Faith & Feelings

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into Anna’s quiet yet powerful moment of worship in Luke 2:36–38. As a widow shaped by years of loss, prayer, fasting, and devotion, Anna’s eyes had been trained to recognize Jesus when He appeared in the temple. Her story invites us to consider how a life turned toward God forms our ability to truly see Him. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, this episode explores what it means to make room for worship — to offer our grief, longing, and faithfulness to God. Through Anna’s witness, we’re invited to see how worship clarifies our spiritual vision so that when God shows up in our own stories, we’ll recognize Him — and help others see Him too. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, worship

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into the shepherds’ moment of wonder in Luke 2:15–20. As they hurry to Bethlehem and behold the newborn Jesus lying in a manger, we are invited into a deeper way of seeing — one that moves beyond surface-level observation and into holy perception. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we explore the difference between simply seeing with our physical eyes and truly perceiving with hearts open to awe. This episode invites us to rediscover a sense of holy astonishment this Christmas. To make room for wonder and to perceive God’s presence with fresh eyes. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, wonder

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into Mary’s honest moment of questioning in Luke 1:34–38. When she asks, “How will this be?” she names the real limits of her life — and yet it’s within those very limits that God chooses to work. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we explore how God chooses not to bypass human limits but to work within them. In the incarnation, God takes on the constraints of our humanity and invites Mary — and us — into partnership not by asking for strength, expertise, or perfection, but by inviting simple availability. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, limits

Today, we continue our Advent journey by entering a moment of profound humility in the Christmas story — a moment of divine descent. We pause with Mary as she receives Gabriel’s astonishing message in Luke 1:31–33, and we reflect on the mystery of how the Son of the Most High chose to come not in power or prestige, but in vulnerability and dependence. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we consider how God’s choice to descend into our humanity reveals His heart, and how His downward movement invites us to follow in love, vulnerability, and humility. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection

Today, we begin our Advent journey by entering a quiet moment in the Christmas story — a moment of hiddenness and waiting. We explore Elizabeth’s five months of solitude in Luke 1:23–25 and reflect on how God used that secluded space to reshape her identity and nurture new life within her. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s Making Room in Advent, we consider how solitude becomes a sacred womb where God does his deepest work in us. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, solitude, silence, listening, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope 

Preparation for the Christmas season can often feel busy and frantic, but it doesn't have to be this way. What if we stopped and listened to the movement and unfolding of God's plan around us? Next week on the podcast, we'll begin walking through one of favorite advent devotionals Making Room in Advent by Bette Dickinson. Today, I wanted to give us the chance to get to know her a little bit before we begin. Bette brings such wisdom and depth into this conversation. I want to invite you to take your time listening and really pondering what she offers us today.  Bette helps us reimagine Advent not as another thing to rush through, but as an invitation to pause and make room for God’s movement in and around us. She reminds us that God often speaks in the most unlikely spaces... in Scripture and in our own lives. I hope you'll listen in. Use the MRA25 to receive 25% off the devotional on Bette's website. Thought-provoking quotes: “Allowing yourself to slow down may be the greatest gift you give yourself — and the world — in this season.” - Bette Dickinson “What would it look like to allow Jesus to grow within your soul this season — with all the aches and vulnerability that come with new birth? Even your longings and your losses are not lost on God. They can become the very place of encounter.” - Bette Dickinson  “There’s a reason Paul says he is ‘in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in us.’ The journey of being transformed — of letting God grow something new within us — is vulnerable. It requires surrender. It often feels like limitation. But that is the invitation of Advent. Whether we’re carrying longing, disappointment, joy, or exhaustion, God wants to form something in us. Christ can be born in us in ways we don’t expect.” - Bette Dickinson Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words:  Advent devotional, Advent season, incarnation, spiritual formation, creativity, embodied faith, art, contemplative practices, breath prayers vulnerability, longing, Advent practices, slowing down, Bette Dickinson, waiting, hope, wonder

With exactly 45 days left of 2025, I thought it would be good — and honestly, necessary — to pause and get curious about our inner life as we approach the end of the year. How are we doing…really? And how are we ending this year? In this episode, I guide us through some gentle reflection and invite us to slow down long enough to notice what’s true inside: where we are, what we’re carrying, and how our soul is meeting this moment. I hope you’ll listen in. Thought-provoking quotes:  "The reality of your inner life doesn’t arrive as a flashing headline, a clickbait link, or a push notification. It doesn’t announce itself with urgency. It rarely interrupts you.” - Taylor Joy Murray “The life that wants to be lived in us exists, but it’s subtle. It’s quiet. It whispers more than it shouts. And unless we intentionally turn our ear toward it, it’s incredibly easy to miss the low tones of desire, gifting, calling, and connection that are already moving within us.” - Taylor Joy Murray “This is what happens when God chooses to dwell with us. He unfolds in us, and we unfold in him. Advent is a gestation process. It is a season of allowing Christ to be formed in us as we also are formed in him.” - Bette Dickinson Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, listening, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, year-end reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope 

As we enter the Advent season, I’ve been longing for a way to slow down. To step away from the rush of December and make a little more room for stillness and wonder. And I thought… maybe you’ve been craving that, too. So this December, we’ll be walking through one of my all-time favorite Advent books: Making Room in Advent by Bette Dickinson. If you’ve never read it, this book beautifully weaves together Scripture, art, and reflection in a way that helps you connect not just with the story of Jesus’ coming, but with your own story, too. Through the Advent season, we’ll journey together through the devotional, week by week, creating space to pause, to breathe, and to open our hearts to the ways God is already at work—even in the waiting. Check out Bette Dickinson's devotional Making Room in Advent Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, devotional, Bette Dickinson, spiritual formation, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, art, waiting, hope 

In this special three-year anniversary episode, I take time to reflect on the journey, the stories, and the conversations that shaped my book Stop Saying I’m Fine: Finding Stillness When Anxiety Screams — which released three years ago this week. From the moment I knew I was going to write the book, to the vulnerable process of putting words to my story, to the unexpected ripple effects that followed, I share what I’ve learned along the way and what has surprised me most. You’ll also hear some of my favorite messages from readers whose words have deeply moved me. This episode is an invitation to pause, to look back with gratitude, and to look forward with hope and anticipation. Thought-provoking quotes: "Writing can be a profound practice of spiritual formation." - Stephanie Duncan Smith "I think that the fullness of a book’s potential emerges from a kind of spiritual communion between the soul of a writer and the Spirit of God, which extends to a similar kind of communion between the writer and reader." - Taylor Joy Murray "As I chose to stay awake—to God and to my own soul—as I wrote, I was also stretching the creative muscles that were forming me into more of the person I wanted to be. Writing often uses the same muscles as healing: inviting us to become the kind of person who pushes back against resistance and shows up to tell the whole truth." - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: writing, healing, spiritual formation, creativity, mental health, anxiety, emotions, vulnerability, storytelling, creativity, curiosity, presence, reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, Stop Saying I’m Fine, emotional health, personal growth

A few months ago, I released a podcast episode where I invited listeners into a time of guided prayer called imaginative prayer—a practice that helps us encounter God in a more personal, embodied way. Since then, I’ve heard from so many listeners asking for more episodes like that one. So today, I wanted to offer another time of guided prayer. This form of contemplative prayer dates back the early church mothers and fathers. When we engage in this kind of prayer, we use our imaginations to place ourselves within a scene from Scripture. I hope you'll join me as we walk onto the scene of Psalm 23 and ask the Spirit to speak to us through this story. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: imaginative prayer, contemplative prayer, guided prayer, Scripture meditation,  mindfulness, prayer practice, spiritual formation, self-compassion, curiosity, emotional regulation, faith and mental health, soul care practices, Christian spirituality, emotions

In this episode, I’m joined by Janice McWilliams, licensed therapist, spiritual director, and author of Restore My Soul: Reimagining Self-Care for a Sustainable Life. Janice offers a deeply grounded and compassionate approach to self-care — one modeled after the life of Jesus. Together, we talk about what it means to care for your inner world in real time, moment by moment. True self-care, as Janice describes, isn’t about stepping away from our lives. It’s about learning to show up to our lives with more awareness and kindness. We explore how to: Cultivate awareness and compassion toward your thoughts Live well your emotions  Develop rhythms that restore your soul  Live a fulfilling life   Thought-provoking quotes: “When we think of Psalm 23, we often picture rest after exhaustion, but I believe Jesus wants us to live before we collapse. He invites us to green pastures not just to recover, but to remain restored.” - Janice McWilliams “It takes us about 45 to 90 seconds to experience an emotion from beginning to end if we’re not trying to stop it or repress it. So many people are afraid that if they start feeling something, they’ll have to hide away for a week. But really, it’s the avoidance that drains us.” - Janice McWilliams “I want all of us to become so familiar with the voice of the Good Shepherd that we can distinguish it from every other voice in our minds. The Good Shepherd’s voice carries faith, hope, love, and peace—it doesn’t speak through worry, rumination, or despair. Those patterns might sound urgent or logical, but they aren’t the language of Jesus. His voice leads us toward gentleness and life, never toward self-condemnation or fear.” - Janice McWilliams Check out Janice's book Restore My Soul Explore Janice's free resources Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Janice McWilliams, exhaustion, burnout, emotions, faith, vulnerability, emotional regulation, mental health, emotional health, personal growth, rest, spiritual formation, community, mindfulness, self-compassion, curiosity, emotional safety, self care, soul care, spiritual direction, therapy

There comes a moment in many of our lives when the faith we once held with certainty begins to shift. The language that once felt alive starts to feel distant. And the ways we used to connect with God stop working the same way.  In this conversation with spiritual director with Grace Cabalka, we explore what it can look like to walk through a spiritual wilderness — and to not just to survive it, but to be transformed by it. Grace shares her own story of a crisis of faith, the role of community in this season of shattering, and the personal practices and postures that became good companions along the way. Together, we talk about the slow, tender work of listening, leaning into vulnerability, and learning to make space for the mystery of God in new ways. Listen in. Thought-provoking quotes: "For a long time, Taylor, I couldn't read the Bible. I couldn't pray because I didn't have words. So I literally would just go get in my chair, my brown leather chair that I still have it and sit in there in the morning. And I couldn't have my quiet time. I just didn't have the tools. They were all broken. And so I just would sit there and say, Lord, I'm here." - Grace Cabalka "My foundation wasn't as solid as I thought it was. And I didn't get wiped away, but I did crumble. And then that had to be rebuilt really on the foundation of love and acceptance, and that God is for me all the time and nothing can ever separate us from his love ever, ever, ever. And that's what drives us and motivates us. That's what Paul said. His love is what compels me. Not the guilt, not the shame, not the rules, but his love." - Grace Cabalka "I think that there can be easier ways to get through the wilderness if you can find a hand to hold, find someone to walk with you along with the Holy Spirit. But those first few moments and days and weeks are very dark and it's very scary and it's very lonely. And I would just encourage you to just show up to those emotions, show up to yourself, and don't shame yourself for it. You've done nothing wrong." - Grace Cabalka Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

For centuries, Christians have wandered through wilderness seasons — walking through valleys of shadow and silence, facing loss, confusion, and what feels like divine absence. You might not be in that place right now, but for those who are, it can feel lonely and disorienting to realize that something which once felt natural or accessible has changed — especially when that “something” feels foundational to your faith. When your old ideas about God, or faith, or the way you’ve always connected to the divine start to crack or shatter, it can feel like losing your footing entirely. But maybe, that shattering isn’t obliteration. Maybe it’s more of a breaking open for something truer, more spacious, and more real. In this episode, I share five reflections on what I’m learning in this kind of season: I’m learning to (1) welcome wonder (2) practice presence (3) hold the tension (4) live my questions (5) let uncertainty become my teacher. Thought-provoking quotes: “My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. I’m still learning that my ideas about God are not divine.” - C.S. Lewis “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” - Rainer Maria Rilke “The unknown can become both a teacher a kind of sanctuary — a place where you’re invited to listen differently. You start to notice what’s always been true but often hidden beneath the noise: that you are being held, even here.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Have you ever noticed how children live so close to themselves? Fully connected to their bodies, emotions, and tears, without the layers of shame or self-editing we often learn as we get older. In many ways, children model what it means to be fully human. And the truth is, what kids show us is still inside of us. In this episode, I share a simple 5-step rhythm for practicing compassionate curiosity towards your own heart—a way of remembering that childlike way of listening that opens us unto a deeper kind of transformation.  It’s not a formula, but a gentle starting place for deeper reflection and attunement to what’s happening inside you. Thought-provoking quotes: “There are many magical things about being around kids, but one of my favorites these days is how kids often remind us what is true of all of us right from the start. Our kids come into the world knowing how to listen to their bodies.” - Hillary McBride "A key part of soul care is reconnecting with this childlike way of listening to our bodies— and tuning in with compassion and curiosity to the life unfolding within us. It isn’t necessarily about learning something new. It’s about remembering what we already know." - Taylor Joy Murray "This practice of compassionate attention to what’s happening within us, what we’re learning, noticing and experiencing, becomes a reminder that we’re not just moving through life—we’re becoming someone in the process." - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Silence always tells a story. We’re in the middle of a podcast series on soul care, and one of the most important components of creating soul-restoring rhythms is one we often overlook: silence. But before we can embrace the gifts silence has to offer, we usually need to be honest about why we resist it. The way I interpret silence in my own life — and the way you interpret it in yours — has a direct impact on whether we’re drawn to it or tempted to avoid it altogether. So, what story does silence tell in your life? In this episode, I share 5 reflections on the narratives we carry about silence, and why learning to befriend quiet is so essential for the care of our souls. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

We were created for so much more than rushing through life. It’s easy for everything in our lives to seem fine on the surface. But deep down inside, there’s often another story at play―one of overwhelm, stress and heartache, of finding ourselves stuck in old patterns. Rather than feeling the weight of it all, it’s easier to spend our days on autopilot, ignoring the noise inside. But what if the peace and relief we most long for comes from tuning in with what’s happening inside, instead of tuning it out? This is what author and therapist A.C. Seiple and I explore today as we talk about her new book The Sacred Art of Slowing Down. With such gentleness, wisdom, and experience, A.C. invites us to connect with our bodies and get curious about the spaces within that feel most stuck―and find where we need safety, attunement and care. I hope you'll listen in. Check out A.C.'s new book The Sacred Art of Slowing Down Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Some days it can feel like life is on fast-forward, leaving our nervous systems in constant overdrive. What does it look like to invite the whole of our being — bodies, minds, and souls — to slow down and move into a more sustainable pace of life? In this episode, I explore small, intentional practices that can help us move from momentary relief to lasting restoration. I also share three specific shifts I’ve been experimenting with recently — simple changes that are beginning to reshape the way I engage in and experience life. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Many of us know the cycle all too well: exertion, burnout, withdrawal — and then back again. So what do we need to help us live the way that we want to in the world for the long haul? More like Jesus and less like our typical, modern-day stressed out selves? In this opening episode of our new series on Soul Care Practices for a Sustainable Life, I talk about the important differences between soul care and self-care. I also share some reflections from an intense season of grad school, and what I’ve been learning about the rhythms and practices we need to live well in an ongoing way. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Have you tried self-care but found that you still feel overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, and are struggling emotionally? Too many of us – myself included – hold misconceptions or inadequate concepts of self-care, and we are suffering as a result. I’m learning that true, spiritual self-care isn’t about an occasional break. It’s about organizing our lives around the kind of rhythms that Jesus lived by: rhythms of work and rest, fast and slow. It’s learning to pay attention to what’s happening inside of us, and then making small, faithful choices in the everyday moments of life. In our next Faith & Feeling's podcast series, we’re going to be explore what it looks like to build these kinds of soul-restoring rhythms that lead to a sustainable, fulfilling life. I’ll be joined by wise and trusted voices in the soul care and spiritual formation space, who will be sharing what they’re learning on their journey. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Dallas Willard once said, “The most important thing about us is not the decisions that we make, but the person we’re becoming.” That brings us to the final relational skill in this series: which involves, nurturing a growing spirituality that enables us to love God and others well. This calls for an intentional, purposeful plan. To truly implement what we’ve learned over the last few months – and to reverse decades of unhealthy ways of living and operating – requires thoughtfulness. One way to do this is by drawing on an ancient treasure from the Christian tradition called a Rule of Life. Simply put, a Rule of Life is an intentional, conscious framework for keeping God at the center of everything we do. To wrap up our series on emotionally healthy relationships, Carley and I share some rhythms and practices from our own Rules of Life, and offer practical steps for creating one of your own. Listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__