God's Power and Light with Jaime Farrell (Episode 236: Stories Series)

236. Stories Series: God's Power and Light with Jaime Farrell

**Transcription Below**

John 3:30 (NIV) " He must become greater; I must become less.”

Jaime Farrell is first of all, a beloved of her Lord. She is also wife to Jonathan, and mother to Jorja, Jolie, Jemma, and Job. She can be reached through Instagram or Facebook and she would also love to invite you to sit with her at church! Find out more about the church where her family attends and her husband serves as Lead Pastor at gracemorton.org.

Questions we discuss:

1. As an adult now, when you reflect back on your childhood, what was it that specifically made the most significant impact on you and your faith journey?

2. Now as a wife and mom of four, what values and traditions and rhythms have you carried forward in your family?

3. Since becoming a Jesus-follower, what ways have you continued to see God at work, in ways both big and small?

Other Episodes mentioned from The Savvy Sauce:

#2 From 2022: Fresh Take on Hospitality with Jaime Farrell

Patreon 48 Conversations with Your Teen About Sex, Puberty, and Identity with Janelle Rupp (Interview with Jaime's Sister)

Patreon 43 Better Together with Jon and Jolene Rocke (Interview with Jaime's Parents)

Recommended Books and Series for Tween/Teens:

This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms The Teen Years by Jaquelle Crowe

Choosing Love by Heidi Johnston

God's Great Story Devotional by Jon Nielson

Lies Young Women Believe and The Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Dannah Gresh

10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Truth Matters by Andreas J. Kosstenberger

The Case for Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller

 

Fiction:

Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

The Rendigo Tales J.A. Meyer

The Epic Order of the Seven Series

 

Allegories:

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

 

Other Book Mentioned:

When People are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch

Little Pilgrim's Progress by Erik M. Peterson

 

Food Recommendations and Recipes for Hosting:

*Reach out to Jaime for Rocke's "Essential" Seasoning through Instagram or Facebook.*

 

Pretzel Cereal Crunch from Taste of Home (Optional: add MnMs)

Ranch Snack Mix from Taste of Home (Optional: replace cashews with Cheese-itz and Rice Chex)

Cookies and Creme Puppy Chow from Sally's Baking Addiction

Red Velvet Oreo Brownies from Sally Baking Addiction

Cookie Dough Bars from The Recipe Critic

Salted Caramel Cookie Bars from Brown-Eyed Baker

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars from Brown-Eyed Baker

 

Recipes:

Joy's Dip:

Mix together:

1  block Velveeta

2 cans Hormel Chili No Beans

Several Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

 

Honey Mix:

⅔ cup butter

1 ½ cup brown sugar 

½ cup honey

1. Combine in a sauce pan. Do not stir! Boil 2 ½ minutes. Add 1 tsp of vanilla.

2. Pour over 6 cups of Crispix, 2 cups mini pretzels 1 cup salted peanuts.

3. Put into a greased baking sheet and bake at 250 for ½ hour stirring half way through. Pour onto wax paper to dry. Break apart. 

 

Candy Bar Bars- Freeze Halloween Candy Bars/Chocolate

2 ½ sticks of butter

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp salt

2 ¼ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla.

2. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in chocolate chips.

3. Grease a jelly roll pan and spread dough. It may be hard to do but keep patting and spreading. 

4. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. It will be golden brown. Cool completely.

   *Cut candy bars while cooling. Cut into small bits and bites. Any type of bar/chocolate works!!

5. Melt 1 ½ cup chocolate chips and 1 ½ cup peanut butter in a microwave slowly. Spread over the bars and immediately sprinkle with cut candy bars- always end the top with M&Ms for color!

 

Thank You to Our Sponsor: Sue Neihouser

 

Connect with The Savvy Sauce through Our Website

 

Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!

 

Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)

 

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

 

Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 

Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” 

 

Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” 

 

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

 

Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” 

 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

 

Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

 

Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

 

Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

 

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“

 

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“

 

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

**Transcription**

[00:00:00] <music>

 

Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. 

 

[00:00:17] <music>

 

Laura Dugger: Thank you to the Sue Neihouser team for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking to buy or sell a home this season, make sure you reach out to Sue at (309) 229-8831. Sue would love to walk alongside you as you unlock new doors. 

 

My friend Jaimie Farrell is my returning guest. You may remember her from the second most downloaded Episode of 2022 when we discussed her fresh take on hospitality.

 

Well today, Jaimie is returning to share her testimony and memorable moments of God revealing His goodness in her life. Our conversation took a few surprising turns. So the first half is really practical and revolves a lot around parenting, and then the second half is when she dives into some spiritual moments that leave us in tears and leave us in awe of God. [00:01:25] 

 

So we hope it nudges you to also look up and recognize His goodness, kindness, and love that's evident daily in your life as well. 

 

Here's our chat. 

 

Welcome back to The Savvy Sauce, Jaimie.

 

Jaime Farrell: Thank you so very much. It's so fun to be here with you.

 

Laura Dugger: Well, if anybody didn't go back yet and listened to our first episode together, can you just start by giving us some context into your life? You can go back and even begin with your upbringing.

 

Jaime Farrell: Yeah. Honestly, my upbringing is such a gift of grace in my life that I love to just share about it. So I was born to two kids, in a sense. My parents were married at 18. In fact, they were married three weeks after my dad turned 18. Then nine months later, they had their first daughter, my sister.

 

Prior to marriage, my parents were both individually pursuing the Lord, and then together in oneness, they continued to prioritize the Word of God as their central authority. [00:02:27] This led them to leave the family business that my dad was going to supposedly take over. Instead, he went to pursue a Bible degree, with the dream of him being in ministry in some capacity. So they went to Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, and that is where I was born. 

 

My parents were dirt poor, and my dad was in school full-time. He worked at a grocery store as he could. My mom cleaned as she was able, but she was managing two girls. We rented a house with no air conditioning and an alley for a backyard. 

 

Times were hard and lean, but I have just beautiful childhood memories of playing in the alley with neighborhood kids and making chocolate milk out of dirt and water, and then also feeding bread to ducks at the lake across the street.

 

And then graduation neared for my parents, and they found out they were expecting for the third time, which was my brother. So they kind of came to grips that the wisest financial move was to move back to Morton, Illinois, and have my dad work again at the family company to try to pay off debt, save money, get in a better financial position as their family was growing. [00:03:37] 

 

So when I was about four, we moved back to Morton, and essentially I've been here ever since.  And now, ironically, in fact, my husband is the pastor of the church that I grew up in.

 

Laura Dugger: That is incredible. It's been so fun to enter your story. When we were in our 30s is when we first met. And now I will have to do a lot of links because I have had your sister and your parents on the podcast as well. But you are all wonderful. 

 

But now that you're an adult, when you do reflect back on your childhood, what would you say were some of the things that specifically made the most significant impact on you and your faith journey?

 

Jaime Farrell: My parents, they were a massive influence on me. The older I get, the more I realize what a gift of grace they were to me in my life. They were always set apart in their gospel living. Obviously, without the Lord loving them first, they never would have turned to Him. But His faithful pursuit of them individually and together was lived out in their faithful following of Him. [00:04:42] 

 

They were wise beyond their years because they were saturating themselves with His word. They often said that they were growing up alongside us. So asking for forgiveness and being quick to repent was normal in our house. Truly, the gospel was lived out before my very eyes. They loved each other. Oh, how they loved each other. As a kid, it was kind of, too, like a sickening amount. And even to this day, it sometimes feels like they can't function without each other. But they never stopped being high school sweethearts. 

 

I saw them serve in the church. My mom led the kids choir. My dad was a Sunday school teacher. They both served as coaches for a Bible quiz program. They would say that primarily my mom served in programs her kids participated in. And that was such a blessing to me as a young kid. 

 

Both my parents are incredibly musical. My dad formed an acapella singing group of five guys called Pentella. And they did covers of songs by the group Acapella. But then my dad also wrote songs, and they produced their own album in the end. [00:05:47] My mom ran sound for that group with another one of the guys' wives. And that group was also incredibly instrumental. 

 

The biblical truths that were set to music really did sink deep into my heart. And then the fellowship of just gathering with other families for practices and attending concerts. And then even as kids, we got to participate on a song. So that was all awesome.

 

So many of their choices and how they lived and the ways they served, the Lord used all that to shape me spiritually and instill a foundation of who He was as Savior and Lord to me personally. Through them, I saw unconditional love and grace and wisdom and forgiveness and joy in Jesus. 

 

Then also my home church was instrumental. As a kid, I participated in our kids' choir, which was often over 100 kids. Still to this day, I firmly believe that singing God's truth is invaluable for our souls. 

 

Then I got to be a teenager, and I participated in our Bible quiz program where we learned the word of God. [00:06:51] This program got me studying God's word, aiming for memorization of it, but it was also incredibly fun and totally spoke to my competitive nature. I learned biblical literacy and systematic theology, which are big words, and I had no idea I was learning those through quiz, but now looking back as an adult, I see that I did. 

 

Both of these programs, learning to sing God's truth through song as a kid, and then directly learning His truth through Bible quiz as a 7th through 12th grader, those were mightily used by the Lord to pursue me and draw me to Himself.

 

But in answering this question, I also just need to make clear that our church wasn't perfect. There were things we, and I wished that we could change, as it wasn't like every single one of our preferences were being met. Youth group was not always easy for me. But my parents had demonstrated what faithfulness and longevity in a local church that's being faithful to the gospel looks like. They demonstrated what that meant, and so we, I persevered. [00:07:52] 

 

I was grown and sanctified because of the church I grew up in, and I'm so thankful for God's pursuit of me through that body of believers. Then I also need to circle back around and say that our family, me specifically, isn't perfect. I just want to make sure I make that disclaimer clear. 

 

I have always been an envelope pusher. I am stubborn. I am proud. I'm judgmental. I believe I'm right pretty much all of the time. I struggle with anger most definitely. I have quite the winning combination of sinfulness. And I wish I could say that all of those are past sins, but many of those are still present. I'm daily dependent on the Lord for His sanctification in my life. 

 

As a teen tween, I especially struggled with identity. I've never been a small skinny person, and I envied those who were. I longed for people's approval, and I constantly felt like I was falling short. 

 

As a middle child, belonging was always something I wrestled with. [00:08:53] My mom had my sister, and they were close. My dad had his one and only son. And with every turn, it felt like I was always the third wheel. 

 

So with all of these feelings and emotions, and without the maturity to really even understand them, or even the tools to manage them, I lashed out in anger and I took liberties on the ones who loved me most. I lashed out at my siblings, and I most definitely lashed out at my mom. 

 

But my family never gave up on me. They loved me unconditionally. And my mom has told me since, and this is just so wise and good for anyone with kids, where a relationship with them is especially challenging. She said she always knew all of my passion could be used for the Lord. And she desired not to break it, but simply bend it. 

 

My dad repeatedly told me growing up that our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness. So as I struggled with sin, which impacted our relationship, my parents pointed me to Jesus. [00:09:57] They refused to let me die in my sin, and they faithfully called me to repentance and heart change through hard correction. Yet they also extended grace as they were sinners themselves, and they could relate to the need for a Savior and a Lord of their own lives. They loved me fiercely and unconditionally, and never stopped pursuing a relationship with me.

 

My mom read The Five Love Languages during the time when her and I were really struggling, and that book was instrumental in changing how she approached me. And then I remember my dad would just so patiently listen late at night as I was spewing hateful remarks against his wife, and his verbal response would consistently be slow and wise and laced with grace and understanding. 

 

This is what I remember of childhood. And what is so incredible is that now as I see it as an adult looking back, I see my parents and my influences fading and the Lord just being magnified. It was His faithful pursuit of me, and He used all of these things as instruments to draw my heart to love Him because He first loved me. [00:11:00] 

 

Laura Dugger: Wow, there's so much that stands out in that. First of all, just knowing you, such a close family now that they are some of your best friends. 

 

Jaime Farrell: Totally.

 

Laura Dugger: And yet looking back, I think there are so many pieces of encouragement for those who are parents alongside of us listening right now that you said when I asked what was most influential, they were not just focused on you kids. You said first that most influential was their relationship with the Lord, and then with one another in their marriage, and then the practicals too of just having conversations with you and doing life with you. We always hear more is caught than taught. But as you reflected back, you really modeled that, so that was very encouraging. 

 

Now you are a wife and also a mom of four. So what values and traditions and rhythms have you carried forward in your own family? [00:12:01] 

 

Jaime Farrell: Yeah, I have told this to my parents several times, but I truly just long to follow their example and really just try to repeat what they did. So growing up, vacations were important. And I've already said my parents were poor, but my grandparents who owned the family company owned a condo in Florida as well.

 

Each year we would get to go as a family of five and use that gift of free lodging and have time away. Now we always drove our own van. We packed ham and cheese sandwiches for the drive. We cooked all our meals there. But we had dedicated family vacation time. 

 

And Team Ferrell is trying to replicate that ourselves. There is no more grandparents' condo we can use for free, though. But whether it's a weekend away or a full week of vacation, we strive to prioritize time together outside the walls of our home to connect and refresh relationships with each other. 

 

Also, when we were young, my mom had a prayer group of moms who met together and would pray for each other and for their families. [00:13:01] And I did this same thing when my kids were young. And though hers is still going and mine isn't because everyone else moved away on me, just prioritizing the power of prayer was something I saw modeled and something we try to emulate as well. 

 

So my girls are aware that I had a prayer group when they were young, but now prayer looks like prayer time in the car as we taxi drive, prayer as we have hard conversations at the start and at the finish. Prayer around meals, bedtime. Prayers as you unload the dishwasher. Prayers just sprinkled throughout the day.

 

Then I've already mentioned how my mom served in church in areas where her kids were involved in, and this has been valuable to replicate as well. But additionally, growing up, my parents made sure our home was a gathering place for us and our friends. 

 

They sacrificed friendships themselves to foster friendships for us. They saved up to put a half-basketball court in our backyard and were always willing to host our friends. My mom gladly cooked and made sure there was delicious food for all who came. [00:14:01] 

 

Team Ferrell really is just trying to replicate this hospitality too, as well as prioritizing our kids' friendships above our own at this stage in our lives.

 

Team Ferrell is also trying to carry forward faithfulness to a faith-filled gospel community of believers. Again, church isn't perfect for us or for our kids right now, and it never will be here on earth, but we persevere with our family of believers and stay engaged and involved because that's what family does. We will not neglect meeting together to encourage one another as long as the day approaches. 

 

Specifically, my parents had us sitting smack in the front of church growing up, and you can find Team Ferrell sitting smack in the front of church every week. And this totally is not my nature. I'm a back-row, balcony kind of girl. In every college class, I sat as far back as possible. 

 

But church is different. I want my kids to see and participate and feel connected. And for us, that just can't happen from the back and on the fringe. [00:15:03] So we open ourselves up to our body of believers, and we love them, and they love us in all of the good, bad, and the ugly.

 

And then lastly, communication. There's a couple things my parents did in regards to communication that, looking back, I see are so wise, and something we try to replicate. 

 

First, my parents would often invite us to speak into decisions. And now, as an adult, I totally see how they did this. It wasn't that they were asking for our help in making decisions by any means, and it wasn't that their minds weren't already made up. But they allowed us to be heard and express our opinions, and I definitely felt valued because of that.

 

Whether it was things happening in the family business or whether it was family dynamics, we would sit down together and we would talk. For my family now, we call ourselves Team Ferrell. When Jonathan and I were in Louisville for a seminary degree, the mentor I had for parenting told me the importance of giving your family a nickname, just something to unite yourselves around and that feels special for your people.  [00:16:03] We are not overly creative, so we love sports, so we just went with Team Ferrell. 

 

So we often call team meetings when we sit down and talk something through. And so often Jonathan and I already have a plan, an idea of how things are going to go, but we still enjoy hearing perspective from our kids and for them to feel kind of like an MVP on the team. So I loved that as a kid then, and I love it now. 

 

Then secondly, when it comes to communication, for this season of life that we are in as Team Ferrell with older kids, Jorja is 17, Jolie is 15, Jemma is 13, and Job is 10, I find myself becoming my dad and asking "why" a lot. I find it super ironic that when my kids were little, they were the ones asking why, and now as they're older, I'm the one asking them why. 

 

Jolie just got some further ear piercings, and in that process, she expressed her considering getting her nose pierced one day. [00:17:04] And immediately it brought me back to high school when I told my dad I wanted to get a tattoo, and he simply responded calmly with "why".

 

It was just what they did often. They didn't argue or give a lecture immediately or give a sermon from their perspective. Whenever I would share something with them, like a thought or an idea or even a conclusion I had made, they would just ask a question, why? And it would just probe me. 

 

Why do you want that tattoo, Jaimie? Why do you want to listen to Celine Dion and Mariah Carey? Those were the divas of my day. Why do you want to hang out with that group of people? So I find myself asking why a whole heap these days, like my parents often ask me. You know, I did eventually get that tattoo and a few others, but it wasn't until I was 40.

 

Laura Dugger: And now a brief message from our sponsor. 

 

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She was timely in her response as she walked us through this whole process, and she helped us sell our home with the right offer coming in hours after it was listed. We kept saying, she's thought of everything. 

 

And Sue's continued generosity was astonishing. I remember one afternoon after we had settled into our new home, and she was knocking on the door, dropping off a goodie bag for our family that came from the local bakery. Our daughters also loved getting to know Miss Sue as she assisted us in finding truly our dream home. 

 

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Laura Dugger: You have such an abundance of great book recommendations, especially for tweens and teens. Then also, like you said, there's that theme of hospitality. That's what we talked about last time on The Savvy Sauce. And you have great ideas for food to feed a crowd. 

 

I think this fits in well with, as we're discussing even parenting here, because we are raising our children as tech natives. The access to technology is all around. And so there's certain things that I think we're all doing to try and minimize. But we also need to replace it. [00:21:15] And I think of our RO box that is upstairs that is such a good visual prompt to put away the technology.

 

But then instead, to not be in a vacuum where you just take something away, but to put something good in. And I think reading and family time and hospitality are great things to put in. And they also help us naturally train character in our children.

 

So I'd love to hear maybe your top 10 in both of these areas. And then I can link to these book titles and recipes in the show notes. But Jaimie, what are your maybe top 10 recommendations for character-shaping tween teen books and some of your favorite snack mixes or desserts or meals for feeding a crowd?

 

Jaime Farrell: Yeah, it's just such a great question. One of the things we do on kids' birthdays is gift them a privilege, as you've seen them grow in fruit that past year. [00:22:17] Typically around 13, it's the gift of privilege of staying up later and working through a book. And it's been mom because it's the girls. We've had three girls and then Job. So it's been mom, but working through a book. Again, while this hasn't been perfectly, and it takes us sometimes forever to get through a book, it's still something we've tried to practice. 

 

So I wanted to give some of the books that we either have read with our girls or are in the process of reading with our girls. And these are great for tween teen books.

 

First is This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years. That's by Jaquelle Crowe. 

 

Then secondly, Choosing Love is something we're about to start with Georgia right now, who's 17. That's by Heidi Johnston. 

 

God's Great Story Devotional by Jon Nielson. That's one that we haven't read together, but that's a devotional book that your teen can be doing.

 

Lies Young Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free. That's by Nancy Wolgemuth and Dannah Gresh. That's what we're reading with Jemma right now. [00:23:25] 

 

10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin. 

 

Truth Matters by Andreas J. Köstenberger. That was what we've just given to Jolie. We've read that with Georgia. It's such a great small but digestible book. 

 

And then just two small books that are short. One is The Case for Christianity by C.S. Lewis. That's definitely for older teens. It's mentally deep, and that's one that you should read together with your teen just so that they can help process it, but so important.

 

If your kid is not a reader, sometimes you need those little, thin, but super powerful. The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller is so good. 

 

And then I wanted to include a couple fiction books for this stage. Francine Rivers' A Voice in the Wind series for teens is excellent. 

 

The Rwendigo Tales by J. A. Myhre for tweens is great. [00:24:31] 

 

And then two allegories that I think allegories in the story is so powerful. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.

 

Laura Dugger: Okay, I love all of that so much. I also want to add one that was recommended. I guess maybe it's for slightly younger, but it could be for tween age group. But this book series that Shiloh right now is devouring, The Epic Order of the Seven.

 

Jaime Farrell: Max and Liz, they are the best. And I almost included these on here, but they are... my kids read them a little bit... I wanted to do a little bit older, but those books are so fantastic to give you the whole overarching picture of the Bible. The whole story from start to finish. It's a fantastic series. Unmissable.

 

Laura Dugger: And I had never heard of them, and so it has greatly benefited our family. If people are looking for even younger, Little Pilgrim's Progress is such a great read-aloud as well.

 

Jaime Farrell: So good. [00:25:32] 

 

Laura Dugger: So go ahead and you can share recipes or snacks or desserts you recommend for a crowd too.

 

Jaime Farrell: So then when we are having people or hosting, we love to do Joy's Dip. As I talked earlier about those, that Pentella group that my dad started singing, Joy's Dip is a dip that Joy, one of the wives, brought to almost every practice. And we still make that all the time. That is a go-to recipe. 

 

Honey Mix, my mom... that is from my mom. I had a friend from high school message me on Facebook and say, "I remember this Honey Mix that your mom used to make, and can you give me that recipe?" So my mom's Honey Mix is always something we have in our freezer. 

 

Candy Bar Bars, this is a recipe from a friend. It uses up Halloween candy. So if you have all of your Halloween chocolate, stick it in the freezer, and then use this recipe for all of that chocolate. [00:26:38] I make those for Georgia, her basketball team, they love those so much. So Candy Bar Bars using your Halloween candy.

 

Pretzel Cereal Crunch, that's a Taste of Home recipe. We add M&Ms to that, just a little disclaimer. Then there's a Ranch Snack Mix that we use from Taste of Home. We do not put the cashews in, and we add things like Cheez-Its and Rice Checks to that as well. But that is a snack mix that I even throw in my freezer and bust out for when teens come over. 

 

Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow from Sally's Baking Addiction. Red Velvet Oreo Brownies from Sally's Baking Addiction. Cookie Dough Bars from The Recipe Critic. And then Salted Caramel Cookie Bars and Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars from Brown Eyed Baker.

 

As you can see, I like bars because you can feed a whole heap of people with those, and cut them small, and they're great.

 

Laura Dugger: Okay, now I'm hungry, and that all sounds amazing. [00:27:37] But I'm just thinking, as you're talking, we're missing a huge one that I was not aware of until we were living in your parents' basement as our home had some renovations. And you sell it now nationwide. 

 

Jaime Farrell: Oh, yes! 

 

Laura Dugger: The Yankees Seasoning. So can you share about that? It was the best-kept Morton secret.

 

Jaime Farrell: Yeah, I totally would love to share about that because anybody could still get that from me. So I talked about my parents' family business, and one of the things from that family business that my dad developed was this seasoning. He had a steak seasoning and a barbecue seasoning, and we still do the steak seasoning.

 

Actually, I'm in the process of... I even want to change that name to not steak seasoning, but essential seasoning because it is good on everything. I don't know how to roast vegetables without it. I put it on vegetables. I put it on all my potatoes, all my meat. We do a lot of salmon and tilapia in our house, and I put it on my fish. I don't know how to season without it. [00:28:39] Whenever something says salt and pepper, I use Rocke steak seasoning. 

 

So if you would ever like a bottle, just reach out to me. I can get you a bottle. So it is fantastic.

 

Laura Dugger: I'm telling you, we keep multiple bottles on hand now because you don't ever want to be out of this once you've experienced it.

 

Jaime Farrell: I took it over from selling it for my parents because I need it in my life. And I kept running out, and they weren't making it fast enough. So I said, I'm going to go for that.

 

Laura Dugger: Well, and then, truly, can you give us the best way to reach out to you if anybody does want to try this?

 

Jaime Farrell: Yeah. It's on Instagram, at Rocke Seasoning, but I would say that I'm just delving into it. But you can either find me on Facebook or Instagram and truly just ask for a bottle. It is $6 for a bottle, or you can get a box of six bottles for $30. I can either drop it to you. I've done that before, or people pick it up from my porch. It's that easy. 

 

And, oh, we do ship nationally. So it's totally fine if you don't live in Illinois or near Morton. We can ship it to you. [00:29:42] 

 

Laura Dugger: Wonderful. We'll link to that as well. But Rocke is spelled R-O-C-K-E when you're searching.

 

I want to take a moment to say thank you. You are the reason our team gets to delight in this work. And we appreciate each of you so very much. If you're benefiting from the lessons learned and applied from The Savvy Sauce, would you take a minute to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts? 

 

Five-star ratings and reviews help us reach more people around the globe, and that promotes our goal of sharing joy. So join us in that endeavor with your valuable feedback. Thanks again for being here with us. 

 

Well, Jaimie, let's also just start to hone in on your spiritual journey. So will you share how God drew you into a loving and personal relationship with Him?

 

Jaime Farrell: I love that you state the question like this, that you start that it's God who draws us into loving relationship with Him. [00:30:43] He's the one who loves us first and who pursues us, and it is His act that changes our heart. 

 

It's not anything my parents did. I've listed a whole heap of things, but there's also kids who grew up in Pentella as well, and there's kids from Kids Choir and kids from Bible Quiz who don't walk with Jesus. So there is not a formula that draws you into loving relationship. It's God does the work in your heart.  So I can't emphasize that enough. 

 

But as I've already shared, God used my parents and God used my local church to draw me to Himself. I confessed my need of Him as a Savior around six, and I distinctly remember desiring Him as Lord of my life when I was around 13. And then I've been in the process of sanctification ever since.

 

Laura Dugger: Thank you so much. It is always just encouraging to hear other people's testimonies and God's creative individual work in each of our lives. 

 

Jaime Farrell: It's a passionate pursuit. [00:31:46] 

 

Laura Dugger: Well, since becoming a Jesus follower, what ways have you continued to see God at work in ways that are both big and small?

 

Jaime Farrell: So the Word tells us in Joshua 3 that as the Israelites crossed the Jordan River that the Lord had parted for them to walk through. One person from each tribe was to collect a rock that they could stack as a memorial of remembrance of the event. It literally says "so that when your children ask you in due time, what do these stones mean?, you will tell them about the waters of the Jordan being split so the Ark of the Covenant could pass."

 

I believe each of us have rocks that we can point to and say, Here's evidence of God at work in my life. Here's when I know He was changing me and growing me in my understanding of Him. Basically, like here's where I know He renewed my mind, right? It's where we see Him changing our thinking. I could sit here for quite a while sharing my rocks, but I want to just share a few of my past rocks. [00:32:54] 

 

One was when I was young, it was what actually sparked my desire to even be baptized. At that point in time, I switched schools and moved from public to private school. And I've already shared the depth of my sin nature, and the importance of this decision to switch schools was monumental for me, but not in the way you might think.

 

Switching schools didn't solve my sin problem. It wasn't that the changing of my circumstances was going to fix my irritability or my anger or my envy or my pursuit of people's perception of me. It was deciding in my heart that I'm going to follow Jesus and love Him with all of my being, no matter what school environment I am in. Going to private school helped me see that sin is rampant no matter what environment I'm in and my need for Jesus as both Savior and Lord was the same everywhere I went. 

 

Another rock for me was in college. I read a book, When People are Big and God is Small. And I believe beyond the Bible this should be required reading for all people. [00:34:00] I shared earlier my sin struggles of envy and people-pleasing and their perception of me and wanting to belong to groups beyond just Jesus. And the Lord really did a number on my heart in college with those struggles through the reading of this book.

 

I finally laid down the root of minimizing God and maximizing people. And that's really just Romans 1 right there, the worshiping and serving created things, rather than the creator who is forever praised. Amen. 

 

Laura Dugger: That's what Romans 1 says. 

 

Jaime Farrell: In my journey of sanctification, that was just a massive gift of grace to learn to delight in the bigness of God first and foremost. 

 

And then I'd love to shar