by Connie Albers | Mar 31, 2021
Self-protection isn’t new. People disappoint us, so we put up walls. God doesn’t answer our prayer, so we stop praying. We deal with pain and suffering by self-protecting. It feels safer. But, is it how Jesus handled pain and suffering? Did he avoid people who hurt him? No. Then maybe we should live by his example.
Life can be messy. Very messy. Faith might seem hard to hold on to, especially if your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears. But, are you allowing self-protection to hurt your faith and friendships?
Guilty of Self-protection?
A friend recently shared something about self-protection from the book 40-Days to Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole. Her text was so good that I had to pull my own copy off the shelf and read more.
I found myself wondering if I’m guilty of self-protection. Sadly, I am. Most of us are. I think the longer we live, the more pain and suffering we’ll experience, but we have a choice: Put up walls or let our light shine by being different.
In this episode, I share some reasons people self-protect, what God’s taught me about not using self-protection to keep others at a distance, and why we should follow Jesus’s example.
The Solution to Self-Protection
Instead of avoiding people and uncomfortable situations, Jesus chose to be fully present. He knew what was about to happen to him. He knew he would be betrayed, mocked, and rejected. He could have put up walls and distanced himself from others. Why didn’t he? Because he knew freedom comes through suffering, not avoidance. He endured much, but he embraced the moment.
Are you hurting your faith and friendship by protecting yourself? You don’t have to live that way. It’s a choice. Freedom doesn’t come by way of not experiencing pain or suffering. It’s the opposite.
Take some time to consider the impact of living a life that constantly tries to keep God and friends at bay. May I invite you to consider removing the walls you’ve so carefully constructed so your faith and friendships can flourish?
*If you are in an abusive situation, seek help. Don’t stay in an abusive relationship or put yourself in harm’s way.
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by Connie Albers | Mar 17, 2021
Do the words of others linger in your mind? You can hear them play over and over again. You want to erase their words, but you can’t get them out of your head. It’s because we’ve given people headspace. It’s like giving free rent in my head to others, and it has to stop.
Most people can remember a time when someone said something they couldn’t let go of:
- You’re a jerk!
- You’re no good at that!
- You should give it up and try something else!
Those become haunting words that trigger emotions and attitudes, causing us to alter our behavior.
Allowing others to speak life-giving words to us is a good thing. Those are the words we want to linger in our minds, but giving headspace to the wrong person, who speaks untruths or faulty information, can be detrimental and derail our lives.
Stop Giving People Headspace
We have to stop allowing people to take up residency in our heads. By allowing someone to take up headspace, you permit them to influence your thoughts or beliefs about yourself.
It can happen to all of us if we don’t realize that what’s going on.
Be careful what you allow others to say about you to you. Not everything someone says to you is true about you! Let me repeat… not everything someone says to you about you is true!
How to Keep Someone from Getting into Your Head
- Use God’s Word to replace untruths.
- Examine our thought processes often. If you catch yourself dwelling on negative words, replace them with the truth. When we allow them to linger, they can derail, discourage, and defeat us.
- Take your thoughts captive. If you start to doubt your ability, remember God has equipped you. He will lead you, and He will be with you.
- Avoid people who are thoughtless with their words.
Bottom line: Don’t allow other people’s words to take up headspace. Stop giving people headspace!
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by Connie Albers | Feb 17, 2021
Fostering a foundation of respect between you and your teen requires time and intentionality. The good news is that your investment now pays off in the long run as you show your child respect.
Respecting each other is not just a good idea to help your relationship grow stronger, but God requires that we show respect. In I Peter 2:17 (NIV), the Bible says, “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
In this episode, I share ways you can foster respect between you and your child.
Ways to Foster Respect Between You and Your Teen
- Understand your child’s point of view.
- Remember, every person is made in God’s image.
- Let your child feel seen and heard.
- Look at your teen in the eyes
- Serve one another
- Monitor how you speak to each child
Over the years, I’ve seen well-intentioned parents who believed respect wasn’t a two-way street. They demanded to be respected by their child but failed to understand their responsibility to show respect to their child. When you take the time to show your child respect, your child will start to mirror your example.
Bible References to Ponder
- Genesis 1:27
- Philippians 2:1-8
- Romans 12:2
- I Corinthians 11:1
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by Connie Albers | Jan 20, 2021
Did you know only 31% of people read their Bible every week? I’m not sure if that surprises you or not, but It did me. That got me wondering why. What are the hindrances to consistently reading God’s Word? How can you fall in love with God’s word?
Fall in Love with God’s Word
Brittany Ann of Equipping Godly Women joins me on the program to talk about her newest book, Fall In Love With God’s Word. We unpack two of the “7 Core Reasons” that Brittany says are why we don’t spend time in the Word and how we can turn that around.
Brittany’s ideas will help you get more consistent in spending time with God’s word.
About Brittany Ann
Brittany Ann is an author, speaker, and founder of EquppingGodlyWomen.com, a popular Christian-living website dedicated to helping women be “all in” in faith and family. Brittany is married to an incredibly godly husband, and together, they have three adorably energetic little ones.
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Listen to last week’s episode #44 – Strategies to Improve Motivation When You’re Stuck
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by Connie Albers | Dec 30, 2020
Have you or your child been on the receiving end of bullying? If so, you know how emotionally traumatic it can be for your child. Bullying is a repeated pattern targeted at someone weaker, younger, or more vulnerable. So, how do you handle bullying?
What is bullying? The act of bullying is an intentional behavior designed to hurt another person by wanting to intimidate or get their way. Anti-Bullying warrior Candace Duggar and I discuss how to identify and deal with bullying.
How to Handle Bullying
- Bullying v Conflict Resolution
- How to help a child being bullied
- At what age to discuss bullying
- How to handle bullies
- Steps a parent needs to take to help their child
Bullies can’t bully without a victim. Teaching your child to avoid and learn to stand up to bullies is the focus of this conversation.
About Candice Duggar
Candice Duggar is the founder of Bullied, Broken, Redeemed, and a nationally recognized anti-bullying expert, author, speaker, and trainer. Candice and her team specialize in equipping leaders, parents, and youth on all aspects of Gen Z Bullying. These life-changing programs use interactive activities and projects to motivate and empower effective anti-bullying warriors. Candice has been seen on NBC, CBN, FRC on top of training fortune 100 companies. She is also regularly featured as a keynote at events nationally and international conferences.
On top of being an anti-bullying warrior, Candice is passionate about helping families transition from public school to homeschool. Her “Coming Home” Series of talks and workshops are a blessing for those trying to navigate the sometimes difficult transition. She is also the co-founder of the Reimagine Education Conference, specializing in helping families transition to homeschooling. This conference is an annual event and has now grown to an international presence with over 80 speakers and 100 talks.
* If you know someone who is being bullied or is bullying others contact the proper authorities before the matter escalates. And if your child has been bullied find a trained mental health professional who can help your child work through what happened.
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Listen to last week’s episode #41 – Listen and Trust God’s Leading with Misty Phillip (Part II)
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by Connie Albers | Dec 23, 2020
Misty Phillip joins me for part II of our conversation on how to listen and trust God’s leading in your life. Today we focus on the steps she’s learned about waiting that will help you learn how God is working in your life as you wait for his lead.
In this episode, Misty shares valuable wisdom on how to wait on the Lord. She says, “Trusting God to lead can be hard. But, His timing is good.”
Trusting God to lead can be hard. But, His timing is good. — Misty Phillip
Listen and Trust God’s Leading
- Live your season well
- Know you limits
- Move when God says go
- Enjoy your season
- Journal your emotions
- Be Obedient
- Nothing is wasted. God uses every part of your story.
- Wait on His timing, and He will bless
Misty Phillip Bio
Misty Phillip is a podcaster, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who is passionate about helping you spark your soul message. Founder of the Spark Christian Podcast Conference, Founder of The Rocket Podcast Community, and host of the By His Grace podcast show. Misty inspires through her leadership, speaking, and mastermind groups. She currently serves as the Houston Connect Leader for Christian Women In Media. Misty is the author of The Struggle is Real: But So is God Bible Study and Spark Podcast Planner 2020.
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Listen to last week’s episode #40 – Listen and Trust God’s Leading with Misty Phillip (Part I)
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