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It’s here! The first promo episode of my new Podcast – PRN, Pause Renew Next! I hope you enjoy!
Full transcript below:
Thanks to Gopherwood Studios, for the use of their studio and equipment!
Welcome to PRN – Pause, Renew, Next, the Podcast. I’m Ginny Detweiler, and I’m so excited to share with you in this episode, the vision that I have for this podcast.
For those of you who are new to the Pause, Renew, Next, concept, let me explain. It seems that our culture is constantly speeding up, and with it our schedules and thought lives. It’s no wonder that many women feel constantly overwhelmed and stressed out. Our faith can be affected by busyness and stress as well.
Pause stands for taking some time to be still – some quiet time to allow your body and brain to calm down so that you can soak in the Word of God and listen to His voice.
Renew, stands for a time of reflection, shifting perspective, allowing what you read in God’s Word to change you from the inside.
Next is the part where we move on with our day – being able to put the Word into action and apply it to our lives.
Although this ministry was born out of a blog, the truth is that many people just don’t have time to read blogs. Podcasts are where it’s at. Information and entertainment on the go. I’m including myself in this too. I love podcasts and often listen to podcasts while I do chores around the house or on my drive to work! This podcast will incorporate the Pause, Renew, Next mentality, but will have a different format. We’ll be focusing on three main subjects I like to call the 3 Ss- Soulcare, Scripture, and Stories.
Soulcare, because as busy women, many of us lack in this department. Sure, soulcare has many things in common with self-care, but I just really like the term better, because I feel it encompasses the whole person – relationships, body, mind, and spirit.
Scripture – because it is at the root of all truth. It is living and active. It has the power to change us.
The part I am most excited about are the stories. I think we all love a good story. My hope is that we will hear stories of faith on this podcast that will leave us encouraged and challenged. A few years ago I was thinking about how few times I hear people tell stories of how God has answered their prayers, performed miracles, sustained them through hardship, met them in suffering, etc. I decided that I would write down the stories of faith from my family members and make a book. Of course, I never actually did it. Follow through, and all of that….
Still, I hope that is what happens with this podcast. That women of faith will be encouraged by each other’s testimonies of God’s faithfulness and goodness…Maybe even get a glimpse of what it really looks like to live for His Kingdom.
In Hebrews 12, Paul likens the journey of faith to a race. He writes, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)
My vision for this podcast, is that you have a cheering section on your race. Know that you’re not alone. This race is hard. It takes endurance, encouragement, and sometimes even a little physical therapy.
In some podcasts, I will be telling stories of women of faith who have already finished their race. If anyone has something to teach us about how to run well, it’s a finisher! We need some of those in the great cloud of witnesses to pass on their wisdom to us who are still setting our pace.
In other podcasts, I will be interviewing women who have stories to tell about how they have seen God move in their lives and how he has increased their faith.
Most of us are not famous or extraordinary. So, don’t expect that everything you hear on this podcast will fall into those categories. No, it’s the ordinary and mundane where God often meets us and sustains us. And these stories will not really be about the women and how awesome they are, but about Jesus, and how he has moved and is moving in their lives.
For the remainder of this first podcast, I would like to focus on soulcare.
I am an energetic person, and I always have a million things to do. It’s very hard for me to slow down and make myself be still to have quiet time with the Lord. Add to that stress, or worry, or children misbehaving, and you might as well forget any kind of sustained concentration. I’m sure many of you can relate.
Do you ever go to have quiet time with Jesus, and just feel like you can’t concentrate? Like the day has been so stressful, and your thoughts are running a million miles a minute. Maybe your phone is sitting there, just waiting for you to check Facebook. Maybe your brain is still checking off your to do list. It’s hard to get your body and your brain to slow down enough to really meditate on God’s Word, isn’t it?
Deep breathing can be a really helpful exercise. It helps our bodies slow down, and often when our bodies slow down, our brains can calm down too. Picture watching a baby, or a cat or dog, taking a nap. You’ll notice their bellies go up and down while they sleep. This is how we breathe when we’re peaceful or at rest – we belly breathe. When we are stressed, afraid or angry, our bodies do everything much faster – our heart rates increase, our thoughts race, and our breathing gets more shallow and faster as well. Deep breathing is an exercise that can help you slow down.
I’m going to call it belly breathing, because when you breathe deeply, your belly should expand, not your chest. Imagine a balloon opening up and expanding down into your belly when you breathe. Let’s practice together.
Breathe in slowly through your nose, filling up your belly. Now hold it for one or two seconds. Then slowly exhale through your mouth. Let’s do it again. Inhale through your nose, hold it a for a second, then slowly exhale through your mouth. You can do this a few times in a row. You’ll probably notice after a few breaths that you feel calmer. There are some really cool apps out there with visuals that you can use while you deep breathe. The great thing about this exercise is that you can use it anytime, anywhere, and no one has to know you’re doing it – before a test, at church, before a speech or presentation, or when you’re late to work and you’re feeling really stressed.
Try taking a few deep breaths before you read the Bible the next time you’re feeling unable to concentrate. I am warning you not to try this exercise if you’re doing your quiet time on your bed. You might just fall asleep instead!
Well, that’s it for our intro podcast.. Next week, we’ll be looking at the life of a woman who really did live a pretty extraordinary life. I’m not going to tell you who she is, but I will give you one hint: she was really great at hiking!
If you like this podcast, feel free to subscribe, or you can find it at my website: pauserenewnext.com. New podcasts are released each Tuesday, and new blog posts each Friday. Follow PRN on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you enjoy it, please spread the word!
This is Ginny Detweiler with PRN: Pause, Renew, Next, the Podcast. May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.
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