The Spacious Place, with Kari Levang

“The sweetest joys and delights I have experienced, have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own estate, but in a direct view of the glorious things of the gospel…I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express….to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy, pure love; to trust in Him; to live upon Him; to serve and to follow Him.”   Our work matters, and yet, its more than just the work. This episode came directly out of my own time in the Scripture write through plan. I was going through a passage that I’ve been through no less than a hundred times and yet God still had some things to give me. It’s the Living Word! Join me today so you can experience some of His encouragement too!

Quote: In a world of algorithms, hashtags and followers, know the true importance of human connection. -Unknown Connecting with one another is not easy, but rarely not worth the risk. This week we will talk about barriers to connection——a few of the components that can kill connection with others. And we’ll also talk about a couple of ways to help you to cultivate connection with others. If you are someone who has had a hard time finding your people, this episode may give you some helpful handles to help you grab onto in your quest for building relationships with others that are life-giving.

Quote: In a world where everyone wears a mask, it’s a privilege to see a soul. -Author Unknown Join me in the first episode in our summer series on Connection and Community! Today we will make some important distinctions between Community and Connection and I will share the seven “must-haves” for genuine connection with one another. We’ll also celebrate the fact that Jesus is not calling us to perfection, in our relationship with Him and others, but presence! This is a truth that will set you free! 

Katherine Wolf, in her book Treasures in the Dark says, “Get curious about what new thing your suffering could be offering you.” What if we don’t have to fit into a box one way or another but rather there is room for all the parts of us.. Today I’m talking about my thoughts around Jesus interaction with Mary and Martha in Luke 10. We’ll discuss some of my thoughts about whether this portion of Scripture is really what we might think at first glance or whether there’s actually something more that Jesus is trying to lead us into.

Courage, dear heart. CS Lewis   It takes lots of courage to show up to what’s really happening inside of us, rather than hide and perform on the outside. In this episode I’m sharing some of the places of change for me and how I’m learning to navigate them in new ways. You’ll also get a peek into the experiences in my life over the last two years that have created places in me that have felt very young. Places where I have had to be a beginner, and how at this middle aged place, it rubs against feeling young and out of control. Maybe you can relate??   (Also, don’t quit too soon on the episode because I’ll end it with some encouragement from the disciples that will help you feel comforted in your own discomfort around change!)

The Word of God is powerful against our internal traffic. …It replaces the internal chatter of life—-the criticism, the comparisons, and the shoulds—-with the truth of what God sees and thinks and feels. And that’s a beautiful sound. Unseen, by Sara Hagerty   In today’s episode I’m sharing part of a conversation I had with a friend that served as a wonderful reminder to me about what it means to run the race marked out for me. I don’t know what you’re facing in your life right now, but hopefully today’s episode will be an infusion of hope for you!

Grace is often painful because it strips us down and shows us how little we have to offer. Bill Bedell   In today’s episode, I’m talking about how that might look as we wait or live in the “not-yet” spaces of our lives.  Everyone finds themselves here at one time or another, so I’m talking about what it might look like to intertwine ourselves and how it might not be as complicated as we might think. And you’re not gonna want to leave at the very end…if you wait, you’ll get a bit of a blast from the past surprise!

Sometimes deciding you want to move towards all God has for you means trusting Him enough to let go of things that are holding you back. Ashley Morgan Jackson   I got caught up in the words Abide and Abode this week. I found myself pondering what it might look like to make our home with God and shared some of the reasons why I often don’t choose this route. God waiting and saying, “Come home and be with me.”….what will you say???

“It’s not the strength of your faith that saves you, but the strength of Him upon whom you rely on.” Charles Spurgeon   Today I’m talking through a verse that kinda stopped me in my tracks. It’s a verse that I’ve read multiple times before, but this time, after reading it, I was asked, “what stood out to me?”.   What if God isn’t frustrated when we keep coming back, but rather delighted by our presence? What if our suffering is the very thing that invites us to draw near to him, and it’s there where we find out the most about ourselves and learn obedience in new ways?   Come along with me as we talk through Hebrews 5:8 together!

Romans 10:11 For whoever believes in him, will not be put to shame   In this episode we’ll dive into John 21 and take a look at how Peter was possibly navigating his own shame. I just wonder if you can relate to his way of coping…I sure can. And it will lead us to a reinstatement of sorts that helps us to see that what we do doesn’t disqualify us from what Christ has already made possible.

“The past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays.” C S Lewis   After preparing to speak at a high school retreat, I decided that the content was too good to not share in this space as well. Today we’re talking about not only the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead, but the wonder of Jesus presence in the middle of Mary and Martha’s pain.  Our idea of time and our expectations of what God should be like, is far different than the reality of the truth of who He is.  What if the waiting space we find ourselves in, is actually an invitation into intimacy?

“The presence of pain, doesn’t mean the absence of God” ---unknown   I decided before we move into February with rapid speed, it may do us well to slow down long enough to take inventory of what the last month has been like. I think when we do this, it makes space for us to proceed with a better sense of what we might need. So, in today’s episode I share a bit of what January looked like for me, in hopes you might consider doing the same!   The Lord is your Shepherd, you have everything you need.  Psalm 23:1 MSG

God is not a concept or an emotion, and he’s certainly not a doctrine in a statement of faith or a chapter in a theology book; he is a person, who’s burning desire is to know and be known by you. And like in any intimate relationship, there is a kind of knowledge that goes beyond words——a kind you can get only by direct  persont-to-person experience. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way   We’re almost done with our first month of 2024 and boy has it been a doozy so far. Today’s episode was basically me preaching to myself and letting you in on it. I’m talking about the Psalms, but honestly it’s more about engagement with God than actually reading pages in his book. I make a few observations that felt helpful for me and my hope is that you will go away feeling the same!

The Word of God is powerful against our internal traffic. …It replaces the internal chatter of life—-the criticism, the comparisons, and the shoulds—-with the truth of what God sees and thinks and feels. And that’s a beautiful sound.  Sara Hagerty, Unseen: The gift of being hidden in a world that loves to be noticed   Welcome to the first episode of 2024! Ever feel like your prayer life could use some attention? Today I’m going to share about my desire to grow in this area of my life and the pathway that I’m heading towards to help me move in that direction. I’ll share an excerpt from Eugene Peterson and give you an invitation to join me on this adventure!

The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I’m able to hear the voice that calls me the beloved. And the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.     Henri Noun   In this episode I’ll share a few of the questions that I’m pondering as I look back at 2023 with an honest perspective and look forward to 2024 with hope and expectancy. Now, I realize not everyone likes this type of introspection, but I think it may be different this time than the typical questions of ‘how can I be better?’. Come along, have a listen and let me know what you think!   The real issue in self examination is not that I’m inviting God to know me, since He already does, but I’m inviting God to help me, know me.  Ruth Haley Barton

Hey there! Thanks for coming to this space where honesty leads the conversation. I had no intention of recording this, but after some interaction with people on social media, I decided to go ahead and do it.  So, this is a follow up to a story I shared on Instagram/Facebook about a panic attack I had. There was enough engagement from people wanting to hear how I actually dealt with it, and shared their own stories of anxiety, that I decided to share! My hope is that if you need it to be, it is helpful, and you'll find that you have another who is walking the same journey as you!

God give us the grace to embrace mysteries we don’t understand, The cruciform openness to live a tender surrender, into Your ways wiser and kinder than ours, and the deep shalom of simply being with You here, right here, with us.  —-Ann Voskamp   In this episode we’re taking a journey through some passages of Scripture together to see that in all the mystery, there is one who invites us to communion with Him.  All the places in our lives that feel like unknown and full of fear and questions, become a pathway for relationship and honesty. A place where our vulnerability is welcome and we have a seat at the table prepared just for us! Come along with me and taste what God has for you!  

1 Thessalonians 5:18…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.   In this episode I'm having a conversation with some of our long time, dear friends, Joe and Amy Coy.  We spent some time talking about what living a life of thanks has been like for them. They shared with me (and now you:), what it has looked like for them in each of their vocational places, in ministry, as well as in their very home as they raised their 5 kids and now live with aging parents. Joe and Amy are treasured friends and beautiful humans and you'll surely enjoy this conversation with them!

John Bunyan called believing “sweating work”. He once wrote, “He that undertakes to believe, sets upon the hardest task that ever was proposed to man…”    In this episode I’m talking a little bit about what it means to overcome evil. We’ll talk about the reality of the battle we are in, as well as the fact that our Jesus has ultimately bought us victory. We'll talk of the communal nature of the battle and I’ll share a little of my own experience--- I’ll even share a vulnerable piece, with you, at the end that I wrote during a writing exercise.

In this world, you will have trouble…John 16:33   We all experience struggles in this thing we call life. In this episode, I share how my own word battles around my worth led me on a hunt for an answer to this question. I don’t know about you, but I often get quiet and choose to stay alone when things are hard for me, so after a long, hard day I decided to search around for how Jesus had been in the past and thought maybe it might give me some courage for next time I found myself in this space. I also discovered some things through my Bible Study the next morning that expanded my thinking and my heart for God around it all! (Thank you Kristi McLelland for your deep work in your Jesus and Women study:) I think you might be interested to hear what I found~and if you click play, you can hear all about it!