S5E32: Navigating Mortality: Faith and Hope in the Face of Death
In this compelling episode of Besties with Breasties Podcast, Sarah and Beth are joined by co-host Jamie and Pastor Patti Kirkland to tackle the existential questions surrounding death and the Christian belief in eternal life. The conversation delves into the profound themes of mortality, faith, and hope, exploring how these concepts intersect in the face of fear and loss.
Pastor Patti, drawing from her own experiences with loss, articulates that death marks a significant transition rather than a conclusion, encouraging listeners to view life through the lens of hope and faith. The conversation further evolves to address the vital role of community in times of grief, underscoring the strength that can be found in shared experiences. Additionally, practical advice is provided for those grappling with fear or uncertainty, emphasizing the importance of seeking support and nurturing one’s faith during difficult times.
You'll hear:
- The discourse surrounding mortality is profoundly enriched by faith, which allows individuals to reframe their fear of death as a transition rather than an end.
- Pastor Patti Kirkland's journey through personal loss has endowed her with unique insights into the nature of grief and the hope found within the Christian faith.
- The Christian perspective posits that eternity is not merely an abstract concept, but a tangible reality that shapes our understanding of life and death.
- Community support plays a crucial role during periods of hardship, reaffirming the importance of collective strength in navigating life's challenges.
- The podcast emphasizes that wrestling with faith and doubt is a natural part of the spiritual journey, particularly in times of uncertainty and loss.
- Practical resources and encouragement are shared for those grappling with fear or faith, underscoring the notion that one is never alone in their struggles.
Connect with Pastor Patti Kirkland:
- The Crossing Church- St. Peters, MO https://thecrossing.church/about
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattikirkland/
Learn more or support Faith Through Fire at faiththroughfire.org
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Faith Through Fire
- Thrivent Gateway Financial Group
00:00 - Untitled
00:00 - Introduction to Breast Cancer Support
03:51 - Facing Death: Perspectives on Eternity
11:06 - The Concept of Salvation and Forgiveness in Faith
24:13 - Trusting in God's Character
27:53 - The Power of Intercession in Times of Pain
Welcome to the Besties with Breasties podcast.
Speaker ASarah hall here I am a certified health and wellness coach, athletic trainer, mom, and breast cancer survivor.
Speaker AI help women overcome their own mind drama to make mind shifts that open up the possibility for their most empowered and energetic life.
Speaker BAnd I am Beth Wilmes, author, speaker, and founder of a human investment organization, otherwise known as a nonprofit called Faith Through Fire.
Speaker BOur mission is to reduce the fear and anxiety that breast cancer patients feel and replace it with hope and a path toward thriving.
Speaker AThis podcast is about our experiences with.
Speaker BBreast cancer and life after as young survivors and moms.
Speaker BAll right, Jamie.
Speaker BSo Jamie is with us today, guest hosting.
Speaker BSo great to have you on as usual, Jamie.
Speaker BAll right, I'm just diving right in.
Speaker CThere's.
Speaker BThere's no good way to say this.
Speaker BAre you afraid to die?
Speaker DWhoa.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker CCan we get a warm up softball pitch?
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker CThe.
Speaker CThe short answer is no, but it's a.
Speaker CIt's a complex longer story.
Speaker BBut you know what?
Speaker BI think it is like, I'm not afraid to die either.
Speaker BLike, when we talk about dying, I. I am not particularly excited about the idea of being uncomfortable or in pain.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker BAnd I think there's a distinction.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker BYou know, and I wonder, like, when people have a fear of dying, are they actually afraid of death itself or do you think they're worried about leading up to death?
Speaker CI would, I would think the.
Speaker CThe leading up to.
Speaker BAnd I would just think, like, it's the emotional, like, wrestling that happens.
Speaker BIt's like the physical.
Speaker BYou know, you have people to assist you with that, but it's like the emotional wrestling with it that I think is like, potentially really just.
Speaker CYou talked, you'll talk in the podcast about the reconciliation with, you know, self, others, God.
Speaker CYeah, a lot of things.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BSo today we're going to be talking with Patty Kirkland.
Speaker BShe's a pastor with the Crossing Church in St. Peter's Missour.
Speaker BShe has personal experience with death.
Speaker BShe lost her husband recently.
Speaker BShe routinely walks with other people as they encounter hard things or prepare to die.
Speaker BAnd this podcast is based on the Christian faith, which is the foundation for faith through fire.
Speaker BSo first we're going to talk about how death is not the end.
Speaker BIt's a transition to eternal life.
Speaker CThen we'll talk about how faith sustains us through fear and uncertainty.
Speaker BAnd finally, we'll discuss how living with eternity in mind changes how we both live and die.
Speaker BBut before we talk to Patty, let's hear from our first sponsor.
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Speaker BAlright, well, welcome.
Speaker BPatty.
Speaker BThank you for being here.
Speaker DOh, thanks for having me.
Speaker DIt's an honor.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BSo we were just talking about death, which is a topic that a lot of people find very scary.
Speaker BAnd for some people it is really scary.
Speaker BBut for the Christian, death is not the end.
Speaker BIt's kind of a transition to eternal life.
Speaker BSo what are your thoughts about that?
Speaker BI mean, you're in pastoral care, you deal with a lot of people going through some really hard things.
Speaker BWhat are your insights into that and how do people typically perceive death and what would you want them to know about death?
Speaker DThose are a lot of really heavy questions.
Speaker BI know.
Speaker BWe don't mess around, Patti.
Speaker BWe go right into it.
Speaker DI know, and I love that.
Speaker DThat's what I love about you guys.
Speaker DI think one of the things that helps and actually going through this whole thing of breast cancer has really helped me understand things a little bit more.
Speaker DThat there's a book called Eternity is now in session.
Speaker DAnd that means that it's not like I'm waiting for eternity.
Speaker DThat in death starts eternity.
Speaker DNo.
Speaker DWhat I have seen from scripture and just walking this path with the likes of my husband who passed away, it'll be a year on Sunday, passed away from Parkinson's disease, that our eternal life begins now and here and that death is.
Speaker DThis is.
Speaker DYes, it's a transition.
Speaker DIt's like opening another door.
Speaker DBut when I started to realize that nobody gets out of this life alive, no matter how healthy we Are.
Speaker BI think that that's an important point to make because I had to really grapple with that when I got diagnosed, when I was facing my own mortality, I had to sit there and logically ask myself, well, what did you think?
Speaker BDid you think you were going to go through this entire life and you weren't going to die?
Speaker BAnd of course, the answer was no.
Speaker BYou know, I think we all know, right, that we're all going to die.
Speaker BIt's just that when we're faced with it, it just feels so different because.
Speaker DThis life is all we've ever known.
Speaker DYou know, I think of it like the baby in the womb.
Speaker DYou know, you're carrying this baby in the womb, and you want to tell them, wait till you taste ice cream and.
Speaker DAnd.
Speaker DAnd.
Speaker DAnd wait till you run through the grass and see the sunshine and all that.
Speaker DBut all they know is that comfort of being in the womb.
Speaker DIt's warm, it's dark, it's cozy.
Speaker DI get three squares a day, and why would I want to leave?
Speaker DBut there's so much more.
Speaker DAnd I think that's the thing that's really started to become amplified for me as I started to just go, okay, God, we have no guarantees other than today, so what beauty is there in today?
Speaker DTo see you, to see other people through your eyes, to just enjoy the day that God has given us, no matter how it looks.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI think scripture reassures us that death is a passage, not a termination, which is kind of what you're talking about.
Speaker BAnd it is hard to comprehend.
Speaker BBut, you know, the baby in the womb is a perfect example.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BOf you don't know what you don't know.
Speaker BAnd so that's kind of where exactly.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BFaith comes in.
Speaker BAnd, you know, obviously, Jesus is resurrected is the cornerstone of our hope.
Speaker BHe defeated death, so we don't have to, which is why this transition is even possible.
Speaker BAnd heaven is a real place, and I think people struggle with that, too.
Speaker BLike, we recently suffered a loss in my family, and I have relatives that are saying, but where are they?
Speaker BWhere are they?
Speaker BAnd I'm like, they're in.
Speaker BYou know, they were a believer, so they're in heaven.
Speaker BAnd it's like, for them, it's really hard to comprehend heaven as an actual real place.
Speaker BAnd I think there's so much out there that kind of speaks to that scripturally.
Speaker BAnd does that give you comfort, knowing that Russ is in a real place in heaven in the presence of Jesus?
Speaker BLike, how does that.
Speaker BHow does heaven resonate in your mind?
Speaker CAbsolutely.
Speaker DAbsolutely.
Speaker DA couple of things.
Speaker DThere's that realization in scripture talks about that he has put eternity into the hearts of men, of men, of women, of people.
Speaker DAnd that.
Speaker DThat says that there is this.
Speaker DThis idea of eternity and that our souls were meant to go on, but then also Jesus coming on the scene, and he was not resurrected in spirit, he was resurrected in body.
Speaker CAnd.
Speaker DAnd that promise, that promise that.
Speaker DThat Jesus actually did resurrect, rise from the dead is like, that's a reality coming to us.
Speaker DThat's that reminder that, yes, we will live again.
Speaker DAnd it's not the picture that some people have of sitting on a cloud and strumming a harp and everything, but that the scripture talks about that there will be work for us to do, that it's not just us being transformed, this earth is transformed, that there's newness of this.
Speaker DGod is redeeming the place that we live.
Speaker DAnd there's a pastor who I love how he says he's bringing up there, down here, that heaven and earth meet.
Speaker DThat was the example of when they built the temple in the days of Jesus.
Speaker DThe temple, the holy of holies, was the place where heaven and earth met.
Speaker DThat's what God has in store for us.
Speaker DThat's my hope and that's what I cling to, to know that one Parkinson's does not get the last word in my husband's life, and breast cancer doesn't get the last word in my life.
Speaker BYeah, we've already conquered death through Christ, and that's where I get my comfort from.
Speaker BI don't know about you, Jamie, but it's like that's where it all sits.
Speaker BIt's just in the Jesus's resurrection.
Speaker BAnd there's people out there who are not familiar with the Christian faith.
Speaker BMaybe they're a little ambivalent about it.
Speaker BDoes.
Speaker BIs Jesus real?
Speaker BIs heaven real?
Speaker BAnd for those people listening, I would encourage you to become a history buff, because the historical data that exists that shows that the resurrection of Christ happened is pretty overwhelming, especially if you compare it to other historical events that have already been validated by scholars.
Speaker BSo, you know, if that's you and you're a little like, I don't know, you know, I would encourage you to go down that path because I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Speaker BBut, you know, heaven as a promised home, a place of no pain, tears, or suffering, but we get to kind of keep the essence of who we are.
Speaker BI think that's, like, hard for some people, is they think they have to give up who they were as a person.
Speaker BAnd that's not true.
Speaker BYou're just like, what I said to my family members after our loved one pass is like, now that person's like, version 2.0, you know?
Speaker DExactly.
Speaker DWe are more ourselves.
Speaker DI firmly believe my husband was a great musician, fantastic vocalist, and completely creative in every way possible.
Speaker DAnd I'm looking forward to seeing that someday, really.
Speaker DIn Technicolor, so to speak.
Speaker DYou know, now that Parkinson's no longer has hold of his body and that he is in the arms of Jesus.
Speaker DWhen you look at scripture and talks about when he's on the cross and he's between those two thieves that Jesus tells, the one that, you know, from now, you.
Speaker DYou will be with me in.
Speaker DIn heaven.
Speaker BI think that's like, a really hard concept for people, too, as you have two thieves on the cross, right.
Speaker BAnd they're both sitting there, and they know that they deserve to be there.
Speaker BAnd the one that repents is the one that Jesus says, you're going to be with me today in heaven.
Speaker BI think that's.
Speaker BI. I think it's beautiful.
Speaker BAnd it's such a expression of God's heart, is that we are, you know, he is pursuing us to the very end.
Speaker BBut it can be hard for people who think, well, you know, there's this status you have to maintain as a Christian in order to earn your way into heaven.
Speaker BAnd it's like, no, that's the whole point is you don't need to do that.
Speaker BYou know, that's.
Speaker DFor all we know that the other guy on the other side, you know, his story is not told.
Speaker DWe don't know if he decided to just, you know, yeah, maybe this is the Son of God.
Speaker DJesus was there to forgive and welcome him as well.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI'd be curious about both your Jamie and Patty's, like, your faith walk.
Speaker BLike, was this an evolution for both of you, or was it something where you were born and raised and you knew immediately, like, where your faith was?
Speaker BOh, Patty's laughing.
Speaker BShe must have a story.
Speaker DI was baptized Catholic because I had, you know, a dad who, you know, Italian, Catholic.
Speaker DThat's what you do.
Speaker DBut I knew nothing.
Speaker DI didn't know that Christmas and Easter were.
Speaker DWere connected.
Speaker DSo I was pretty unchurched.
Speaker DYou know, again, going back to that scripture that talks about that he has placed eternity into the hearts of men, I felt like there was something more to this life.
Speaker DI didn't know what it was.
Speaker DI just knew that there was something more than the things that I could see.
Speaker DAnd touch and feel with my limited senses.
Speaker DAnd so I just began a search.
Speaker BWas there a moment, Jamie, for you, like, where you felt the same?
Speaker BLike, you felt like there was more to life than just what we could see?
Speaker CYeah, there's been many moments similar to Patty.
Speaker CI was raised in the church, but I didn't discover the relational component with God until young adulthood when hardship happened.
Speaker CAnd I realized there's got to be more than what's right in front of me.
Speaker CAnd it was actually the death of a child, of a dear friend of mine that I think that was the first time that I felt that yearning for heaven and that understanding that we were never meant to for this place, and that total healing and harmony happens when we return home.
Speaker BI had a similar situation.
Speaker BI was kind of ambivalent about faith, at least until I had my son, who's my oldest.
Speaker BAnd the minute I had him, I thought, well, what do I want for him?
Speaker BAm I going to tell him that this world is meaningless?
Speaker BThat there's no purpose?
Speaker BThat it's just like you're here and then you're dust and there's nothing more?
Speaker BAnd it didn't resonate with my soul.
Speaker BI was like, no, there's more to this story than what I know.
Speaker BAnd that was the prompt for me to kind of start down the path of relationship with God.
Speaker BI think that's interesting that all of us.
Speaker BI do think that that's what happens.
Speaker BThere's some sort of event that propels people to discover or to search, you know, and that's how he kind of whispers to you.
Speaker DAnd for me, it took like, I. I did a lot of reading.
Speaker DI looked into other religions.
Speaker DI even looked into the occult because I felt like.
Speaker DAnd this was as a teenager, I was in high school, but I felt like, well, there's something supernatural there, so I'm going to check that out.
Speaker DBut I had a friend who continually wanted to invite me to church, and it was the last thing I wanted to do.
Speaker DI did not want to get up early on a Sunday morning.
Speaker DBut she never gave up.
Speaker DUntil finally one day I said, okay, fine, I'll come.
Speaker DAnd then you get to stop asking me and inviting me.
Speaker DAnd little did I know that that was the day I was going to hear this amazing story that permeates every book of Scripture, all 66 books of Jesus, of what he did for us, the redemption that is presented to us, that I didn't have to clean myself up, change that.
Speaker DThis was this free gift.
Speaker DAnd I just.
Speaker DI guess they call it, they used to call it an altar call.
Speaker DI just went forward, I just said, this is what I've been looking for.
Speaker DMy life, that was May 17th of 1970, and my life has changed ever since then.
Speaker CI think that's the beauty and complexity of God.
Speaker CThat his heart is to pursue each and every one of us and that's not time bound.
Speaker CAnd yet he honors free will and that it's a choice.
Speaker CIt is, it's not a, it's not a requirement.
Speaker CBut that he is, he will pursue.
Speaker CAnd when we're ready, he's there with open arms.
Speaker CI think that's beautiful.
Speaker BCan we, can we talk about, though, the reality of embracing God and Jesus?
Speaker BBecause I remember when I was contemplating, okay, if you're, if you're really gonna do this, like, if you're gonna go all in and just give your life your control, which is really what it was for me, my goodness, my control of my life over to God.
Speaker BI remember distinctly thinking, your life is going to get harder, not easier.
Speaker BAnd I thought that's.
Speaker BThat couldn't be.
Speaker BThat couldn't be anything other than the Holy Spirit just reminding me, like, hey, you take this plunge, I promise you it's going to be harder, but it's going to be worth it.
Speaker BAnd that's what I decided.
Speaker BUltimately.
Speaker BI said, okay, God, I'm all yours.
Speaker BI jump.
Speaker BI jumped in with both feet and you know what?
Speaker BI'll be darned.
Speaker BMy life got more complicated and more difficult and in some ways more painful.
Speaker BBut oh my gosh, so rich and so beautiful and so complex and just so.
Speaker BIt's like you said, walking through a whole different dimension or door.
Speaker BAnd so whenever anybody's grappling with their faith or they're deconstructing their faith, you know, it's a natural part of the process, which I kind of want to talk about a little bit.
Speaker BJust the process of really wrestling with God until you get there, but does promise to be more difficult because you have to give up what you want for yourself, how you want to live, what you want to do, and you have to hand it all over to Him.
Speaker BAnd that is for most women, especially in the women at Faith Through Fire, we all tend to be a bunch of control freaks.
Speaker BThat can be really, that can be really hard.
Speaker BBut I want to remind you, you know, and we started this by talking about death.
Speaker BYou know, fear of death is.
Speaker BFear of death is completely natural.
Speaker BBut faith reframes it as part of the bigger story.
Speaker BYou know, when you really embrace your faith, you Realize there is no death.
Speaker BAnd so then, you know, it loses its sting.
Speaker BWe always talk about like, oh, I've made friends with death.
Speaker BI really think I've made friends with death because there is no death for me.
Speaker BYou know, I will have a transition, but I will not die.
Speaker BAnd so for me, that's kind of my thought process and that's how I get, you know, I get to the other side of it.
Speaker BBut, you know, let's talk about people who are really kind of, you know, wrestling with this concept of faith and what it all means.
Speaker BBecause you know, the world is going to tell you one thing.
Speaker BAnd being a faith filled person means you're going to be living contrary to that.
Speaker BAnd that sucks because you feel like you're on the out.
Speaker BYou know, you can feel like you're on the outside looking in.
Speaker BYou can feel like you're like, not with the cool kids anymore.
Speaker BYou know, did you guys have that sense?
Speaker BDid it feel like that for you?
Speaker DOh, the cool kids.
Speaker BPatty's like, I don't care about those cool kids.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker DYou know, it became, I felt like I left despair.
Speaker DI walked away from a hopelessness.
Speaker DMy mom, God rest her soul, she.
Speaker DI was raised by a single mom and she did the best she could and I'm just, I honor her for that.
Speaker DBut she suffered greatly from mental illness.
Speaker DShe tried to take her life several times.
Speaker DI remember going to school and opening up my book bag and there was a suicide note.
Speaker DAnd I'm like, I guess I think I need to go to my guidance counselor and show her this.
Speaker DAnd so she was not successful.
Speaker DShe lived to be 95 and she found Jesus and that changed everything for her.
Speaker BWow.
Speaker BHow old was she when she found Jesus?
Speaker DIn her 50s.
Speaker DOkay, I believe 40s.
Speaker B50S.
Speaker DYeah.
Speaker DAnd.
Speaker DAnd it changed everything for her as well too in our relationship.
Speaker DBut I realized when, while my mother was still dealing with this mental illness that God was saying, there is, there is more.
Speaker DAnd let me show you a life, you know, apart from this.
Speaker DAnd I love, I love, I love the honesty of Jesus.
Speaker DWhen you, you, you read where he says, in this world you will have trouble.
Speaker DHe didn't whitewash it.
Speaker DHe did not say, everything's be okay and there's pie in the sky and all of those things.
Speaker DIn this world you will have trouble.
Speaker DBut take heart, I have overcome the world.
Speaker DAnd that's what I just needed to know that, yes, I'm going to have issues.
Speaker DYes, I'm going to have a husband that was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Speaker DAt the age of 38.
Speaker DBut the fact that Jesus said, I will be with you always.
Speaker DI've overcome the world.
Speaker BI want to talk about, you know, trusting in God's character, his goodness, his mercy, his presence, and then maybe some.
Speaker BYou know, how we can feel closer to God or live with eternity in mind when we're fearful of death.
Speaker BBut before we do that, you guys want to do Boobs in the News?
Speaker CLet's do it.
Speaker BAll right.
Speaker BBoobs in the news is a fun segment where we read funny tweets by real people or ridiculous news stories.
Speaker CBoobs in the news.
Speaker CBibs in the news.
Speaker BAll right, you ready for this?
Speaker BBoobs?
Speaker CYes, ma'.
Speaker CAm.
Speaker BThis one's dark.
Speaker BNot gonna lie.
Speaker BSince we're talking about death, let's just go there.
Speaker BThe title of this one is an Australian woman is on trial for murder by toxic mushrooms.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker CShe poisoned someone.
Speaker BShe poisoned someone.
Speaker BYou know why I gravitated to this story was because I was just at the farmer's market and I bought 50 worth of mushrooms.
Speaker CNow you're second guess.
Speaker BI'm not kidding.
Speaker BI'm not.
Speaker BIt did cross my mind because my husband and kids like to go mushroom hunting for the morels.
Speaker CGotta be careful.
Speaker BAnd I'm like, I won't eat them.
Speaker BI'm like, you guys don't know what you're doing.
Speaker BAnd my husband's like, they're very obviously morels.
Speaker BAnd I said, mm, yeah, right.
Speaker BSo while I was buying $50 worth of mushrooms, I'm sitting there thinking, do I trust that this man knows his stuff and I can eat these without peril.
Speaker BYeah, this lady.
Speaker BLet me see here.
Speaker BI just lost the story.
Speaker BThere we go.
Speaker BA suburban Australian mom is standing trial on charges of poisoning several of her estranged husband's relatives.
Speaker BWhat with death cap mushrooms at a home cooked meal, killing three of them.
Speaker BHoly smokes.
Speaker CWait, was her.
Speaker CWait, did you say ex husband or husband?
Speaker BOkay, but it wasn't even her husband.
Speaker CThat's what I'm.
Speaker BIt was her estranged husband's relatives.
Speaker CThat's dark.
Speaker BI wonder if she's setting him up for the murders.
Speaker BOh, I don't know.
Speaker BSays the case against Aaron Patterson.
Speaker BOh, that sounds like such a mom name.
Speaker BLike, you know, like, oh, you know, Aaron down the street from pta.
Speaker CShe poisoned them all.
Speaker BOh, my gosh.
Speaker BSounds so innocent.
Speaker BOkay, so she was in court.
Speaker BShe's expired.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BShe's 50 years old.
Speaker BShe's accused of putting death cap mushrooms, which are among the most poisonous in the world, in a beef wellington.
Speaker BDish that she served to guests on on a July lunch at her home in a town of less than 6,000 people, 85 miles from Melbourne.
Speaker BOh, my gosh.
Speaker BProsecutors say Peterson, who was separated from but on good terms with her husband, invited his parents, aunt and uncle over for an adult only lunch, ostensibly to discuss medical issues she was facing.
Speaker BAnd her husband, her ex husband, had declined the invitation.
Speaker BOkay, so he was supposed to be there.
Speaker CThis is wild.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker CDo you think he was in partnership with her?
Speaker BOh, I don't know.
Speaker BThat's even darker.
Speaker BI don't know.
Speaker BAre we?
Speaker BWe're going down this rabbit hole.
Speaker BIt says all four of Patterson's lunch guests were hospitalized with gastrointestinal symptoms the day after the meal.
Speaker BThree of them died the following week, all from altered liver function and multiple organ failure during due to the amanita mushroom poisoning.
Speaker BOh, my gosh.
Speaker BProsecutors accused Patterson of lying about a cancer diagnosis as a pretense for the lunch, deliberately poisoning her guests, not eating the same dish as them, and pretending to suffer similar symptoms as an attempted cover up.
Speaker BWow.
Speaker CI wonder what she was hoping to gain.
Speaker CI mean, innocent until proven guilty, it says.
Speaker BThe prosecutor said the prosecution will not be suggesting that there was a particular motive to do what she did.
Speaker BNo, she just crazy.
Speaker CShe's just crazy.
Speaker BShe's just cray cray.
Speaker BThat's insane.
Speaker BSays Patterson admits to lying to police on two instances in the aftermath about owning a food dehydrator and forgering for mushrooms.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BI mean, this is crazy.
Speaker BI don't know what this woman's like.
Speaker CShe's the boob.
Speaker BShe's the boob.
Speaker BDon't poison your ex husband and all of his relatives, people.
Speaker BYou're going to get caught.
Speaker BI think it's hilarious that she thought that this wasn't going to get traced back to her.
Speaker CEveryone but her.
Speaker BYou invite everybody over for a dinner, everybody gets sick but you, and you have a dehydrator, and you're probably.
Speaker BThat smells like mushrooms.
Speaker BWhat an idiot.
Speaker BThere's your boobs.
Speaker CBibs in the news.
Speaker CBibs in the news.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker BAnd we're back.
Speaker BSo let's talk about, you know, how do we start to trust in God's character?
Speaker BAnd how do we start trusting in the fact that this life isn't all there is, that eternity, you know, that we aren't going to die when we're in Jesus.
Speaker BJamie, what do you do?
Speaker BWhat kind of tools?
Speaker BStrengthen your faith and help you walk as a survivor in faith.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CAs I was listening to you talk, I Was thinking a lot about our boot camps and how we actively encourage and support wrestling with these very concepts because it's easy to love God on the mountaintops when things are going well, but our faith is truly challenged when we're in the valleys.
Speaker CAnd we can say that we trust God, but what does that look actively in the hardest moments of our life?
Speaker CI don't know about you two, but I felt closest to God during my active cancer treatment, and I think it was because I was faced with this huge mountain, knowing I couldn't scale it alone.
Speaker CAnd so we talk about heart posture a lot.
Speaker CAnd what does it look like to have open palms versus closed fists and controlling our way through things that are already finished for us?
Speaker CYou know, God knows our number of days before we do.
Speaker CAnd so what does it look like to walk in a way that is faith filled with supernatural peace?
Speaker CAnd so for me, it's a lot of that letting go of control that you talked about, Beth, that, you know, God, it's not my will, but yours.
Speaker CHoly Spirit, give me the strength to navigate these moments.
Speaker CYou know, it's okay to pray for pain to be taken away.
Speaker CIt's okay to go to him and say, I don't understand.
Speaker CHelp me understand.
Speaker CI can't do this alone.
Speaker CYou know, we talk about lamenting to our Father and what does it look like to have righteous anger and then a petition, give me the tools.
Speaker CGive me the way.
Speaker CShow me the light.
Speaker CHe can handle all of it.
Speaker CAnd I think sometimes we think he can't, and we're better off with our plan.
Speaker CBut the second that we change our heart posture and ask him to lead, I think miracles happen.
Speaker DYeah, I agree, Jamie.
Speaker DThose words are so good.
Speaker DThose words are so good.
Speaker DAnd it's absolutely true.
Speaker DAnd I think that it's that reminder that when we get angry at God, and let's face it, we all find some times when we scratch our heads and say, God, I love you, but I don't understand you right now in the midst of all of this, and that, yeah, God meets us in those darkest of times.
Speaker DAnd we see that in scripture as well, too, that those are the times when you just say, I think of the dad who he wanted his son healed.
Speaker DAnd if it was possible, and Jesus tells him, well, you know, all things are possible if you have this faith.
Speaker DAnd the dad says, I believe.
Speaker DHelp my unbelief.
Speaker DI've prayed that prayer so many times that I believe.
Speaker DBut help in those times when my faith is weak and when I struggle and to Know that God does not cast us out, reprimand us, or roll his eyes when we say that.
Speaker BI think sometimes his arms are open.
Speaker BSomething I lean on quite a bit is asking the Holy Spirit to intercede for me.
Speaker BBecause there are times where things are so.
Speaker BThey're so painful.
Speaker BYou know, the concept of what's happening or the pain that we're feeling is just so numbing that I'm sitting there crying.
Speaker BI'm crying out to God, but there are no words.
Speaker BAnd so when there's no words, I often am saying, okay, Holy Spirit, I have no words.
Speaker BYou know my heart.
Speaker BI need you to intercede on my behalf.
Speaker BI need you to say the things that need to be said.
Speaker BI need you to ask for the things that need to be asked.
Speaker BI need you to, you know, do the hard lifting here, because I don't have it in me.
Speaker BI want to do it.
Speaker BAnd I am frozen.
Speaker BAnd sometimes that's all my prayer is, is for somebody else, for the Holy Spirit to take the reins from me and do it the right way, because I.
Speaker BJust inconsolable at this point.
Speaker BAnd I think that there's comfort for me in that, too, is that we do have the Holy Spirit and Jesus interceding for us all the time.
Speaker BThey are the bridge, you know, between us and God and.
Speaker BAnd he always can hear us.
Speaker BAnd that's.
Speaker BThat's comforting to me.
Speaker BSo I think everything that you guys are saying is.
Speaker BIs spot on.
Speaker BI. I think living with eternity in mind really changes how we die and how we live.
Speaker BAnd I. I think it.
Speaker BYou know, when hard things happen or when we're really fearful, our faith is kind of what empowers us to live with greater purpose, Forgiveness and peace.
Speaker BPhilippians 1:21 talks about that.
Speaker BBut there's, like, parts, too, you know, spiritually, that if you're facing death or the love.
Speaker BThe death of a loved one, that you can kind of prepare spiritually.
Speaker BYou know, you can reconcile with God and with others, which brings closure and readiness.
Speaker BAnd you can even use the experience of death or the fear of dying to witness to other people.
Speaker BYou can display hope and courage and unwavering faith in the.
Speaker BIn the midst of really difficult things.
Speaker BI can't tell you how many people I've seen just go through some really horrendous things and the amount of hope and faith that they display in that.
Speaker BAnd it's not.
Speaker BThey're not putting it on.
Speaker BYou know, there are those that try to appear strong for others, but then there's those where it's born out of true, pure love and faith of God.
Speaker BAnd I just think that the mark that that leaves on people is just.
Speaker BYou can't comprehend how many lives that touches when you're able to do that.
Speaker BWhat about you, Patti?
Speaker BYou see that a lot in ministry, I would imagine.
Speaker DAbsolutely.
Speaker DAnd when you were talking, it made me think about how much the community, the community of faith plays a part.
Speaker DWhether it's.
Speaker DI love the community and faith through fire.
Speaker DI love just women who understand what another woman is going through and when one is weak, the other is strong.
Speaker DAnd that we.
Speaker DThat we support one another in those different periods.
Speaker DI think about the story of Ruth and Naomi in the book of Ruth and all of the losses that those women suffered of a husband and, you know, husbands and Naomi lost two sons and all of this.
Speaker DAnd even in her bitterness towards God because she.
Speaker DShe says, don't call me Naomi, call me Mara.
Speaker DCause the Lord has dealt bitterly with me.
Speaker DAnd yet God provides this woman of Ruth that says, where you go, I will go.
Speaker DYou know, where you stay, I will say, you know, your people will be my people and your God, my God.
Speaker DIt is that commitment that we have to one another, to just be there to encourage one another and build one another's faith.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI remember when I was going through breast cancer, I had a woman in my Bible study fellowship group, and she just kind of inserted herself in my life.
Speaker BWhen I got diagnosed, we didn't know each other well at all, but she just prayed over me the entire time and brought so much comfort and peace to my experience.
Speaker BBut she said something to me that has just always stayed with me.
Speaker BShe's like, when you start to slide into darkness, I will be there to pull you out.
Speaker BAnd I just.
Speaker BIt just.
Speaker BIt was just so beautiful.
Speaker BAnd she meant it.
Speaker BAnd it was like, okay, if I start to slide, she's going to pull me back into the sunshine.
Speaker BAnd every time I encounter a hard thing, you know, within our community or otherwise, I just sit there and think, be the person that's going to pull the other person out back into the sunshine.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BAnd that's.
Speaker BThat's.
Speaker BWe have the faith in God.
Speaker BIf you don't have it right now, if you're questioning it, if you're wrestling with it, that's okay.
Speaker BThat's part of the journey.
Speaker BYou know, keep that wrestling with him.
Speaker BKeep going back and asking why and asking for more information.
Speaker BAnd in the meantime, you know, we're going to be here to pull you out of that darkness before we Wrap up with our final words.
Speaker BLet's hear from our second sponsor.
Speaker AThriven is a proud sponsor of Faith Through Fire.
Speaker AThrivent believes money is a tool and not a goal.
Speaker AThe Gateway financial group with Thrivent is local to the St. Louis area and can work with you to create a financial strategy that reflects your priorities and helps you protect the things that matter to you, like family and giving back.
Speaker APlease call 314-783-4214 to schedule a free consultation with one of Thrivent's gateway financial advice.
Speaker BAll right, Patty, any final words for those listening who are grappling with a fear of death or just, you know, struggling in their faith walk?
Speaker DWell, I think you pointed out some things, you know, just beautifully when you talked about the woman who just said, I'm going to be there, you know, with you.
Speaker DAnd for you is to.
Speaker DFor those women that are struggling, that there's people to reach out and talk to.
Speaker DYou know, for people who don't have a.
Speaker DA church that there's places that we can point them to, there's resources.
Speaker DThere's a YouTube channel that's through the Crossing, that's called A and Q, which stands for answers and questions, that has all these different kinds of questions of what about death, what happens to us?
Speaker DAll those things to be able to, to go and to listen.
Speaker BWe'll link those in the show notes, too, guys.
Speaker BSo those will be in the show notes.
Speaker BSo take a, take a look at those and you'll be able to access that.
Speaker DThat's great.
Speaker DI would say.
Speaker DIs that like, if, if you're just saying God, are you real?
Speaker DAre you there?
Speaker DDo you hear me?
Speaker DI think that's a challenge that every one of us can put out there.
Speaker DAnd there's a name for God in scripture called El Roi that means the God who sees me.
Speaker DAnd God is the God who sees you who sees us and who cares.
Speaker DAnd to ask, make yourself known, put that challenge out because he is up to the challenge.
Speaker BOh, thank you so much, Patty.
Speaker BThank you for being here.
Speaker BUntil next time, guys.
Speaker BSee you later.
Speaker BThank you for being a listener of the Besties with Breasties podcast.
Speaker BIf this podcast had a positive impact on your journey, leave us a review or consider becoming a supporter.
Speaker BYou can donate with the link in the show notes or atface through fire.org.
Speaker Bthis episode was hosted by Sarah hall and Beth Wilas.
Speaker BAudio and production edits by Innovative frequencies.