Free Flow Friday No.1: My Husband Want to Start a Podcast, Parenting and Funeral Reflections + The Music I Have on Repeat
Have it your way! Listen or Read below.
Hey Ya’ll, I’m introducing a new type of writing— I’ve realized some things don’t require a full independent post so welcome to Free Flow Friday! A place for me to share short thoughts in newsletter form. A culmination of little thoughts that have come up throughout the week.
Free Flow Friday will release on Saturday :) I’m not committing to every Saturday, but my intention is to collect my thoughts throughout the week and when I have enough written to release, I’ll publish what’s been accumulated on the upcoming Saturday.
Here’s what you’ll find in this inaugural edition of Free Flow Friday:
This Week’s Wisdom: The very reasons you think [God] should depart are the very reasons he tells you to come.
My husband wants to start a podcast, here’s what I think…
Six years in, I think I’m starting to get a better understanding of parenting…keyword: starting
It’s better to attend a funeral than a party (Eccl. 7:2), I definitely see why. The one I attended this week shook my world and blessed my life.
If I Were a DJ: What’s in my current music rotation? See who takes the lead this week.
Pod of the Week: Omar Eltakrori has one of my favorite podcasts. This week I’ve been making my way through this particular episode that’s been a great wake up call as a business owner who believes in Jesus
This Week’s Wisdom
Jesus has come to call sinners out of the darkness and into the light. He came—and still comes—for the hiding and the fearful, the ashamed and the sinful. Do not be afraid…Don’t walk—flee—to the refuge of his mercy tree. The very reasons you think he should depart are the very reasons he tells you to come.
From Why We Must Face Our Sinful Selves by Mitchell L. Chase, preacher, author, associate professor of biblical studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I had a conversation with a friend this week, beating myself up about how I feel like I’ve been distracted and missing the mark lately, striving to put things together by my own might and wisdom. I knew I was overdue for some unhurried time with Jesus.
I finally got some. It came in the form of reading two articles that landed in my email inbox from Crossway. Both articles dealt with the topics of sin. The first was called Don’t Get Caught Dead in Church. I was particularly interested in this one because it referenced the book of Acts and the women at our church are about to study the book of Acts.
I wasn’t prepared for the journey that article took me on, but I’m grateful for it. That article led me to the next one (quoted above) and both led me to some good unhurried time of honest confession, crying, and then comfort with the Father.
Sitting with the heightened realization of my own sin, then being comforted by reading stories in the gospel of Jesus’ compassion and faithfulness?!?…Yoooo! I’m DONE.
God is the best and I’m so grateful his mercies are new every morning…or night if you’re a night owl like me :)
My Husband Wants to Start a Podcast
Here’s what I think…
This finna be a LOTTA work!
I told him, “sure.”
We have no plans, just random ideas based on conversations we have privately all the time.
I’m thinking we should take it slow cause consistent content is not for the weak! I made it all of what, 12 weeks straight with my YouTube channel then fell off the face of the earth over there.
It was too much! And that was with me having brainstormed over 60 topics I wanted to cover before I launched with that ambitious weekly goal!
I’ll report back once we get more details around it, but for now, just know I’m processing the fact he wants to do this. *Sigh*
Parenting Revelations Six Years In
Six years in, I think I’m starting to get a better understanding of parenting…keyword: starting.
The intentionality this job requires? Myyyy goodness. Thankfully our firstborn is a true firstborn. He’s let me know along the way when it’s time for him to learn something new.
“Mommy, I want to learn how to read,” he told me while in pre-k.
Last Christmas he told us he wanted to learn to play the piano.
This summer he told me us wants to start a bracelet business, learn to ride a bike and learn to tie his shoes before first grade.
I didn’t realize we were behind on all of those things.
I told him we’d work on them all and here we are on the last weekend before school starts and not one of them has happened.
This week I realized summer was practically over and the weather would be changing soon. I convinced Dex to buy the boys bikes so we could teach them how to ride.
We opted for traditional bikes with training wheels after failed attempts with balance bikes. It’s only been a few days since we got them, but we’re making good progress!
Tying shoes is up next before school starts! We have 5 days to get it done. :)
Recently my son, who is now reading wonderfully, also told me he wanted “a real Bible.” He said the one he got for his baby dedication isn’t a real Bible, he wants one he can read.
So a Bible is our next order of business! I’m just trying to keep up and not hold him back. I’ve gotta get up to speed with his ambitions!
Any tips?
It’s Better to Attend a Funeral Than a Party
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. - Ecclesiastes 7:2
This is one of those verses most want to ignore or speed read on by. The whole book of Ecclesiastes is like that for real, but that’s a conversation for another day.
It’s better to attend a funeral than a party, I definitely see why. The funeral I attended this week shook my world and blessed my life all at the same time.
I can tell my attempt to grow in empathy and emotional intelligence is working because I’m crying more.
I’ve prided myself at being a thug and barely ever crying, but I’m definitely seeing my no crying tendencies fading as I’ve been working towards growing in emotional intellegince.
This week I attended the funeral of an elder from my “Chosen For Me” Church (see my last post for context). I didn’t have many direct interactions with him, however I am in relationship with several of his family members and they are a family I love and cherish.
I attended out of my love and support for them. Dex had a more direct relationship with the elder and Dex even had a chance to write him a letter and received confirmation that he received the letter before he passed.
This man was phenomenal in all the ways. A family man. A devoted servant of Jesus. Faithful to his work, his church, his coworkers. Not a negative story was told of him. It was such a beautiful celebration of life.
What stuck with me the most was seeing his legacy on display. How his faithfulness in showing up in the small, everyday things, led to so much beautiful fruit on full display through his wife, his children, and grandchildren, his former coworkers, and fellow church members.
It was very motivating to be consistent, even in the mundane. Still show up. Still be faithful. Make the investments even when you can’t see the immediate return, it all adds up.
The second thing that stuck with me was watching his wife praise and worship God in what I’m sure has been the hardest season of her life. She honored her beloved husband, bowing before his casket. She honored her heavenly Father, kneeling in the center aisle on full display with no regard for who was watching.
She LED US all in that service. She showed us how to suffer well. She modeled how to mourn with gladness. She implored us to trust God even when we don’t understand. She mothered us. She encouraged us. She helped us.
And then she led us in a song of praise as she belted, “All my life you have been faithful…” following her remarks.
I have replayed the service in my mind over and over since that day. My heart is saddened by the grief I know this family is feeling. The void I know they will each inevitably feel for years and years to come, makes me sad.
But what lifts my spirit and brightens my eyes is knowing he was ready to meet his Savior when his time came. What helps is knowing they all made the most of their time with him and he with them. What helps is knowing they will get to reunite with him again because he instilled in them a real and authentic faith in Jesus Christ.
There is more to celebrate than there is to mourn for we are promised that our latter will be greater.
“The final glory of this house will be greater than the first,” says the LORD of Armies. “I will provide peace in this place” —this is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.” - Haggai 2:9
If I Were A DJ This Would Be My Playlist
Did you know I used to be a radio DJ in college? For three and a half years, you could catch “Special K on WHOV 88.1 FM The Voice of Hampton University! The Class of College Radio!”
It was the best of times! Any who, ever since those days I’ve been a DJ in my head. I have so many playlists for so many occasions and my friends know to call me if they need a special one put together. It’s such a joy!
Anyway, If I Were a DJ is my way of sharing the music that’s in heavy rotation in my Spotify this week.
Coming in first this week is Red Worship. I’m loving their album Presence People this week, I’ve put my two favorite songs from the album in rotation on the playlist.
Keep up with all the new adds by subscribing to the Free Flow Friday Playlist on Spotify!
Pod of the Week
Omar Eltakrori has one my favorite podcasts for business insights. I am big on being connected to a local church, especially if you’re going to build a public platform. Omar is locked and loaded in his local church and killing it with his podcast.
This particular episode is a bit longer than usual but it’s so rich with depth and honestly it helped spur me into that moment with Jesus I mentioned earlier in This Week’s Wisdom.
His guest, Steve Penate is a multiple seven-figure serial entrepreneur and elder at a rapidly growing church. In this episode, Steve went in and shares what it truly means to build a business God’s way.
This episode is super helpful to me. I’ve listened to it over the course of 4 days and have about 15 minutes left to go.
That’s a Wrap!
That’s it for this week’s Free Flow Friday (released on Saturdays). How do you like this format? Let me know your thoughts!
Also, feel free to share any thoughts on anything discussed. Would love to connect with you in the comments!