of viewing our relationship with God as transactional * Why community is essential during difficult faith seasons * Lessons from Joshua 3 and 4 about waiting on God’s instruction * How to recognize God’s presence in unexpected places * Practical encouragement for women feeling spiritually stuck, weary, or disconnected This conversation is full of gentle wisdom, honest vulnerability, and practical faith for women walking through uncertainty, burnout, disappointment, or spiritual dryness. If you have ever wondered, “God, where are You?” this episode will remind you that He is often closer than we realize. If your heart has been craving renewal, rest, healing, or simply quiet time with the Lord, I would also love to personally invite you to my intimate women’s retreat, Wholeness in the Wilderness, happening this June 25-28, 2026 near the California redwoods along the Oregon coast. It will be a peaceful, Spirit-led weekend filled with meaningful connection, nourishing meals, ocean air, and space to breathe and reconnect with God. You can learn more at PerspectivesIntoPractice.com click the Retreat. And if you’ve been listening to the podcast thinking, “I have a story like that too,” I would love to hear from you. Perspectives Into Practice is all about real women sharing real stories of how God is working in everyday life. If you’d be interested in being a guest on the podcast, reach out through PerspectivesIntoPractice.com. Your story may encourage someone more than you know.