Gospel Spice | Awaken Delight in God through faith in Jesus Christ

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 148 - We are so excited to welcome you to our new series, God's Glory, Our Delight. Now, this sentence. It means a lot, and especially to Stephanie because it has been her own personal motto and spiritual quest for years. So, really, this is an invitation to ponder the deeper life. We are convinced that there is no greater quest in life, and that no adventure can give you deeper meaning. We believe we will spend all of eternity, in utmost bliss, learning to delight in God in ever-deepening levels. So, identifying this quest as our most essential one, and then stepping into it with everything we've got, and then learning from one another, growing ever deeper into the wonder of this quest--THAT is, quite literally, practicing for heaven.Delighting in God is developing our spiritual muscles to practice for the reality of heaven. Nothing can be more important for each one of us as an individual spiritual quest, but also for the body of believers as a corporate endeavor. It encompasses worship, prayer, Bible reading and study and memorization, fasting and feasting, service, and all the spiritual disciplines. It is the ultimate expression of loving the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and spirit, and loving your neighbor as yourself. It is the meaning of life. It is the great quest.God's Glory, Our Delight. Nothing could be more important, and nothing could be more practical today.GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIESDelighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God’s glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father’s love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory.Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogDo you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 147 - Are you concerned your children might be addicted to digital media? How can you know proper boundaries, and how can you weather a total digital detox without losing your mind in the process? How can you restore your children to the fullness of childhood--games and puzzles and twigs and fireflies and hide-and-seek--without losing sanity in the process? Molly DeFrank joins Stephanie for this special Mother's Day episode to talk about just that. And it's for dads, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles too! Molly is currently a stay-at-home mom of six beautiful little ones, aged 2 to 11. She has experienced the stress and fatigue and mood swings and temper tantrums that inevitably accompanied the words "screen time is up!" And she has crafted, through personal experience and through coaching many families, the solution that every modern parent has been desperately wishign for: the complete guide to digital detox in two weeks. It's not easy, she says, but it is simple. And efficient. It will reclaim your family life, and will poise you to become a steward of the beautiful children the Lord has entrusted into your care. Molly says, "As if parenthood didn’t bring enough stress on its own, moms and dads in 2022 are drowning in digital distractions up to our eyeballs. And if we don’t take a moment to clarify the role we want tech to play in our homes, it will continue to seep in and monopolize. It will steal the moments, days and years meant for connecting with, training and forming our kids’ hearts and worldviews. The quiet lulls, connective meals, and mellow drive times that filled our own childhoods are long gone. They’ve been displaced by digital entertainment. Parents are having fewer conversations with their kids, whose beautiful saucer-eyes now staring at tablets instead of their loving caregiver."She says, "I know because I shrugged off the nudges for years before I finally said “no more.” And as soon as we detoxed our own kids, everything changed. Since then, I’ve coached several families through their own digital detox journeys. Every single one witnessed transformation. Every single family’s results exceeded their expectations."With her trademark sense of humor, this California mom adds, "A LOT of people call me mom. I spaced my kids so close together that the hospital’s labor and delivery department gave me a punch card for a free sandwich. Then we also added several darlings via foster care—some for a day, some forever. We’ve parented lots of kids from all backgrounds. We’ve navigated kids through therapy, broken limbs, recovering from abuse. We’ve housed kids between juvenile hall stays. We’ve overseen autism therapy and high-honors students...."So, join Molly and Stephanie this week on the show--we promise you will leave with fresh hope and a renewed sense that you can take charge of your children's screen time with simplicity.MEET MOLLY DEFRANK:"In early parenthood, I was certain about many things. Like how I would never homeschool, listen to Kids Bop, or drive a minivan. A decade-plus later, I have blasted Kids Bop while driving my children to the homeschool coop—in my minivan.God lovingly used motherhood to show me the end of my rope, and how deeply I need strength outside of myself. Parenting is life’s best lesson in humility. And for especially thick heads like mine, God gives you many children in quick succession, then a few bonus kids for good measure. I enjoy black coffee strong enough to power a small jet, reading instead of cleaning, time spent across a table with friends, and eating any food that’s prepared impeccably. I’m also a recovering vegetarian. Send help, send tofu, drop me a line here on Facebook or Instagram. " https://mollydefrank.com/Facebook: Molly DeFrankInstagram: @mollydefrankBUY DIGITAL DETOX:Book: Digital Detox: The Two-Week Tech Reset for KidsDISCOVER

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 146 - We are so excited to welcome you to our new series, God's Glory, Our Delight. Taking delight in God: Nothing could be more important, and nothing could be more practical today. Can we be totally honest here? This is Stephanie's favorite series to date, because it is her own personal life motto!We kick off the series with an episode that transitions us from Easter into this new season of deeper intimacy with God. You are invited to experience the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus today! Today Stephanie has invited a long-time friend who shaped her own theology of glory and of the cross of Jesus Christ when she was a young believer. Pastor John Lambert tells us about the places where he has encountered the glory of God in Scripture, and humbly invites us on a journey to do the same. What is human glory? What is divine glory? Who is Jesus Christ when it comes to God's glory? Most importantly, how does Easter and the crucifixion manifest the glory of God in most unexpected and most moving ways? Jesus’s Passion (His suffering) and His death are seen as the supreme showcase of His glory. How can this be? How can glory come from such horror and excruciating suffering?Jesus closed the gap between our sin and God’s righteousness. Because of this, Jesus’s complete innocence was given to us. John invites us to ponder glory emanating from creation is illusive, momentary, diluted and falls short of the glory of God. What times in your life have you experienced this momentary, fleeting glory? How long did it satisfy you? Did it make you want to keep seeking it?? If this type of glory never brings complete satisfaction why do we keep seeking it?DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIESDelighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, ro

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Stephanie welcomes fellow Francophile David Broussard, founder and president of Impact France, for an update on what God is up to in France today. David has an unusual story of coming to faith from agnosticism while studying in France! Yes! It is one of the many parallels between his and Stephanie's story of faith--in uncanny reverse! Today we talk about the importance of the truth that Jesus is alive, as foundational to our faith and the cornerstone of Easter. David shares his unusual and inspiring journey of faith, and his heart to come alongside French and American Christians to develop bridges of fellowship and relationship. He talks about his ministry, Impact France, and he invites YOU to join thousands to pray for France for the next three weeks, starting on Easter day. David shares some of the most striking and inspiring French ministries impacting French Christians today, including (without prior agreement!) two ministries very close to Stephanie's heart and personal experience: Alpha France and The Chosen France. Join the conversation at impactfrance.org and prayforfrance.orgYou will also find Impact France on Insta at @pray.for.france or on our own Insta account, from which we follow all our GospelSpice guests!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImpactFranceTwitter: @prayforfrance We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogIdentity in the battle | Ephesianshttps://www.podcastics.com/episode/372022/link/Malachi: Messenger to Messiahhttps://www.podcastics.com/episode/356130/link/Wisdom from the Book of Proverbshttps://www.podcastics.com/episode/324347/link/Come to the Table | The Feasts Jesus celebratedhttps://www.podcastics.com/episode/309956/link/GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIESDelighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God’s glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father’s love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory.Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogSupport us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Os Guinness is back for this special Easter 2022 episode on the meaning of life. We discuss our role in seeking God, and His role in finding us! Os says, "Without God, we cannot know God; and we know God only when we meet Him."This Easter, we invite you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the season, and to ask yourself if you are living the fullness of the life God has for you. We also invite you to invite others to ask themselves this essential question! Os tells us that questions can have "a subversive, even revolutionary potential." He talks about the power of personal experience in our journey to find God. In a nutshell, he invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good! As Os says, "coming to know God is coming home."Watch the LIVE conversation recording on our YouTube channel and make sure to subscribe: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0N1fFlVp4DQ?feature=oembed Os shares his latest book, The Great Quest, a most useful little jewel of a book to share the meaning of life with those who are seeking to live a life worth living: What is life all about? What are we here for? Is there any meaning or purpose to our existence? Thinkers throughout the centuries have pondered these questions. While the distractions of the modern world prevent many from grappling seriously with such matters, the truth is that humans cannot live without meaning any more than we can live without breathing or eating.The Great Quest is also perfect for Christians who seek to take their relationship with God to the next level (that would be all of us!) through reason and experience both. Os says, "faith in God is a step taken in the light of reason, and it may certainly be a step taken with deep emotions."Os tells us what keeps people from thinking about the examined life. What questions do we need to be asking? Where do we find answers? How do we go about exploring the answers that seem potentially legitimate? How does the Christian faith illuminate our quest in ways that no other worldview does? What does Easter mean in all of it? How does it provide the most --the only--adequate answer to our deepest longings? Why is truth more relevant than ever, in our postmodern, post-truth culture?ABOUT "THE GREAT QUEST""The unexamined life is not worth living." —SocratesOs Guinness invites us to examine our lives and join the great quest for meaning and a life well lived. For those who are up to Socrates' challenge, it is a search that is indispensable to making the most of life. Guinness charts the course of the thinking person's journey toward faith and meaning, calling for a firm grasp of reason, an honest awareness of conscience, and a living sense of wonder. He affirms that there is a time for questions, and that following those questions can indeed lead us to answers, evidence, and commitment.When life becomes a question, the search is on for an answer. Come find yourself on a sure path to meaning.ABOUT OS GUINNESSOs Guinness (DPhil, Oxford) is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including The Dust of Death, The Call, Fool's Talk, Carpe Diem Redeemed, The Magna Carta of Humanity, Last Call for Liberty, Impossible People, Unspeakable, and Time for Truth. He is the founder of the Trinity Forum, a prominent social critic, and a frequent speaker who has addressed audiences worldwide.DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual a

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 143 – Jasmine Holmes joins us for an inspiring conversation about 10 seemingly unknown Black women who changed their communities when they were alive in the 18th and 19th centuries, and whose legacy can still be felt today. Regardless of our gender, our color, our age, our culture or even where we live in the world, we can all learn much from each of these 10 heroes.Jasmine says: “Black women are made in the image of God carved in ebony. This book is an unapologetic rejoicing in the fact that God chose to make each woman profiled in this book both Black and female for His glory. And it was good.”These heroes of the faith might have been largely forgotten until today, but Jasmine underwent thorough research to bring them back into the limelight to inspire us. In her book “Carved in Ebony” Jasmine invites us on a journey of discovery to transform us spiritually and challenge us to be forces for good and for change in our communities. Through the research and reflections of author Jasmine Holmes, you will be inspired by what each of these exceptional women can teach us about the intersections of faith and education, birth, privilege, opportunity, and so much more.Carved in Ebony will take you past the predominantly white, male contributions that seemingly dominate history books and church history to discover how Black women have been some of the main figures in defining the landscape of American history and faith.LEARN ABOUT BLACK WOMEN WHO SERVED GOD IN EXTRAORDINARY WAYS:ELIZABETH FREEMAN - NANNIE HELEN BURROUGHS - MARIA FEARING- CHARLOTTE FORTEN GRIMKÉ - SARAH MAPPS DOUGLASS - SARA GRIFFITH STANLEY - AMANDA BERRY SMITH - LUCY CRAFT LANEY - MARIA STEWART - FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER. These names may not be familiar, but each one of these women was a shining beacon of devotion in a world that did not value their lives.MEET JASMINE HOLMESJasmine says of herself,I’m a pastor’s kid. In the parable of the prodigal son, I’m definitely the do-good “older brother” who used to think she had everything under control. Throughout my twenty-year walk with the Lord, I’ve been reminded time and again of my need for Christ — through miscarriage, through post-partum depression, through two cross-country moves in two years.The focus of my writing and speaking is identity. I understand what it is like to endure an identity crisis. For most of my life, I’ve wrestled with pretending to have a neat and tidy checklist of how I’m supposed to present myself to the world.I'm beginning to understand that my security can’t come from the external checklist or the opinions of others; it has to be found in the finished work of Jesus Christ, who is equipped to handle the messiness I tried to hide.https://jasminelholmes.com/https://carvedinebonybook.com/#bonuseshttps://www.facebook.com/jasmine.bauchamhttps://www.instagram.com/jasminelholmes/Jasmine L. Holmes is the author of Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope. She is also a contributing author for Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Our Identity in Christ and His Testimonies and My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. She and her husband, Phillip, are parenting three young sons. They attend Redeemer Church, PCA in Jackson, Mississippi.DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another mor

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 142 - God hinted at the great reversal He would usher in to destroy the effects of the introduction of the experiential knowledge of evil into our adama lives in Genesis 3:15. And, gloriously, He chooses to use us as vessels of His redemption efforts, just as we were the vectors that brought the curse. Freewill is a reality—the only possible birthplace of true love. The fact that He would invite us to become part of the redemption plan is mind-boggling in itself, since we caused the whole mess to start with.We have largely focused on the importance of being informed—and not just about the facts of human oppression; it is essential that we should have a solid Christocentric theology that shapes our perspective on everything, including the whys and hows of the fight against oppression in our century. Today we will focus on the next I's, interceding, involvement and influence.Informed. Interceding. Involved. Influencing: the 4 I’s whisper, “yet not I but Christ in me.” The 4 I’s apply to the fights of our lives, and most of all to the foundation of it all—our relationship with God: to know in our heads and in our hearts who God is and what He has done for us; to thus know who we are and what He calls us to do in His Name.Once you have caught the vision through information, wrestled the evil through intercession and entered the action through involvement, the influence becomes easy to spread. Look around you: who can you tell? Look in your family, your neighborhood, your church, your social media community. Make a list of names. Invite them for a meal. Share your preferred organization(s)’s vision and mission. Become an ambassador for them. Share these series!To influence, you must advocate, inform, invite others into the cycle of 4 I’s that you have experienced. And don’t stop there: keep informed; keep interceding; keep involved; keep influencing our generation.And one day, one day not too long from now, we will all look back and say with Paul, “I worked hard… yet not I but Christ in me.” For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at how to put these 4 I's in practice, with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Linda. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red.THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!NEW!Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example, - a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours. - a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podca

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 141 - Stephanie is joined by 3 friends to explore a cross-cultural conversation around racial dialogue. Around a cup of virtual coffee, Angel, Beth and Lindsay answer some key questions and invite YOU to step up to initiate your own conversations towards racial reconciliation:- What has been your personal experience, or a meaningful encounter, with the idea of racial difference?- What does it take for conversations about differences to even be possible or be considered?- What is your reaction to how you are seeing the church in general handle this conversation? How about the idea of hoping the system can change?- If the church and the system are not stepping up to the task, then it is even more obvious that it is our role, on a personal level, to role-model these conversations. So, how do we develop trust and safety to create the context for them to happen?We hope this conversation will invite church-going believers to engage meaningfully with others who are different from them. We want to communicate that creating an atmosphere and foundation of trust is necessary for any meaningful conversation to start happening, and then for ever-deeper conversations to keep happening.This episode is a joint gift by the Gospel Spice team as a whole. It is an integral element of our Shades of Red series because we hope this conversation is an example of mature conversation between deep friends. We hope to stress that it is not the starting point of a relationship, nor the listener’s goal as a starting point. It is more like an end goal to keep in sight: the goal to get to a place where you too can have those conversations, and feel ok if they still feel awkward. Because they will!Communication is a dance that helps us find out how far we can take the conversation. Some key tips from this episode:- A commitment to racial dialogue is a series of small steps, a long obedience in the same direction.- Gauge the relationship at every step to decide if it is time to take it deeper, or best to let it cruise a bit.- As with dancing, we want to be ok to say you stepped on my toes, be ok to acknowledge and apologize, be ok to keep dancing and creating beauty together, even of not perfectly.- The importance of the music when you dance: being in tune togetherJesus role-models hard conversations and sets the tone for us: He is singing reconciliation over us, and invites us to dance to His music. How will YOU respond to His calling today?DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to en

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 140 - Today we get practical. Stephanie gives us 4 clear steps that we can all take, and that we can trust will make a difference. They are the four I's:- Information- Intercession- Involvement- Influence.This is not just a cute mnemonic decvice; it is deeply rooted in Scripture and practical application. How can you keep on being INFORMED? How can you then move to heartfelt INTERCESSION? This will lead you to want to get INVOLVED, and we look at what it can look like. Finally, all this will necessarily lead you to want to INFLUENCE others and lead them to become informed, intercessors, and involved as influencers. There is so much packed into those four little I's. And the best part? We get to co-partner with God who is our Lord, Guide, Source, and Inspiration. His glory, our delight!(By the way... "God's Glory, Our Delight" is such a key concept, that it is the title and content of our NEXT GospelSpice series, starting soon! It's a huge deal here for us at GospelSpice because "God's Glory, our Delight" is the personal motto of our founder Stephanie Rousselle. Stay tuned for more info and to signup for free for this new in-depth God-soaked study!)DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!NEW!Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example, - a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours. - a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:Gospel Spice Ministr

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 139 - Christians are awakening to the legacy of racism in America like never before. While public conversations regarding the realities of racial division and inequalities have surged in recent years, so has the public outcry to work toward the long-awaited healing of these wounds. But American Christianity, with its tendency to view the ministry of reconciliation as its sole response to racial injustice, and its isolation from those who labor most diligently to address these things, is underequipped to offer solutions. Because of this, the church needs a new perspective on its responsibility for the deep racial brokenness at the heart of American culture and on what it can do to repair that brokenness. So, today Stephanie welcomes Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson, co-authors of a book that she is very eager to share with you, Reparations, in the context of our Shades of Red series. This is a deep, serious, and visionary conversation which, Stephanie hopes, will inspire you to embrace the practical steps of the Shades of Red series: to be informed, to intercede, to become involved, and to influence."REPARATIONS" makes a compelling historical and theological case for the church’s obligation to provide reparations for the oppression of African Americans. Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson articulate the church’s responsibility for its promotion and preservation of white supremacy throughout history, investigate the Bible’s call to repair our racial brokenness, and offer a vision for the work of reparation at the local level. They lead readers toward a moral imagination that views reparations as a long-overdue and necessary step in our collective journey toward healing and wholeness.MEET THE AUTHORSDuke L. Kwon (MDiv, ThM, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor at Grace Meridian Hill, a neighborhood congregation in the Grace DC Network committed to building cross-cultural community in Washington, DC. Kwon is active in public conversations around race, equity, and racial repair in the American church, and he lectures on these topics around the country. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, and The Witness.Gregory Thompson (PhD, University of Virginia) is a pastor, scholar, artist, and producer whose work focuses on race and equity in the United States. He serves as executive director of Voices Underground (an initiative to build a national memorial to the Underground Railroad outside of Philadelphia), research fellow in African American heritage at Lincoln University (HBCU), and visiting theologian for mission at Grace Mosaic Church in Washington, DC. He is also the cocreator of Union: The Musical, a soul and hip-hop-based musical about the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike. Thompson lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.Follow them at the Reparations Projects on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reparations_project/ SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogSupport us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 138 - in Shades of Red, our series on the consequences of sin on human relationships, Stephanie now takes a moment to ponder Paul's words to his dear friend Philemon. In this short letter, tucked towards the end of your Bible, many have found discomfort and controversy because Paul does not seem to openly reject the then-common institution of slavery. Does it mean that Paul condoned slavery? What does the Bible teach about this infamous practice? How can we reconcile what we think we read there, with our modern sensibilities? Could it be that Paul actually commanded Philemon to free his slave? Might we just need cultural eyes to read what Philemon read between the lines? Can we conclude with confidence that Paul rejected slavery in all its forms, even as he called himself a slave to Jesus Christ? This is the case we are making with this episode. Stephanie and GospelSpice team members are convinced that Paul utterly ordered Philemon to free Onesimus--albeit in culturally sensitive terms that our own 21st century Western culture does not have eyes to see. Slavery is an extreme form of human trafficking, clearly condemned by Scripture.You've probably heard that slavery back then was different from what we moderns think of--1619 and African slave ships. But even so, does it mean that Paul condoned THAT ancient form of slavery? how can that be right? what does the Bible teach about slavery, both in ancient times, and today? Slavery is an extreme form of oppression and trafficking, and a sin against God because we are all created in His image, male and female, Shades of Red, Adama-humans. We believe God rejects all forms of oppression, including slavery in all its forms. He calls us to surrender to Him alone, and to encourage one another to live in freedom under His perfect Lordship.This is an uncomfortable topic for many. Stephanie did much research, and sought the approval of several friends, on her team and outside her team here at GospelSpice before publishing this content. But it does not make this topic an easy one. So, take a listen. And then let us know what you think! We would love to hear from you. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the c

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 137 - Stephanie invites us to ponder the upside-down Kingdom of God that Jesus heralded. We talk about hell, about the enemy opf our soul and his strategies to take us down with him. We mostly focus on the supremacy of our Lord, King and Savior. No wonder Jesus talks about heaven and hell more than anyone else in Scripture. He is cupping our face in His hands and gently redirecting our gaze to our heavenly Father, who awaits to restore us to fellowship with Him and with one another—male ‘kai’ female. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and to unravel the threads of lies he has woven in our relationships and identity. Jesus restores our relationship to God, to one another, and to ourselves by losing His relationship to the Father, by dying alone, and by becoming sin in our stead so that we might become the righteousness of God as the very core of our identity (2Corinthians 5:21).When death became inevitable, He embraced the most despicable torture ever invented, so shameful it made His followers run away. Though He remained sinless after a lifetime of adama-dwelling, He agreed to swap places with us, adama for adama, and, in agreement with His Father since before the foundation of time, endured the ultimate torture: he became so intimately experientially knowledgeable about evil, that He experienced the separation from the Father that should have been ours at the base of our own tree of the knowledge of good and evil.In the upside-down Kingdom of God, the first will be last, and the last will be first. Weakness is strength, and pride comes before a fall. The poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of God. Blessed are the persecuted. These are the new laws of gravity in the Kingdom of God—so different from the ones in the fallen spiritual realm.Jesus gave us the spiritual laws of His Kingdom in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. His Kingdom is not about equality and rights, or authority and leadership. It is about unity and love as God uses each one of us to build the Kingdom of God on adama-ground today—the adama-ground of our hearts, both personally and as the body of believers, as well as the adama-ground of all humanity, believers and unbelievers alike. We are all shades of red, and Christ died for all who call on Him to be saved. We are called to serve a world in dire need because we share with Christ our adama-flesh. The poor around us are many. Many are the worthy causes in our day.For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at the upside-down Kingdom Jesus invites us to join, with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Roslyn. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 136 - Pastor Jamal Johnson of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago joins Stephanie for a candid, heartfelt conversation about building a legacy under the great I AM. They discuss the current issues facing the American church in terms of conflict, division, and all things that work against the unity of the Body of Christ. So, when Pastor Jamal interprets Psalm 88 in light of the Negro Spirituals, it a beautiful immersion into the deep theology and vibrant faith that carried his ancestors through the dark days of American history, all the way to today. They also discuss the beauty and challenges of raising the next generation to delight in God, as well as the scars and pitfalls of parenting. Pastor Jamal challenges us with the timely question of what we will do with what has been entrusted to us, both from the past and towards the future. From heartache to hope, Stephanie was brought to tears a couple of times, and you just might be, too. Pastor Jamal has a huge heart for his family, his community, all his brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the world. His passion to "brag about his Lord" as he says, is beautifully contagious. As they discuss the various dimensions of pandemic, you will discover that the best one is the one we are called to - to love one another so the world will know that we are Christ's disciples. Pastor Jamal Johnson holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Legal Studies and a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He serves as the Assistant Pastor at the iconic & historic Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago’s Bronzeville community. In 2020 he joined the North American Advocate team for Biblica’s Reach4Life Discipleship ministry along with Matt & Danielle Forte. Pastor Jamal currently resides on the southside of Chicago with his beautiful wife Rheanna and their four fantastic children (Nasir, Na’ilah, Na’imah, Nuriyah). DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep inte

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 135 - What does it mean to be "Shades of Red" as fallen humans? What are the consequences of the curse of sin in human relationships? Stephanie invites us to ponder the consequences of what we discovered about the law of spiritual gravity in Episode 134. Make sure to have listened to it before you tune in for today!We saw that the adama-red of the adama-ground is for the first time an echo of the adama-blood of adama-man in death (Genesis 4:3-11). It was only the beginning. We have all chosen to experience evil—maybe not in the form of murder, but as anger or resentment at least. We have broken the spiritual law of gravity, and it has spiritually killed us as effectively as a jump off a 1,000-foot cliff would kill our body. Spiritual death means we are all separated from the Tree of Life by those sword-wielding cherubim (Genesis 3:24). The swords will kill us if we seek to approach a holy God, who is Life. True life is so much off limits, that death will worm its way into our physical life, and we will die physically even as we are dead spiritually. Death will become so prevalent, in fact, that all of creation will suffer echoes of the spiritual death of adama-man-ground. Choices have consequences, and we look at what they were for our ancestors: Eve will not understand Adam’s burden, nor he hers. And now, male ‘kai’ female is no more. They are estranged from and at odds with each other. Fascinatingly, it is the very first time that male and female are treated differently—as separate Selves. The first consequence of their common choice of Self over God is their separation. No more male ‘kai’ female until Christ unites us again, as Galatians 3:28 points out. Now there is conflict and division, a focus on Self, a quest for equality and rights or authority and power, instead of God’s pre-fall plan of unity and love.For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at the potential risks of human relationships with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Lindsay. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red. SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogDo you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Sp

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 134 - Stephanie invites us to ponder what she calls "the spiritual law of gravity. It is quite simple, really. We all know not to break the physical law of gravity. It has its commandments. A smattering:- Do not jump off a high building.- Do not go into the deep if you don’t know how to swim.- Do not drop heavy rocks on your head.Laws of gravity. We know any one of these would be enough to kill us; it does not take all of these together. Breaking one is enough to kill our body.Moreover, none of us has ever challenged the laws of gravity. We don’t vote on them. We don’t approve or reject them. We don’t see them as optional preferences. We don’t think they have to do with personal choice. We accept them as facts of life. So much so, that we lovingly teach them to our children. Not to do so, would be parental neglect.And so it is with the spiritual law of gravity. You don’t need to break all of its ten commandments to kill yourself spiritually. Only one is enough. A smattering?- Do not murder.- Do not commit adultery.- Do not steal.- Do not lie.- Do not envy.When Jesus says that anger is murder, He is essentially saying that it does not take a 100-ton murder-boulder on your head to kill you; a one-pound rock of anger is plenty. It won’t take jumping off a 100-story building; a 2-story can be enough. And we all know that we can drown in less than a foot of water. It doesn’t take murder. Anger is enough. Murder as anger is one of the laws of spiritual gravity. Just ask Cain and Abel.For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at what the spiritual law of gravity means for us humans, with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Lindsay. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red.BREAKING NEWS!Shelley S. is the winner of the Gospel Spice giveaway we organized in January to celebrate our new membership platform. She will receive 2 exclusive Gospel Spice mugs, a Gospel Spice-green cloth covered journal, an 8*10 framable print and a pair of earrings made by a survivor of human trafficking. Congrats Shelley! We are honored to serve you.Please check out gospelspice.com for more info on how to become a member!DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!First, PAY

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 133 - Stephanie welcomes Pastor and poet Drew Jackson who invites us to experience the gospel of Luke through his own culture today. He weaves his own growing-up years with Luke's words about the birth of Jesus, and his own ministry and outreach to the marginalized, with Jesus' calling to bring freedom to the captives and restoration to the wounded. His debut poetry collection, God Speaks Through Wombs, is a unique contribution to the world of poetry. This collection is a poetic telling of the first eight chapters of the Gospel of Luke, centering the theme of liberation. In this collection Jackson is asking the question, “What if we were able to hear the story of the Gospel of Luke from the perspective of those on the margins,” which Jackson says he believes was Luke’s intention in the first place. Throughout history the story of the Gospels has been co-opted by the powerful, and this is continuing to happen in our day. This collection of poems is an attempt to recover those voices that have so often been silenced. At the same time, this poetry is deeply personal and engages how the Gospel of Luke interacts with Jackson’s own story of being a Black man navigating the landscape of American life.Meet Drew JacksonDrew E. Jackson is a poet who came late to writing poetry, although he would say that his love for the art form began with hip-hop, learning to put words together from Nas’ Illmatic. He writes at the intersection of justice, peace, and contemplation, having a passion to contribute toward a more just and whole world. Born in Williamstown, NJ, Drew currently calls New York City home. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. While he’s not traversing the world of poetry, Drew spends his time pastoring Hope East Village, a church that he planted in March of 2018. Drew also serves as the President of Pax, an organization focused on promoting the peace of Jesus in the 21st century. Drew is blessed to share life with his wife Genay, and their twin daughters Zora and Suhaila.Connect with Drew: https://www.djacksonpoetics.com/ SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogSupport us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 132 - Love is a choice. What does it mean? Was it God's choice? Is it still His choice for us? was it ours? Do we get to choose to love God? What does it look like?God created us with a brain and a thirst for knowledge and understanding, and He invites us to use it. Our Christian theology must shape and inform our understanding of oppression and our role in fighting it. Why would we allow a secular worldview to shape our thoughts on this issue when we have access to the timeless wisdom and truth that comes from the Creator from before time began? So, it all begins with understanding God’s plan for adama-humanity.As Stephanie explains this week, love is by essence relational and decisional: in any relationship, love is a choice. If there is no choice, there cannot be true love. A mother cannot force a child to love her but welcomes the free expression of it. A husband cannot force love from his wife, though he may earn it. A command to love is an oxymoron. Love must be freely given and freely received to earn its name. Therefore, God could not make love mandatory. For love to be a choice, there has to be alternatives. God created us in such a way that we are most ourselves, and most happy, when we love Him. He is the ultimate in all things good and beautiful and lovely and perfect, so His desire that we should love Him is a desire to give us unfettered access to all that is good and beautiful and lovely and perfect—and nothing less. Every time we love something other than God, we settle for something less good, less beautiful, less lovely, less perfect than what we have access to. It’s a self-imposed tragedy we all experience on a daily basis.For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at what it means to be a "Shades of Red" human with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Linda. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red. SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogSupport us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 131 - Stephanie welcomes you in our brand new series, Shades of Red. What does it mean to be human? We go back to the garden of Eden to uncover God's purpose in creating Adam and Eve, and you and me. Unity is the overarching theme that permeates the creation of humanity. Slave or free, Jew or Gentile—regardless of these, God tells us that between man and woman, unity prevails. The unpacking of this profound Biblical theology has led to some of humanity’s most worthy accomplishments in the Name of Christ: the abolition of slavery, the creation of hospitals and orphanages, and so much more. It is even now the very reason why our generation is on the frontline of the fight against our day’s most pervasive evils.Because I am free, and especially because I am free in Christ, I am called to be a bond-slave in Christ to my brothers and sisters who are oppressed today. Our generation has the unique privilege to move countless to freedom, because we are all shades of red.DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blogDo you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 130 – Get ready for a vulnerable, powerful conversation today with Raleigh Sadler, author, activist and global influencer against human trafficking. Raleigh shares his personal journey away from the comforts of an expected faith, and into the unexpected world of serving “the least of these” in the Name of Jesus. He tells Stephanie about facing his fears and how daring to be vulnerable with God and with others is the key to embracing weakness as Paul does, and to live the life that God created for us. It is not easy—it will actually require everything you have, and then some—but it is modeled after what our Lord has done for us. Today, we invite you to dare to take a small step towards embracing Stephanie’s favorite verse, Philippians 3:10: For my determined purpose is that I may KNOW Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.As you discover practical ways to serve the orphan, the widow, the vulnerable and the least of these in your own communities, you will taste fresh flavors of fellowship with the One who left everything behind and made Himself vulnerable in the ultimate sense, so that in Him we may learn to be weak so that He may be strong.GOSPELSPICE GIVEAWAY: "VULNERABLE" BY RALEIGH SADLERRaleigh Sadler is giving away copies of his inspiring book, "Vulnerable." Go to gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win.MEET RALEIGH SADLERHuman trafficking can affect as many as 40.3 million people globally. The problem is that most often those who are trafficked are hidden in plain sight. Victims are often hidden behind our assumptions. In other words, human trafficking is the exploitation of vulnerabilities for commercial gain. Exploiters are looking for those who are marginalized and stigmatized. They are looking for the people who won't be noticed by society at large.For this reason, human trafficking can happen anywhere because there are vulnerable people everywhere. But what would happen if the local church began to take notice of those who are most at risk of exploitation in their communities? Having served in Christian ministry since 2001, Raleigh Sadler believes that the local church is God's answer to those most vulnerable. Currently, he is the founder and executive director of Let My People Go. His passion is to see the local church fight global injustices, like human trafficking, by loving those whom traffickers most often target. His passion is to see the local church fight global injustices, like human trafficking, by loving those most vulnerable. He believes that the church should be leading the way in the fight against human trafficking because the Gospel frees us to pursue justice and mercy in our communities. With this message, he has worked with churches, universities, and other collaborative organizations around the country. He believes it is the responsibility of the church to love those who are at risk of exploitation. His most recent book, Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking (Broadman and Holman) is available now.Discover more at https://www.lmpg.org/Let My People Go is dedicated to building a network of well-equipped churches capable of loving those most vulnerable in their churches and communities. Practically, this "love" is evidenced throughout the congregation as the church identifies, empowers, protects, and includes those who traffickers would normally target. While any church can begin a ministry to the vulnerable, not every church can actually sustain this ministry overtime. For this reason, Let My People Go paces with each church as they aim to empower their congregation to care for the hurting in their respective communities.BECOME A GOSPELSPICE MEMBER TODAY!Have you noticed our brand new website? It offers FREE MEMBERSHIP that gives you access to ALL -- we do mean ALL -- the GospelSpice content we have created for

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 129 – Stephanie welcomes Chicago-based friend and TV show host Whitney Reynolds for a fun, deep, and whimsical conversation to enter 2022. She tells us about her relationship with God, personally and at work, in her family, marriage and kids and through her friends. Her enthusiasm to encourage is deeply inspiring and endearing… and she is such fun to be with!Whitney says she used to be a “stale Christian” in the church—and she didn’t even know it. Because she is so cheerful and encouraging, she cruised through life until God called her to a deeper awareness of His presence, and she is enjoying it now, even beckoning us deep within alongside her! She shares about life with 6-year-old twins amidst a whirlwind of life and activity, keeping her eyes on her Lord. We talk about her very personal prayers for her little ones. We talk about the impact of her show all around the world, and in her own heart. God is using her very own show to teach her to embrace Him at a deeper level!Whitney and Stephanie move the conversation to our dreams for 2022. What are our dreams? How do we know they are from God? How do we show up for them? How do we let Him take centerstage?We invite you to join in this conversation of things deep and light too, and to rejoice for what God is in the making of doing in and through you in 2022!Emmy nominated & Telly Award winning Whitney Reynolds' national news background and love for people have been combined to create a show that is changing the dialogue for talk TV. She produces a program that is dedicated to being a safe space for delicate life stories. She discovered this mission first hand through her own difficult childhood. The Whitney Reynolds Show educates, inspires and makes a difference, one topic at a time. What started as an online talk show moved to NBC within its first year. In 2012 the show made strategic changes, which included a shift in focus and move to PBS & eventually streaming on TUBI TV. In 2020 the show was picked up for national distribution by NETA and starting premiering across the country January 6th of 2021.The mission however, doesn’t stop with her TV program. Since 2013 Whitney has hosted a motivational “give back” segment on iHeart Radio. She also authored Beyond The Interview and has a column in Cancer Wellness Magazine. Over the years Whitney has help fundraising over 2 million of dollars for local and global charities through her media work.Originally from Oklahoma, she's learned how to combine southern charm with big city hustle. Her motto is: If the door closes, find the darn window. Whitney graduated from Baylor University in three years and moved to New York to intern for Good Morning America. Post GMA, she was a morning anchor in both Oklahoma and Texas. She has since planted her roots in Chicago and lives in the Roscoe Village neighborhood with her husband David and 5 year old twins. CONNECT WITH WHITNEYhttps://www.whitneyreynolds.com/https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyReynoldsTVhttps://www.instagram.com/whitney_reynolds/ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supportin

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 128 – Stephanie welcomes Sheila Wray Gregoire to talk about Christian marriage in general, and sex in particular. Sheila brings a fresh, different perspective to intimate relationship and invites us to reconsider some of the things we might have been taught through mainstream Christian marriage books. Have you ever wondered if women need respect, too, and what that looks like when husbands need love? This episode will hopefully trigger conversations between spouses within the context of Christian marriage. So, grab a cup of coffee, cuddle up under a blanket and dare to listen to this conversation together with your spouse; then, talk about what you hear, and share your reaction to Sheila’s message! Stephanie really encourages you to open up in conversation with your spouse. You will be surprised by what they think and believe—what an opportunity to correct some widespread misconceptions!We’re entering the conversation about sex and pleasure today, and it’s a great way to start 2022 afresh in our Christian marriages! Could it be that some of the things you may have read or been taught, are not actually true in your particular marriage? Might it be that some of these teachings do not foster trust and communication, but a spirit of animosity and ignorance? For example, have you ever heard it said that the Christian wife owes her husband sexual intimacy, regardless of whether she wants to, or not? Have you ever heard it said that a woman should give her husband sex at least every 72 hours? Have you ever heard it said that if, as a wife, you do not satisfy your husband sexually, he will be drawn to porn and unhealthy sex practices? Why do only half the women experience orgasm during sex, against almost 100% of men? Did you know that Christian wives experience more physical pain during sex, overall, than the general population? What if frequency was a symptom, not a root cause to a deeper problem? What is libido, and how is desire triggered? How does mainstream entertainment teach us the wrong definition of desire and libido? Have you ever seen how disrespectful it is to men to state that they always lust? Have you ever wondered how shameful this message is for men? Sheila brings a scientific AND Biblical approach that will help us reassess what “sex” really is: is it merely intercourse, or how can it become “love-making”?Sheila gives us the secret to a more vibrant sex life... just tune in!This is a sensitive, and maybe controversial conversation, and that is what makes for a healthy conversation! There is only one way to find out what you believe about a healthy sex life within your Christian marriage... take a listen, and talk with your spouse about this conversation!GO TO GOSPELSPICE.COM/GIVEAWAY to enter for a chance to win Sheila's book!!Sheila Wray Gregoire is a popular speaker, marriage blogger, and the author of eight books, including The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex. She loves encouraging women in their relationships, both with God and with their husbands, children, and friends. Her passion is for marriage, and she and her husband Keith speak together at marriage outreaches and at FamilyLife Canada marriage conferences. Sheila believes in authenticity, and gives real solutions to the very real and messy problems women, and couples, can face. You can usually find her in Belleville, Ontario, where she’s constantly texting her two young adult daughters and knitting. Preferably simultaneously.About “The Great Sex Rescue”:What if it's not your fault that sex is bad in your marriage?Based on a groundbreaking in-depth survey of 22,000 Christian women, The Great Sex Rescue unlocks the secrets to what makes some marriages red hot while others fizzle out. Generations of women have grown up with messages about sex that make them feel dirty, used, or invisible, while men have been sold such a cheape

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 127 – This conversation is an invitation to cozy up by the fireplace, with a hot cup of your favorite spiced tea and intrumental music in the background. We hope you will enjoy it as 2021 gently comes to an end. Stephanie welcomes Christie Purifoy today. Christie describes herself as a gardener, writer and placemaker. She and Stephanie may only have met a few week ago, but it already feels like they have known each other much longer than that! That’s how God works when He brings His children together, isn’t it? And they invite you to join them for a whimsical conversation about all things spiritual—from a garden to an old red brick farmhouse, to all manner of human relationships under the canopy of heaven.Stephanie has enjoyed stepping into Christie’s books, lingering there to taste and see the beauty of the Lord through creation and through relationships. Christie’s unique writing style and whimsical storytelling is deeply attractive, and truly satisfying. Adding her books to your must-reads in 2022 would be a wonderful way to care for your soul!Christie Purifoy is a writer and gardener. Her favorite ordinary things include strawberry jam, homegrown flowers, and old books with someone else's notes in them. She lives with her husband and children at Maplehurst, a Victorian red brick farmhouse in southeastern Pennsylvania.Christie earned a PhD in English Literature from the University of Chicago before trading the classroom for a picket-fenced garden and an old writing desk. Today, she grows zucchini her four kids refuse to eat. The zucchini-loving chickens are perfectly happy with this arrangement.Christie believes that life, in all its pain and beauty and mystery, is a journey of love. Writing keeps her eyes wide-open to this astonishing reality. You can pre-order Christie’s latest book, Garden Maker, from any of these book sellers: https://www.christiepurifoy.com/garden-maker-book/LIMITED TIME OFFER - Preorder and Receive Valuable Gardening Resources from Christie: When you preorder Garden Maker, you’ll receive a free three-month subscription to Christie’s Black Barn Garden Club, a flower arranging guide, and a “plan your plot” printable to help you visualize your garden space. Redeeming your preorder is easy. Just order the book and return to this page to fill out the form: https://www.christiepurifoy.com/garden-maker-book/Christie's first book, Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons, was published by Revell in 2016. Her newest book, Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace, released in spring 2019 from Zondervan and is available wherever books are sold.See more of Maplehurst and meet Christie here.DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 126 - Stephanie wrote this episode to invite you one last time to experience God in your wilderness, by centering on Christ through the Tabernacle. She invites you to walk with her in the wilderness campsite and make your way into the presence of God. It came to her after she started the series, so it is an unexpected Christmas gift!We hope it will be as special to you as it is to us!This special episode is a great way to introduce Gospel Spice and our Centering on Christ study to newcomers. It is also our final conclusion on the series. We hope you have been enjoying our special Christmas guests, and we promise we have exciting new ones coming this week!SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! "A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the Incarnation of Christ? Are you tired of stale clichés that taste like microwaved Christmas dinner leftovers? Are you hungry for an explosion of fresh flavors in your Christmas devotions? Experience a Gospel Spice Christmas alongside the shepherds, and discover how to make your life a daily nativity scene where Christ can be born in ever-deepening ways.Click here or go to your YouVersion Bible App on your phone, and search "Gospel Spice." It is our gift to you! Enjoy!PAY GOSPEL SPICE FORWARD THIS CHRISTMAS.Did you know that this show is completely free because of listeners just like you who pay the show forward, so that it is free for you? We do not want to add paid advertisements because we believe that your time is precious. So, would you consider joining the Gospel Spice family by paying Gospel Spice forward? Because we are a registered non-profit organization, your donation is 100% tax-deductible (in the USA). Contact us for monthly payments, or donate by Credit Card or via PayPal.We invite you to join us to reach even more than the 125 countries we currently serve, and the thousands upon thousands who enjoy the Gospel Spice podcast.The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools brought to you by Gospel Spice Ministries. The Gospel Spice Ministries exist to inspire Christ-followers in our generation to delight in the glory of God by knowing and experiencing Jesus more intimately. We provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Donate by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal. Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So p

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 125 – Today is another Special Christmas Gospel Spice gift for you! Stephanie welcomes three dear friends, each with their own message right in time for Christmas. Join us for three short conversations to make this season unique among all. From a calling to leave everything to serve God overseas and even through death, to a special Christmas experience, to a passion to honor Jesus among the least of these—allow these conversations to inspire you, and take your Christmas experience to new levels with our guests.Cindy DeBoer shares her family’s story away from the typical American dream and towards embracing radical obedience. Moving overseas (twice!) and dealing with uncurable illness has shaped Cindy’s faith and taught her to delight in God through the highs and lows of life. This is one story you do not want to miss—personal promise from Stephanie!Marci Renee too has moved overseas several times, and lived cross-culturally most of her life. She now lives in Spain with her family, and has unexpectedly found herself in the trenches of the fight against human trafficking as she now works with a local halfway house, restoring women whose lives have been shattered beyond description. And yes, this is a Christmas story—about redemption for the least of these. We can relate. You will not be the same after you hear Marci—another promise from Stephanie.Finally, Christine Trimpe joins us to tell us about her discovery of the deeper meaning of Christmas—joy! Embrace her quest to seek and find joy in the gospel of Luke, the perfect Advent gift this season. Stephanie loves Christine’s contagious joy and her desire to share her passion with all those she encounters.Scroll below for all the ways to connect with these precious ambassadors of Jesus, this Christmas season and beyond!SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! "A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the Incarnation of Christ? Are you tired of stale clichés that taste like microwaved Christmas dinner leftovers? Are you hungry for an explosion of fresh flavors in your Christmas devotions? Experience a Gospel Spice Christmas alongside the shepherds, and discover how to make your life a daily nativity scene where Christ can be born in ever-deepening ways.Click here or go to your YouVersion Bible App on your phone, and search "Gospel Spice." It is our gift to you! Enjoy!CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTSCindy DeBoerWebsite: https://cindydeboer.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.deboer.79Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindydeboerwrites/Marci ReneeWebsite : https://culturalstoryweaver.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/culturalstoryweaverInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturalstoryweaver/Twitter: https://twitter.com/culturalstoryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-cultural-story-weaver/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/culturalstoryweaver/Christine TrimpeTo order Christine’s book: Seeking Joy through the Gospel of Luke (https://christinetrimpe.com/joy)Bonus Chapters of Seeking Joy––an early Christmas gift for you: Seeking Joy BONUS Chapters--an early Christmas gift! (https://christinetrimpe.com/seeking-joy-bonus-chapters)Contact email: [email protected] Website: www.christinetrimpe.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineTrimpeLLCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachchristinetrimpe/Twitter: https://twitter.com/KetoChristineMIYouTube: @ChristineTrimpe https://youtube.com/christinetrimpePinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joyfulketolife/PAY GOSPEL SPICE FORWARD THIS CHRISTMAS.Did you know that this show is completely free because of listeners just like you who pay the show forward, so that it is free for you? We do not want to add paid advertisements because we believe th

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 124 – Gospel Spice welcomes Mercy House Global and its founder, Kristen Welch. Stephanie has been a fan of Mercy House Global for some time, because of its unique purpose to provide dignified jobs to women out of sex trafficking in Kenya, and to survivors of human trafficking all over the world—locally, in Houston, and globally, in over 40 locations. As Christmas approaches, we Western consumers have the choice to buy responsibly, and to honor God with how we purchase our gifts this season. Think about where your purchases come from; could they come from a sweat shop, where children or women labor for unsustainable wages? Did you know that some children are forced to harvest the cocoa beans that will be used to fill our stockings this season? Did you know that some women are physically chained to their sowing machines to create the cheap stockings that we will purchase to put that chocolate in?How can you be sure that your purchase does not condone modern slavery, but God-honoring practices? Buying fair-trade from reputable Christian organizations is an easy way to spend our money wisely. It is more expensive, for sure. But buying smaller items made with ethical, Christ-centered purpose is preferable to buying bigger, labor-trafficked goods.How about being good stewards of what God has entrusted to us? We want to be able to say, at the end of a phase of our lives, that we have been faithful. What does it look like, and how can we take steps to ensure we will be able to say this, when God brings a phase of our lives to a close, and ushers us into a new phase of life?This is the conversation today on the Gospel Spice podcast with Kristen Welch. It’s not easy to hear; but what about being purposeful towards doing the most good this Christmas? Now is our chance to honor the birth of our Savior through our purchases. Join us this season to experience a labor trafficking-free Christmas, and to support organizations who help women out of sex trafficking too.Go to https://mercyhouseglobal.org/ for more info, and specifically to https://shop.mercyhouseglobal.org/ for shopping ideas.If you want to find out more about sex trafficking, we recommend our Gospel Spice interview with Rebecca Bender, available here (Episode 111, dated September 20, 2021): https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/episode/what-can-i-do-today-to-fight-human-trafficking-a-practical-conversation-with-rebecca-bender-89449/SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! "A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the Incarnation of Christ? Are you tired of stale clichés that taste like microwaved Christmas dinner leftovers? Are you hungry for an explosion of fresh flavors in your Christmas devotions? Experience a Gospel Spice Christmas alongside the shepherds, and discover how to make your life a daily nativity scene where Christ can be born in ever-deepening ways.Click here or go to your YouVersion Bible App on your phone, and search "Gospel Spice." It is our gift to you! Enjoy!PAY GOSPEL SPICE FORWARD THIS CHRISTMAS.Did you know that this show is completely free because of listeners just like you who pay the show forward, so that it is free for you? We do not want to add paid advertisements because we believe that your time is precious. So, would you consider joining the Gospel Spice family by paying Gospel Spice forward? Because we are a registered non-profit organization, your donation is 100% tax-deductible (in the USA). Contact us for monthly payments, or donate by Credit Card or via PayPal.We invite you to join us to reach even more than the 125 countries we currently serve, and the thousands upon thousands who enjoy the Gospel Spice podcast.The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools broug

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 123 – The Chosen is with us again today! This special episode is one of our Christmas 2021 Gospel Spice gifts to you 🙂 Chad Gundersen and Chris Juen, Producers for The Chosen and owners of Out of Order Studios, join Stephanie for an exclusive conversation to talk about all things The Chosen Christmas, and so much more! With great humility and passion, they both describe themselves as the ones who come alongside Dallas Jenkins to make his vision come true—and today, they tell us how they do that, every day! So, join us today to experience The Chosen from the inside!We start the conversation with “The Messengers,” the special Christmas with the Chosen movie, and then take it further and deeper. You will hear unique insights into the making of the show, the behind-the-scenes of how relationships with actors, fans, and the team grow and evolve over time.Chad tells us about the philosophy behind The Chosen – the desire to serve the fans and the audience by providing a Christ-centered experience. He vulnerably shares “One of my biggest prayers is, 'Lord don’t let me mess this up.'” How we at Gospel Spice can relate to this!Chris shares how the entire team consistently yields to the Lord’s guidance and direction: “we have a very loose hold on our plans, and time after time after time, His plans are so much better… and almost unachievable.”Stephanie loves both men’s passion for Christ, so representative of the spirit of The Chosen. They also go personal, and tell us about their wives’ roles, and how it is a family and team effort that requires much sacrifice, too. The Chosen is the real deal, and Gospel Spice fully loves all things The Chosen!MEET THE PRODUCERS OF THE CHOSENFor the last 25 years Chris Juen has been involved in many studio tent pole films for both Visual Effects and Animation while working at Sony Pictures. In 2004, after playing a key role on Robert Zemeckis's Polar Express, he made the jump from Live Action to CG Animation. He played a crucial role in helping to setup the new Sony Pictures Animation Division. While at Sony his credits included Co-Producer on hits like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Arthur Christmas, as well as Digital Producer of the animated films Surf's Up and The Polar Express. Juen is also credited as the Visual Effects Producer on Beowulf and a Visual Effects Producer on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In 2015, along with producer Chad Gundersen, Chris started Out of Order Studios, where they have produced numerous TV shows, animated projects and feature films, including the ground-breaking TV series, The Chosen.Chad Gundersen’s producing career began over 25 years ago while in college at the University of North Texas. While there, Chad co-founded Night & Day Films in 2000 and made numerous award winning commercials, music videos and short films. Going out on his own in 2006, Chad started Gundersen Entertainment where he worked alongside studios like 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and Sony to produce multiple life-changing films. Some of his more notable projects include Like Dandelion Dust starring Academy Award Winner Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper, The Trial starring Matthew Modine, Hoovey starring Patrick Warburton and Lauren Holly, as well as the children’s animated series, Owlegories. In 2015, along with producer Chris Juen, Chad started Out of Order Studios, where they have produced numerous TV shows, animated projects and feature films, including the ground-breaking TV series, The Chosen.SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! "A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the Incarnation of Christ? Are you tired of stale clichés that taste like microwaved Christmas dinne

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 122 - Today is our last day in our Tabernacle series, as we get ready to celebrate Christmas in our upcoming season. What better way to prepare for the Incarnate Christ, than to behold one last time the symbolism of the Tabernacle for the incarnation?So we retrace our steps all the way back from Eden, shedding yet another perspective on the essential nature of our understanding of God’s tabernacle for us today as believers.We also take time to tie in loose ends, which point to our Lord gloriously: where is the Ark of the covenant today? What will happen in the future, according to Bible prophecy?Stephanie takes us on a highly experiential episode by highlighting key texts from the Book of Hebrews, and their significance for the Tabernacle today. In a nutshell? The essence of being “IN Christ” and Christ being “IN” us.More details about this final episode in our series:It began as a garden, that became a forbidden place. It was a dwelling place, not a tent. The tent began as just a tent, the dwelling-place of Abraham … It was our first lesson, 8 weeks ago.First came the Tabernacle, a tent whose architect was God, but whose builder was Moses; it was a copy of the future, heavenly tabernacle that would come down from heaven to be the true dwelling place of God with Man, and Man with God. His Name would be Jesus.That first tabernacle, it was a tent within a tent, separated by a veil, a veil which protected God’s people from the nuclear-blast strength of His glory.The Tabernacle traveled and traveled, leading Israel into the promised Land. It finally settled in Jerusalem, and became the Temple.Then, “the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us”; God, in the person of Jesus, dwelt with his people, and died for them. The true Tabernacle had revealed His glory.God now dwells among his people through his Holy Spirit. We, individually and corporately as the universal church, are the Tabernacle and the Temple.Jesus was our forerunner, the “firstborn from the dead” (Col 1.18). We are the next ones after the FIRST born. The human body is a tent, the Tabernacle, or Temple, of the Holy Spirit during life, but soon to be taken down, and replaced, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (2 Cor 5.1).That’s where we are today. So, what’s next? Revelation takes us up to heaven, God’s people dwelling with him in glory. There is no veil, no separation. Revelation does not end with man going up to heaven to live forever with God. It ends with God coming down from heaven to live with man – in a tent which is now a great city.From the garden to the city that contains a garden – that’s Revelation 21. That glorious heavenly Jerusalem, united with the New heaven and the New Earth, is glorious for many reasons; the most astounding is that God Himself dwells there—and therefore, this is the very definition of heaven.One thing is conspicuously absent from the new Jerusalem. There is no temple, no tabernacle. John did not see a temple in the city, “for the Lord God almighty is its temple, and the Lamb” (Rev 21.22). This city is not a building, and the church is not a building. The new Jerusalem is not, essentially, a city but the church, the people of God with whom he has always wanted to dwell.The Bible ends with the glorious promise that God will come again to dwell with His people forever—at a much more glorious level than anything we have ever experienced even in our most intense moments of intimacy through the Holy Spirit.Can you imagine what awaits you, because you are IN Christ and He is IN you?----About this study: Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illu

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 121 – Susie Larson joins Stephanie today to ask, What Matters Most This Christmas Season? What if you approached this Advent more open to the things of God? What if you decided to be expectant that God would move in your midst? What if you made room for the joy found in the coming of our King?Stephanie absolutely devoured “Prepare Him Room”, the brand new Christmas Advent devotional that Susie is bringing to us this Christmas. You can also watch the live video of the conversation on our YouTube channel, and make sure to subscribe: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/P9MYgSdx2yM?feature=oembedThese are some of Stephanie’s favorite quotes from Susie’s latest release:"It takes great maturity to embrace holy contentment and holy expectation simultaneously.""Whenever we ask for more from God, He asks for more from us.""Jesus was physically weak but spiritually strong. So can we.""If we don't think God cares about our hunger, we'll miss out on the beautiful experience of His provision; We will be too full on lesser things to notice it.""With Jesus, subtraction precedes multiplication. Humility precedes breakthrough.""Humility and faith is an irresistible combination for Jesus.""God wants you to want His influence.""Jesus invites us to approach Him with wide-eyed wonder and ask that all of who He is would come in and change all of who we are."In their conversation today, Susie shares with Stephanie what she is asking God for Christmas: that He would teach her to leave this year and enter the next, trusting Him more. This is a bold, ambitious, Christ-centered prayer.Susie reminds us that the first Christmas was not commercialized, but was focused on the light of the Lord against the backdrop of darkness. She tells us that our “not yets” do not make us “have nots”—because that is how Christmas came to be. Jesus identifies with the broken and the poor. “Silent night” was deep darkness; and yet, light was entering and is inextinguishable. Her raw emotion when she shares about her precious Lord, is beautiful and draws us deep into worship.Susie prays a humble, bold prayer for everyone who will be listening to this episode. This prayer gave Stephanie goosebumps. Do not miss the blessing and the anointing of this prayer over you! It is a most special Christmas gift from Susie to you this year.Gospel Spice Giveaway:“Prepare Him Room” invites you to give God sacred space in your holiday season as you ponder the miracle of Christ and respond to His work in your life. As you begin your Christmas preparations this year, journey through Luke's account of Jesus' birth, life, death, and ultimate resurrection. God invites you to be still and let Jesus radically transform you this holy season. Let earth receive her King!Susie is giving away several copies of “Prepare Him Room.” Go to gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win. Winners will be notified directly.Meet Susie Larson:Susie Larson is a talk radio host, national speaker, and bestselling author. In both 2016 and 2017 Susie was nominated and voted into the top ten groups for the National John Maxwell Leadership Award. Susie has been married to her dear husband Kevin since 1985 and together they have three wonderful sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, two beautiful grandchildren, and one adorable pit bull named Memphis. Susie’s passion is to see women everywhere awakened to the value of their soul, the depth of God’s love, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus.You will find Susie at susielarson.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/susielarsonauthorYou will also find her on Instagram @susielarsonauthorSPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! "A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the I

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 120 - Last week we reverently stepped into the Holy Place. Today—today is the most hallowed day in the Jewish calendar, symbolically for us. This is the day we clothe ourselves fully in the righteousness of our Great Hight Priest, Jesus our Messiah, so we can enter with Him, through Him and In Him into the Holy of Holies.The Holy of Holies was the single most sanctified spot on planet earth—the very place where God established His residence among men.So we take out time today to experience the fullness of the import of this moment. We ponder the meaning of holiness, and of glory. We behold our insignificance, yet our utmost significance in Christ. We bow down, we worship, and we adore.The Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy seat reveal their symbolism to us today in Christ Jesus our eternal Great High Priest.He is today interceding for you from the very Throne Room of heaven.Enter boldly under His Name.Experience the power of intimacy and fellowship.About this study: Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.----If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something n

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 119 - Today. Today! Today, we are going in. This is the day we have been building up to, ever since we entered our Centering on Christ: The Tabernacle podcast series here at Gospel Spice. Literally thousands have joined us from all over the world.And today--today, we are entering the Holy Place.In the first half of our series so far, we’ve entered the outer court of the Tabernacle, separated from the people, set apart for an encounter with God.We have sacrificed at the bronze altar, experiencing the cleansing of the Cross at salvation, where Christ died for us.We have washed at the washbasin through baptism and a life of sanctification, because we have embraced our identity as fully set apart for Him, His royal priesthood.We took time so that we would grasp the weight of the privilege that is ours.And now, it all comes down to this moment: we are faced with the invitation to proceed into the presence of God and enter the holy place.We have learned that only the priesthood was allowed into that hallowed space. In Christ, we are His royal priesthood, acquired at the great cost of His very life.And today—now—is the time we reverently step in.Holy hush.Reverent awe.Behold your God.----Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 118 – How do we hold on when we want to let go? How do we persevere with God when we are about to give up? How do we answer our WHY questions? How does our trauma inform and shape our faith? How can we know that God is trustworthy in the midst of trauma, crisis and disaster? Stephanie welcomes international speaker, bestselling author and fellow Bible geek Sheila Walsh. From Scotland, Sheila is an author, Bible teacher and television host. She has spoken around the world to over 6 million people and reaches a potential 100 million daily as co-host of the Life Today television program. Sheila loves to make the Bible practical, sharing how God met her at her lowest point and helped her to rise up again. Her message? God is faithful and He is holding you!Sheila’s books have sold over 5.5 million copies including multiple bestsellers “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay” and her new book “Holding On When You Want To Let Go.” This latest book is the focus of our episode today.Sheila vulnerably shares the traumatic events of her childhood, the loneliness, anxiety, and depression that still creep into her life, how the coronavirus pandemic magnified and exacerbated her struggles, and the source of the hope that keeps her holding on each and every day. “I am still learning how to be healed and whole,” says Sheila Walsh. “God is still writing my story. He is writing yours too. The pieces are not lost. You are not forgotten, overlooked, pushed aside. Your story is simply not finished yet. We all wish that we were able to be the perfect parents, partners, friends, to never bruise another soul, but we are flawed and that’s why each one of us needs a Father.” In an effort to connect with the millions worldwide who are hurting struggling with mental health and pain from their past, Sheila honestly shares the issues that plague her, the promises and miracles she clings to, and the practical strategies and steps and that have helped sustain her on her journey to keep holding on.For those having a hard time hanging on, Sheila offers a lifeline of hope. With great compassion born of experience and hardship, she comes alongside the hurting, fearful, and exhausted to remind them that no matter how insurmountable their struggles may feel, hope and love are freely available from the God who writes their story. Sharing from her own pain and digging deep into biblical stories of rescue, hope, and miracles, she gives readers the strength to keep going, to keep holding on to God in a world turned upside down. “I don’t know what the missing pieces in your story are. I don’t know the circumstances you find yourself in right now or why you might feel as if you are just clinging to hope by a thin thread. But I do know this. You are not alone. You are not abandoned. You are seen. You are loved. You are believed. You are forgiven. You are free. Hold on to God with everything that’s in you and on the days when you feel yourself slipping, remember you are being held.”CONNECT WITH SHEILABuy “Holding on when you want to let go”: https://sheilawalsh.com/holdingon/https://sheilawalsh.com/https://www.facebook.com/sheilawalshconnectshttps://www.instagram.com/sheilawalsh1/https://twitter.com/SheilaWalshIF YOU’VE ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW, YOU WILL LOVE OUR GOSPEL SPICE SERIES! Click to check out the first episode of each season:We are currently in the middle of our series titled "Centering on Christ: the Tabernacle" which is such a fitting context for today's interview! Check out the first episode in this current series on gospelspice.com or wherever you are listening to this one from!https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/"Identity in the Battle": https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 117 - In this special episode celebrating our mid-way point in our current podcast series titled “Centering on Christ: the Tabernacle” we invite you to join Stephanie and special host Chera for a live Q&A session recorded when this series was initially taught as a live Bible study in 2020. The live audience asked the questions we are answering for you today:What does Sephora have to do with the Tabernacle????What was it like to travel with the Tabernacle through the wilderness?How does the Holy Spirit manifest Himself in the Old Testament, in comparison to the New?What is the role of the Holy Spirit in heaven (compared to earth in the believers today)?How is the garden of Eden the first tabernacle?What does it mean that “the glory departed” in Ezekiel?How do you understand God’s treatment of Moses at the end of his life?We hope you will enjoy this lively conversation, recorded live between Stephanie and Chera!Next week, we will resume our series with the second half –entering deeper into the Tabernacle, all the way into the famed Holy of Holies.Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 116 - After two episodes of setting the eternal, sweeping stage for the Tabernacle (episodes 112 + 13, a must-listen if you are new to the show), today we actually enter its outer court and start making our way towards our destination—the Holy of holies (episode 120).We are beckoned to enter, cautiously and reverently. We enter into the sounds, smells and sights of the Tabernacle and its constant activity. We grapple with the symbolism of the objects we touch, the acts we perform, and the people surrounding us.Stephanie deciphers for us what it was like to be a common Israelite coming to offer their sacrifice, as commanded by the Lord. Then, she opens for us the unique experience of the priests within the Tabernacle.We are God’s royal priesthood, invited to taste and see His goodness. Join us today for a spiritual sacrifice of praise, an offering of worship to our God and King!Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocen

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 115 - Stephanie is deeply passionate about the message of Os Guinness. In Part 2 of this interview, Os and Stephanie take things personally: how will our true knowing of God shape our calling and tranform us into the force for transformation God is calling us to be? Os takes us to the Old Testament truths of justice, community and covenant as radically important ideas that show the world the way forward for each of us personally.“There are two revolutionary faiths bidding to take the world forward,” Guinness writes. “There is no choice facing America and the West that is more urgent and consequential than the choice between Sinai and Paris. Will the coming generation return to faith in God and to humility, or continue to trust in the all sufficiency of Enlightenment reason, punditry, and technocracy? Will its politics be led by principles or by power?”While Guinness cannot predict our ultimate fate, he warns that we must recognize the crisis of our time and debate the issues openly. As individuals and as a people, we must choose between the revolutions, between faith in God and faith in Reason alone, between freedom and despotism, and between life and death.GOSPEL SPICE GIVEAWAYWe are giving away copies of the Magna Carta of Humanity, the phenomenal book that we are discussing today on the show. To enter for a chance to win, go to gospelspice.com/giveaway. Winners will be drawn at random among the entries and contacted directly.MEET OS GUINNESSOs Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford. Os has written or edited more than thirty books, including The Call, Time for Truth, Unspeakable, A Free People’s Suicide, The Global Public Square, Last Call for Liberty, and Carpe Diem Redeemed. His latest book, The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai's Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, was published in 2018. Since moving to the United States in 1984, Os has been a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies, a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum and the EastWest Institute in New York. He was the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988, a celebration of the bicentennial of the US Constitution, and later of “The Global Charter of Conscience,” which was published at the European Union Parliament in 2012. Os has spoken at many of the world’s major universities, and spoken widely to political and business conferences across the world. He lives with his wife Jenny in the Washington DC area.You will find him at http://www.osguinness.com/IF YOU’VE ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW, YOU WILL LOVE OUR GOSPEL SPICE SERIES! Click to check out the first episode of each season:We are currently in the middle of our series titled "Centering on Christ: the Tabernacle" which is such a fitting context for today's interview! Check out the first episode in this current series on gospelspice.com or wherever you are listening to this one from!https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/"Identity in the Battle": https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/ https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.p

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 114 - Stephanie is deeply passionate about the message of Os Guinness. How are we to understand the times we are living in? How are we to live as Christians and agents of both reconciliation and truth in a culture that seems to seek neither? How are we to fulfill our calling, individually and corporately? The stakes could not be higher--and the answers are found in Scripture. Join us for a fascinating conversation, a deep dive into the human heart, and an ambitious call to live for such a time as this.In these stormy times, loud voices from all fronts call for revolution and change. But what kind of revolution brings true freedom to both society and the human soul? In his latest book and on Gospel Spice today, cultural observer Os Guinness explores the nature of revolutionary faith, contrasting between secular revolutions such as the French Revolution and the faith-led revolution of ancient Israel.He argues that the story of Exodus is the highest, richest, and deepest vision for freedom in human history. It serves as the master story of human freedom and provides the greatest sustained critique of the abuse of power. His contrast between “Paris” and “Sinai” offers a framework for discerning between two kinds of revolution and their different views of human nature, equality, and liberty. Drawing on the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, Guinness develops Exodus as the Magna Carta of humanity, with a constructive vision of a morally responsible society of independent free people who are covenanted to each other and to justice, peace, stability, and the common good of the community. This is the model from the past that charts our path to the future.“There are two revolutionary faiths bidding to take the world forward,” Guinness writes. “There is no choice facing America and the West that is more urgent and consequential than the choice between Sinai and Paris. Will the coming generation return to faith in God and to humility, or continue to trust in the all sufficiency of Enlightenment reason, punditry, and technocracy? Will its politics be led by principles or by power?”While Guinness cannot predict our ultimate fate, he warns that we must recognize the crisis of our time and debate the issues openly. As individuals and as a people, we must choose between the revolutions, between faith in God and faith in Reason alone, between freedom and despotism, and between life and death.Part 2 of this conversation will release as a bonus episode later this week. Stay tuned!MEET OS GUINNESSOs Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford. Os has written or edited more than thirty books, including The Call, Time for Truth, Unspeakable, A Free People’s Suicide, The Global Public Square, Last Call for Liberty, and Carpe Diem Redeemed. His latest book, The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai's Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, was published in 2018. Since moving to the United States in 1984, Os has been a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies, a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum and the EastWest Institute in New York. He was the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988, a celebration of the bicentennial of the US Constitution, and later of “The Global Charter of Conscience,” which was published at the European Union Parliament in 2012. Os has spoken at many of the w

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 113 - Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.Last week we approached history from man’s perspective. This week, we are approaching the same history of the people of God… but from God’s perspective.Stephanie teaches us about God’s successive dwelling places in the lives of men, from before time began, to Eden, the Tabernacle, the Temple, all the way to Jesus, and the church today. We then take a look at what is to come – the NEXT dwelling places of God with mankind.In light of this global sweeping history, we approach the Tabernacle as a teaching-moment point of contact between heaven and earth: what was it? How was it built? What did it mean then, and what does it mean to us today as modern-day believers in Jesus Messiah, over 3,000 years later?Stephanie’s personal motto is, “God’s glory, our delight.” So, what does the Tabernacle have to do with God’s glory, and what does it teach us about experiencing delight in God?Our series, titled “Centering on Christ: the Tabernacle”, unveils God’s presence with mankind. God invites you to dwell with Him. How will you RSVP?If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across genera

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 112 - This season, we beckon you to experience Jesus where heaven meets earth.Have you ever wondered if your relationship with God might deepen, if only you understood how Jesus is portrayed in the Old Testament? Could God be inviting you deeper into intimacy with Him through Moses’ Tabernacle? Have you experienced God in the Holy of Holies?Stephanie invites you to experience the Tabernacle like never before, and to fall in love with Jesus at a deeper level by tasting and seeing that He is good.God instructed mankind to build the Tabernacle as His dwelling place among them. As we will study the temporal structure and eternal purpose of the Tabernacle through this in-depth 8-episode Bible study, you will be drawn into deeper, more intimate worship of Christ. You will discover the symbolism and ultimate fulfillment of the Tabernacle in Christ, and in you as His dwelling place. You will experience God’s timeline of grace, from Eden past to Heaven future.Come with a heart thirsty for more of Christ and experience Him in fresh new ways!You will leave this series with a deep understanding of the symbolism of the Tabernacle and its fulfillment in Christ, and a renewed awe and passion for God.Our series, titled “Centering on Christ: the Tabernacle”, unveils God’s presence with mankind. God invites you to dwell with Him. How will you RSVP?Through the Tabernacle, taste and see that the Lord is good! This might be the most in-depth series yet to release on the Gospel Spice podcast. Yet, its mix of storytelling and insightful illustrations makes it easy-to-understand, approachable, and relatable. As with everything Gospel Spice, it is completely Christ-soaked.If you want to dig deeper, we offer a FREE resource: a 50+ page guidebook available only for those who register for free at gospelspice.com/tabernacle. It will guide you through the podcast series by providing daily readings and activities around your personal time with God this season. Get yours today!---So today… our question is, how did we get here?What is “Here”?Picture a campsite of about 2 million people (Exodus 12:38-40), including probably over 1 million children. Dry desert. No running water, no electricity. All on foot, with some chariots. A lot of tents, made of Egyptian cloth.Feel the heat, taste the dust on your tongue, feel the sting of both sun and dust on your eyes. It’s hot – it’s a desert. Rocks and dirt and hills of stone in every direction.Grey is the earth beneath you; blue is the hot sky above you.In front, behind, to your left, to your right – countless men, women, children just like you, camping and making the best of their circumstances.Having just escaped slavery. Free at last.Free? Yes. Free to die, it seems.They don’t know it yet, but they will all die in this desert. They will wander for 40 years to reach a destination that is 11 travel days away. All this, because they adamantly refused to follow the God who had delivered them out of slavery.As we meet them today, they are at one of their first stops. Egypt is still fresh on their minds.They will end up camping here for 12 months, under the shadow of Mount Sinai, where Moses is given the ten commandments and they build the Tabernacle.This is our context. Let’s now see where God is taking us from here!----Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and familyPAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financiallyPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.In more details: we provide resources to empower Christi

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 111 – Stephanie welcomes Rebecca Bender for the second half of our Gospel Spice 2nd Anniversary Celebration. This episode highlights one of Gospel Spice’s mission: to raise awareness in the fight against human trafficking in the US and abroad. In her own words, Rebecca "educates leaders and organizations about human trafficking so they can protect their communities and change culture."This powerful episode is absolutely a must-listen, but is not for young ears: though we have kept it very clean, it might raise difficult questions from little ones. Listen accordingly! Rebecca gives us SUPER PRACTICAL TIPS to identify potential threats, based on your child's age, from elementary to high school years. If there is a child in your life, we encourage you to learn how to teach them safety today.A reformer at heart, Rebecca has become a leading voice in the fight against human trafficking in all its forms. She shares with us what God has been teaching her lately, as she sees injustice and evil growingly rampant in our world today. She shares, "success is following God's call in your life, regardless of what it looks like." God's favor is not only seen in big things, but in the little things of daily life.For nearly six years, Rebecca was sold across the underground world of sex trafficking in Las Vegas. She was branded, beaten, told when to sleep and what to wear, and traded between traffickers. Even in the midst of her exploitation, God began revealing himself to her and she found the hope she needed to survive. After a federal raid, Rebecca escaped. Her life was forever changed as she felt the embrace of her heavenly Father guiding her to healing and wholeness.Rebecca soon began to use her own experiences to change the lives of others as she went back into the darkest places she had known--assisting FBI, VICE, and law enforcement across the country in some of their most difficult cases.Today, Rebecca is an award-winning thought leader, advocate, speaker and consultant with a Master’s degree in Christian Thought and years of insight on industry best practices. She has trained and equipped well over 100,000 professionals, individuals, agencies, and organizations to identify human trafficking in their own back yards. She is also the founder of Elevate Academy, the largest online school for human trafficking, serving nearly 800 survivors in 368 locations across the country and around the world. Her memoir, “In Pursuit of Love” was published by Zondervan in January 2020. Rebecca’s incredible story of hope and redemption reminds us all that our past does not determine our destiny.Find Rebecca:@imrebeccabender (FB&IG) – make sure to follow her!www.rebeccabender.org www.elevate-academy.orgMake sure to discover the RBI FREE anti-trafficking Course: https://rebecca-bender.mykajabi.com/trafficking-truthsthe MUST-TAKE quiz to discover what YOU can do TODAY: the Find your lanes quiz: https://www.rebeccabender.org/quiza plethora of free resources: https://www.rebeccabender.org/resource-list IF YOU’VE ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW, YOU WILL LOVE OUR GOSPEL SPICE SERIES! Click to check out the first episode of each season:We are currently in the middle of our series titled "Identity in the Battle" which is such a fitting context for today's interview! Check out the first episode in this current series: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 110 – In the wake of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, how are we to understand the Middle East today? How should Western Christians approach Israel and all things Jewish? What about Bible prophecy in light of the Jewish state today? Who are the enemies and the allies of the West, and of Israel, in the Middle East today?Stephanie is joined again by Joel Rosenberg, New York Times bestselling author of novels and nonfiction books with nearly 5 million copies in print. This is part 2 of Joel Rosenberg's exclusive interview with Stephanie. Make sure to first listen to part 1, episode 109!An evangelical Christian, dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and global influencer living in Jerusalem, Joel Rosenberg embodies the Gospel Spice mission to inspire you to taste and see that the Lord is good, through an in-depth experience of the cultural flavors of Scripture. Joel is an unmatched storyteller with a contagious passion for Christ and his people. This makes him the ideal Gospel Spice anniversary guest as we celebrate our 2nd anniversary this month! Not to mention, Stephanie has been a fan of his books and political analyses for almost 20 years now.In his latest book, Enemies and Allies, Joel asks, “do recent changes in the Middle East signal peace?” One Arab country after another is signing historic, game-changing peace, trade, investment, and tourism deals with Israel. At the same time, Russia, Iran, and Turkey are forming a highly dangerous alliance that could threaten the Western powers. Meanwhile, the U.S. is drawing down its military forces in the Mideast and focusing on matters closer to home. Where’s it all heading? Enemies and Allies takes readers behind closed doors in the Middle East and introduce them to the very kings and crown princes, presidents and prime ministers who are leading the change.Today, Joel also tells us about his Jewish family and growing up in America, before moving to Israel with his wife Lynn and his four sons in 2014. We talk spices and Jewish flavors – spiritually and literally! Joel takes us on a tour into Jerusalem—its streets, flavors, smells and most importantly, its uniquely global culture today. How is the Jewish Christian church doing today? Make sure to listen to find out! How can we understand what is happening in the Middle East today, from Afghanistan and Tehran to Jerusalem and Amman? Joel Rosenberg joins us to share a sobering truth about our world today: “To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it.” This applies spiritually, but also politically today more than ever, as history has shown.Then we move on to more personal things: how does Joel study Scripture in general, and prophecy in particular? How does his expertise on all things Mideast inform his thriller writing? What should we Christians know about the Middle East today to understand our world? How does our perspective on Israel inform our faith? And, how does prophecy build faith?We talk about expanding our view of God to make Him our delight and glorify Him – a topic near and dear Stephanie’s heart, as you might know!How does Joel use his thriller-writing talent to sneak in other topics? Well, you GOT to hear Joel’s analogy of the meatloaf smoothie. It’s got to do with leveraging our entertainment culture to share the gospel, and it is irresistible.And then, how should Christians view Israel? This is a heavy question with answers ranging from disdain, to ignorance, to idolatry. Joel brings a balanced, discerning view that is sure to inform your approach to all things Jewish—spiritually and yes, politically too.This leads us to a conversation about the famous Abraham accords that normalized relationships between Israel and 4 Muslim nations in 2020: how do these breakthrough accords inform our attitude as Christians today? How about Iran? How about Afghanistan and the role

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 109 – With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 barely behind us, how are we to understand the Middle East today? How should Western Christians approach Israel and all things Jewish? What about Bible prophecy in light of the Jewish state today? Who are the enemies and the allies of the West, and of Israel, in the Middle East today?Stephanie is joined by Joel Rosenberg, New York Times bestselling author of novels and nonfiction books with nearly 5 million copies in print, to celebrate our show's 2nd anniversary this month. Their conversation was so fascinating that we will publish it in two episodes this week (episode 109, this one, and episode 110 on September 15, 2021).Watch the live recording of this fascinating conversation on our YouTube channel and make sure to subscribe: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mZf29FgLKLI?feature=oembed An evangelical Christian, dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and global influencer living in Jerusalem, Joel Rosenberg embodies the Gospel Spice mission to inspire you to taste and see that the Lord is good, through an in-depth experience of the cultural flavors of Scripture. Joel is an unmatched storyteller with a contagious passion for Christ and his people. This makes him the ideal Gospel Spice anniversary guest! Not to mention, Stephanie has been a fan of his books and political analyses for almost 20 years now.In his latest book, Enemies and Allies, Joel asks, “do recent changes in the Middle East signal peace?” One Arab country after another is signing historic, game-changing peace, trade, investment, and tourism deals with Israel. At the same time, Russia, Iran, and Turkey are forming a highly dangerous alliance that could threaten the Western powers. Meanwhile, the U.S. is drawing down its military forces in the Mideast and focusing on matters closer to home. Where’s it all heading? Enemies and Allies takes readers behind closed doors in the Middle East and introduce them to the very kings and crown princes, presidents and prime ministers who are leading the change.Today, Joel also tells us about his Jewish family and growing up in America, before moving to Israel with his wife Lynn and his four sons in 2014. We talk spices and Jewish flavors – spiritually and literally! Joel takes us on a tour into Jerusalem—its streets, flavors, smells and most importantly, its uniquely global culture today. How is the Jewish Christian church doing today? Make sure to listen to find out! How can we understand what is happening in the Middle East today, from Afghanistan and Tehran to Jerusalem and Amman? Joel Rosenberg joins us to share a sobering truth about our world today: “To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it.” This applies spiritually, but also politically today more than ever, as history has shown.Then we move on to more personal things: how does Joel study Scripture in general, and prophecy in particular? How does his expertise on all things Mideast inform his thriller writing? What should we Christians know about the Middle East today to understand our world? How does our perspective on Israel inform our faith? And, how does prophecy build faith?We talk about expanding our view of God to make Him our delight and glorify Him – a topic near and dear Stephanie’s heart, as you might know!How does Joel use his thriller-writing talent to sneak in other topics? Well, you GOT to hear Joel’s analogy of the meatloaf smoothie. It’s got to do with leveraging our entertainment culture to share the gospel, and it is irresistible.And then, how should Christians view Israel? This is a heavy question with answers ranging from disdain, to ignorance, to idolatry. Joel brings a balanced, discerning view that is sure to inform your approach to all things Jewish—spiritually and yes, politically too.This leads us to a conversation about the famous Abra

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 106 - Stephanie welcomes Erica Wiggenhorn, bestselling Bible Study author, national speaker, and now releasing her brand new book, Letting God be enough. So, with that kind of book title, you can certainly expect a vulnerable conversation about self-introspection, daring to look at what’s inside our hearts—the good, the bad and the ugly! What can we learn about our heavenly Father to overcome our fear of failure and inadequacy?Erica and Stephanie are close friends, and this conversation will probably feel like you’re joining two friends over for coffee. We talk about our hearts, our sinfulness, and our desperate hunger for God.Do you feel like you’re missing out on some secret other people know? Do you wonder why their faith seems so strong? Are you curious about how they find success around every corner, or their marriage seems so happy? Do you wonder how they’re such good parents, or have such successful careers?It’s easy to feel like things fall into place so easily for others while you’re striving hard to keep life from falling apart. In a world where “never enough” is the norm, what do you do with those feelings of inadequacy? Do you strive more or expect less? And how does God fit into the equation?What are you afraid of, that you are hiding deep inside yourself and not dare to talk about? Erica shares a profound and hilarious story about finding dead lizards in her son’s bedroom and compels us to ask: What are the squashed Lizzies that you have hidden in your spirit sock drawer? Only one way to find out.Have you ever felt that you were not enough? That you were a fake? That if people knew you, they would discover that you are not as amazing as they think you are? Are you afraid to reveal that you don’t have it as together as you’ve been portraying? So today, we talk about imposter syndrome, about the fear to be “found out” as insufficient.God teaches us not to seek approval of our perceptions, but of Himself. Erica dives into the meaning of God's love and acceptance, and it might just transform your relationship with your Father who delights in you so powerfully, and has provided all you need for approval and acceptance.IF YOU’VE ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW, YOU WILL LOVE OUR GOSPEL SPICE SERIES! Click to check out the first episode of each season:We are currently in the middle of our series titled "Identity in the Battle" which is such a fitting context for today's interview! Check out the first episode in this current series (next week, Episode 107 will be the next in the series, but it's best to start at the beginning with Episode 101): https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODEIf you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforwardPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. G

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 103 - Stephanie welcomes Bill & Pam Farrel today to discuss marriage. Bill and Pam both grew up in highly dysfunctional homes with backgrounds that statistically guaranteed failure in their relationship; yet here they are, many decades later, with a thriving marriage and a full-scale ministry, LOVE-WISE, dedicated to coming alongside couples in every stage of married life.They say, “If you want a great love life, you must grab a hold of God’s wisdom.” This applies to all meaningful relationships! So, whether you are married or not, you will discover valuable lessons for key relationships in your life in this episode. For example, Bill shares how his family comes from a regrettable tradition of breaking ties with parents, dating back 4 generations, and how he now has created an atmosphere where his father, his son and grandson all get together with him—4 new generations of Farrel men getting together, something that has not happened in the previous 4 generations. This is one of many Farrel traditions and rituals that are now sparking positive relationships into the new generations.If you are married, we warmly invite you to listen to this episode (again?) with your spouse, take notes, and then implement one of the many suggestions in this interview!Bill and Pam share how, as newlyweds, they would “stalk” happily married, older couples at church and dare to ask them the hard questions of married life—and the unexpected blessings they would receive in these initial formative relationships with everyday heroes of married life.They explain that everyone can have a good marriage; depending on the role models you had growing up, you might need to be more intentional about the decisions you make and the instincts that have been drilled into you from potentially negative examples.They explain that individuals often marry what they don’t have—namely, someone with a very different skillset. This is a tremendous opportunity, but it will also often lead to a different approach to marriage, resulting in tension. How can we learn to work as a team in marriage, listening to and understanding one another in practical ways? Bill & Pam share with us the three AHA categories that they have created for every couple: Attitudes, Habits, and Affections. They say, “marriage doesn’t just take work. It takes smart work.”Bill and Pam remind us that marriage is about adding value to each other’s life—and keeping in the forefront of our mind how our spouse enriches our life.Pam & Bill had a fun time picking spices to describe one another—the conversation itself is a window into their relationship. Pam is jalapeno and chipotle, while Bill just might have curry overtones! You’re going to have to take a listen to find out. We challenge you to have this conversation with your spouse and decide on a spice that best represents each of you!GOSPEL SPICE GIVEAWAYBill & Pam Farrel are giving away a set of “Marriage Meet-Ups” books—one for the wife, one for the husband. Go to gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win. Winner will be announced two weeks after episode airs. If you are listening to this episode after this particular giveaway closes, please stay tuned for upcoming giveaways with new exciting books!FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BILL & PAM FARREL at www.Love-Wise.comBill and Pam Farrel are relationship experts, international speakers, and Directors of Love-Wise. They have been married and in ministry for 42 years. Bill has experience as Youth Pastor, followed by 15 years as a Lead Pastor; then was Pastor of Small Groups for Dr David Jeremiah at Shadow Mountain church. Pam served alongside Bill in youth work then served as Director of Women’s Ministry during Bill’s years as a Pastor.They have written 50+books including best-selling Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti , 10 Best Decisions a Si

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 100!!! Whoa! What a celebration today here at Gospel Spice!! We are rejoicing over God's relentless faithfulness as we reach this symbolic milestone. ONE HUNDRED episodes! That's over 65 hours of content, and countless hours of teamwork. What better way to celebrate with YOU, our beloved listener, than to invite you to join us behind the scenes and discover how the Gospel Spice Ministries work to serve YOU each week??Stephanie is joined by the entire Gospel Spice team: Chera, Linda, Angel, Lindsay, Angie and Beth, not to mention her husband Jonah who makes a quick appearance despite his dislike of the spotlight! In this double-length episode, you will hear each one's heart to delight in God's glory. And you will understand anew how Stephanie counts herself the most blessed of ministry leaders, being supported by such an amazing team!You will hear from Chera and her passion to deepen your intimacy with God through worship and glimpses at His beauty. You will hear from Jonah and his wisdom on how to navigate our culture today, and how to keep our eyes on what truly matters. You will experience the beauty of discipleship through the eyes and heart of Linda, and the passion to share the gospel to the ends of the earth that Angel will communicate to you. You will be drawn deeper into delight for God's glory through Lindsay's perspective. And finally, you will hear about the nuts and bolts of the ministry through Angie and Beth! What a journey this has been--and what a testimony to God's unfailing love.Through it all, we invite you to celebrate God's goodness and to tell us YOUR story. So, email us at [email protected] and tell us what God is doing in your life!Starting next week, you're invited to enter our latest series, "Identity in the battle." The podcast episodes will take you deep into some of the chapters of the Epistle to the Ephesians. If you wish to go deeper, we have all sorts of free resources, such as optional quiet time sessions, prayers, journaling, and also an option including everything you need to come alongside someone else through this series. Register for free at gospelspice.com/identity today! This is a unique add-on to your Gospel Spice experience. Taste and See that the Lord is GOOD!THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!NEW!Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example, - a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours. - a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely fre

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!BONUS Episode - Stephanie welcomes Miranda Jo Davis, author, speaker, Seminary-trained and Christian yoga instructor. Do the words "Christian" and "yoga" belong in the same sentence? Can one be a full-on, on-fire worshipper of the one true God in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and practice yoga?What happens if a Christian tells you that yoga is wrong, but your doctor tells you it is good for your body and your health? How do you reconcile these contradicting views? Can yoga be good for a Christian?We realize this can be a hot-button topic. So, we encourage you to make your own discerned conclusion, based on this episode AND other sources. In this episode, we seek to bring you some interesting elements but do not seek to convince you. This being said...How do you identify toxic practices in yoga? What are the red flags that indicate a worldview that dishonors Christ? What needs to be removed from the traditional yoga practices, and what do we replace it with, to align yoga practices with our faith?Miranda brings her perspective, steeped in Scripture and worship. She has faced persecution from secular Yoga masters because of her "narrow-minded" faith. She chooses Christ every day as she serves through yoga with a Biblical perspective. She has learned to identify the elements of yoga that oppose our faith, and the ones that honor Christ.Stephanie's favorite quote from Miranda: "you can be in the world of yoga, but not of it."She has adapted secular yoga practices to align with Scripture, the one non-negociable cornerstone that will guide her every teaching. She does not dilute Truth as a very conservative Christian steeped in the Bible. We talk about the dangers of crystals, gongs and chanting--a complete no-no. We talk about the blood of Christ that cleanses and purifies us. We talk today about worship and being truly grounded and rooted in Christ, and how this helps us identify lies from the world every day--on the yoga mat, and every area of life!Miranda shares her story from agnosticism to yoga, and then to Christian faith. She explains how she reconciles yoga with faith. If Christ is truly sovereign and Lord over all, then He is Lord over yoga, and can redeem it too! There is a lot of lies in the secular world of yoga, but in Christ we can discern truth and safely experience the good of yoga to the glory of God. NOTE - in this episode, we bring you a perspective on yoga that you may completely disagree with. That is FINE! Please know that we encourage you to research on your own and make up your own mind, based on Scripture. Do not take this episode as your conclusive statement about yoga. In this episode, we invite and encourage you to discern for yourself. Gospel Spice does not endorse nor condemn yoga practices as described in this episode. If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODEIf you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforwardPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Go to gospelspice.com for more info abou

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!BONUS episode 98 – To continue our special celebration leading up to our 100th episode next week, Stephanie welcomes Naina Mall, program manager for Pak7. Pak7 is a Christian media ministry serving Pakistanis in Pakistan, providing high-quality content targeting specifically women and children. Naina joins us to share her story: born in Pakistan, she emigrated to the United Kingdom under her parents’ guidance when she was merely five years old. She grew up British and attended university there, specializing in media, before God called her two years ago to move back to Karachi and serve as a key leader for Pak7. Naina shares her victories and struggles as she adapts back to her home culture, and serves the next generation of Pakistanis. You will hear a story from the heart and taste a glimpse of God’s unique spiritual spice mix in Pakistan today! If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew:https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ DISCOVER PAK7:Pak7 provides:- Programs for National TV that Change Attitudes: Like Video Star, a reality TV show that all people will watch and enjoy. Programs that build bridges between faith communities and show Christians and their faith in a positive light.- Programs for Christian TV that Build Faith: Like Stories Jesus Told, where children can hear about the life of Jesus. Especially programs for children and young people that are creative and faith building.- Social Media Videos that Lead to Online Chat: they produce a range of Social Media content designed to speak into different life situations and help people looking for answers.- Build Capacity in Video Production & Social Media: they run media training and internships, as well as provide a range of services to help Christians better engage in the media.For more info about Pak7, go to pak7.orgSupport us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!BONUS Episode 97 - Stephanie welcomes Michelle Rayburn today. Michelle is a self-described former legalist Pharisaic believer, and she is well on her way to recovery through sheer grace. The very fact that she can talk about it shows the depth of the transformation that the Holy Spirit has woven within her.Michelle grew up in the church, and discovered that her legalistic spirit was keeping her from the very One she was pursuing. With admirable vulnerability, she describes the years of daring to step out of the comfort zone of her little church world bubble. She says she became “too Christian for her pagan friends, and too pagan for her Christian friends” and that is a good thing! The challenge of replacing the bitter spice of legalism with the sweet spice of freedom is a process that she shares with us today.God has called Michelle to love those who are radically different from her—even the ones who are now the very way she used to be! How does God mentor her to love the unlovable – the very ones who remind her so much of who she once was? The secret? To aim to be the same person in the secret place of our thoughts, as we are in the public sphere of our behaviors and words.As we go to practical ways to identify the seeds of a legalistic heart. Michelle gives us many red flags that are easy to spot… but harder to let go! We go to pride as the underlying issue beneath all sin, and how we are all guilty! How can we make room for the Lord to change our heart?Go to https://michellerayburn.com/ for more!If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforwardPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!Contact us on the website or at [email protected] to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.MORE ABOUT MICHELLE RAYBURNMichelle Rayburn is a freelance writer and podcaster who appreciates how life’s difficulties can turn out to be opportunities learn and grow. She loves dark chocolate, iced coffee, and a breezy afternoon in the hammock with a good book. She’s the author of several Christian living books, including The Repurposed and Upcycled Life: When God Turns Trash to Treasure and Classic Marriage: Staying in Love as Your Odometer Climbs. She has also published articles and Bible studies in places such as Focus on the Family, Christian Communicator, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Today’s Christian Living, and ChristianBibleStudies.com.Michelle has her MA in ministry leadership with a counseling emphasis. She has been married to her husband, Phil, for 30

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Stephanie welcomes Jessica Hottle today. Her story is a classic Cinderella sage, from ashes to beauty.She grew up in a very toxic home environment, but found Christ and freedom as a young adult. This didn't mean that all her problems were solved... far from it! She learned to take every thought captive to Christ--how do you forgive those who hurt you deeply? How do you identify lies you've believed your whole life, and how do you then replace them with truth, practically? How do you reframe your entire identity on the foundation of Christ, and His words of you? How do you root yourself so deeply in God's view of you, that you can truly say that there is no condemnation for you, because you are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)?If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew:https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODEIf you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforwardPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!Contact us on the website or at [email protected] to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you. MORE ABOUT JESSICAJessica's message is, "challenge your thoughts to change your life!" And, of course, that is only possible in Christ.Jessica Hottle's passion for helping women getting emotionally and physically healthy while keeping God at the center. She inspires and encourages thousands by sharing her own personal struggles, victories, and journey through life. Jessica is a successful online entrepreneur, speaker, podcaster for What's The Truth, and author of three books, Know Your Worth and A Worthy Wife and Own Your Worth. Her passions are being a wife to her husband, Jon, being a momma to their three cats, and spending her free time outside whenever she can (playing golf, hiking, reading, or writing in her journal). Jessica has a heart that runs hard after Jesus and credits everything she has done to her Savior.Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!BONUS Episode 95 – This week, we celebrate our upcoming 100th episode by highlighting ministries that serve the world in the Name of Christ in various ways. We will release one episode EVERY DAY this week.Today, Stephanie welcomes Christy and Vinita to talk about the rescue work of NaiAsha, a safe house for survivors of human trafficking and sex abuse in India. Vinita is Indian, and the director for NaiAsha. Christy is American, and Vinita’s fiercest supporter. They had nothing in common, until God united their hearts for a common passion against human trafficking in India.NOTE TO PARENTS: While NOT explicit, this episode shares veiled but raw details. We do not recommend it for young years.Vinita shares her story of being abused at 16, which led to a season of homelessness in her honor and shame culture. Loneliness and utter lack of support ranked among her greatest struggles at that time. After she built a good life for herself again, she felt called by God to dedicate her life to serve other women who came from similar difficulties and to provide the support she wished she had had when she was struggling to survive.About 10 years ago, she started a safe house for young women. They started small—with two young ladies. They have now helped 282 women, including 40 in their care today. Christy met Vinita on a discovery trip to India, and God cemented their friendship in powerful ways.In this raw episode, they share the struggles they face to run a safe house for girls who initially exhibit extreme anger and violence upon arriving on site, and how they slowly transform into beautiful, confident, capable young women with a bright future ahead. This requires a lengthy trust-building process before they can start acquiring skills to thrive in society, including an education and a deep theological grounding. Vinita shares that one of her greatest joys is to see the “older” girls, who have learned to trust them, begin to mentor the newly arrived ones who still struggle with anger and violence, and be for this “new” generation what Vinita had been for them.NaiAsha means “New Hope” in Hindi. Indeed, NaiAsha nurtures these precious souls until they turn 18, the legal age of independence in India. It means some girls stay with them for up to 5 years. Imagine the horror that brings a 13-year old to the door of NaiAsha… The next project is to transition these young women into society when they turn 18. They are not all ready to become independent on their 18th birthday. So NaiAsha has launched a transition home, for girls aged 18 and above who still need to stay within the safety of NaiAsha a bit longer.This is where Christy comes in. Through funding, prayer and soul care, she and her small non-profit provide the tools for Vinita and her team not to burn out as they work against the fastest growing industry in the world, and in one of its darkest places.TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew:https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ DISCOVER 1Together & NaiAsha:go to 1together.org to find out more.1 Together connects and equips the global Church in healthy partnerships and shared transformation resulting in measurable progress.Many, whether in America or internationally, long to be part of the global mission, but don't know where to start or need a freshening of w

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 94 - Stephanie welcomes friend Megan B. Brown to discuss the intricacies of full surrender and complete commitment to the Lord amidst a whirlwind of difficult life circumstances.Today, discover the story of someone who challenges others to dare to step up as she has been challenged to step up. We discuss the challenges of a military career, as Megan's husband is currently actively deployed overseas. Megan is a missionary to American military communities around the globe. We discuss what an active missional lifestyle looks like on a daily basis--in our neighborhoods and communities. as Megan says, "lives are most certainly changed on sofas." We need to embrace the local church model of home meetings to develop a sturdy foundation of trust with the Lord and with each other. What do successful local, God-centered communities look like?We also discuss what it looks like to submit our gifts to the local church, and how to step fully into what the Lord has ordained for and through each one of us. What does it look like to "do it afraid"? What truths from the Lord will help us surrender to Him?GOSPEL SPICE GIVEAWAY!!Megan is giving away 5 copies of her new book, Summoned. Go to gospelspice.com/giveaway for a chance to win!If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season, as a way to get ready for Episode 100 and our brand new "Identity in the Battle" series, starting on Episode 101!Some listeners' favorites:The Gospel of Matthew:https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ MEET MEGAN B. BROWN.Megan B. Brown is a new and upcoming author, a Christian speaker, and a military missionary. She is passionate about equipping the United States military community to carry the redemptive story of Jesus to the four corners through radical hospitality, sound biblical teaching, and community discipleship.Megan is the author of Summoned: Answering a Call to the Impossible, releasing in May 2021 by Moody Publishers and the Managing Editor for Brave Women, Strong Faith- an anthology collection of stories written by military women and wives. In Summoned, you’ll enter the story of Esther—her calling, pain, and role in God’s plan for salvation—and see how God is always working in the lives of His people, even when He seems distant. Through this 8-week study, you’ll develop a deeper appreciation for God’s Word and begin to see that stepping out in faith for His glory is often the first step to encountering His redeeming love.Megan says, "I wrote a book a book about a phenomenal woman, but really, I wrote a book about a phenomenal God."While Megan loves writing- books, blogs, and articles- Megan also enjoys traveling around the country speaking at ministry events, retreats, conferences, and churches.You will find Megan here:https://www.facebook.com/megan.b.brown.96https://www.instagram.com/megbrownwrites/https://www.meganbbrown.com/ Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!Episode 93 - Stephanie welcomes Tessa Afshar, bestselling author of historical and biblical fiction. Tessa grew up in Iran in a nominally Muslim family before emigrating to the UK. She became a Christian in her twenties, and it has dramatically affected her life's focus. She had a dream about Christ, and she says, "I am one of the only persons in the universe to ever say that my first reaction to Christ was... disappointment"! But then she saw His eyes and she discovered "unbroken love."Tessa writes biblical fiction to draw us deep into the reality of life over the 2,000+ years covered in Scripture. In other words, she does through fiction what the Gospel Spice podcast does through teaching: giving us a fresh perspective to help us fall in love with God more!Tessa and Stephanie discuss her conversion story, and the importance of seeing ourselves through God's eyes. If you've enjoyed this episode, you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Check out the first episode of each season:The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/ IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE: SUMMER 2021 EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENTGo to gospelspice.com/identity to register for FREE for exclusive bonus content to experience our upcoming summer series, IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE, at a whole new level. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODEIf you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforwardPRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!Contact us on the website or at [email protected] to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you. GOSPEL SPICE GIVEAWAY!Tessa is giving away a copy of her phenomenal Bible Study, The Way Home: God's invitation to new beginnings.Go to Gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win! The winner will be announced on the same page next week.------------Tessa Afshar is the best-selling author of historical and biblical fiction. Her novels have won a number of awards, including the Christy and the INSPY. She recently released her first bible study and DVD called The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings, based on the book of Ruth. Tessa was born to a nominally Muslim family in the Middle East and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls, before immigrating to the United States. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of Tessa’s life forever. She holds a master of divinity from Yale University, where she was elected to serve as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School for one year. After working in women’s ministry for twenty years, Tessa now works as a full-time writer. Tessa and her husband live in New England where they proudly te