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! 

Homer says, “The journey is the thing.”   I’m sure many of you can relate to life in the middle space. I'm talking about that place of process where we are trying to figure things out and we often find ourselves without a handle to grab hold of. It can feel so disregulating at times. Join me as I share what its been like for me and as we look back at some others in history who also found themselves in the middle of process. We’ll ask the questions, “What if this season, is actually a gift to us?” ….”what if this is a place that God is generously offering us?” I’m pondering the idea that this very season could be the exact thing that God wants to use to answer some of my own specific requests of him. Join me ask we talk this through today and hopefully you can find some handles for yourself as you navigate your own middle places.

Purpose in life is far more than property or possessions. Having more to live with is no substitute for having more to live for.   Nicky Gumbel   This worked out so great—-my friend Laurine (who has her own podcast) asked me to come and record (while I was in Seattle, in September) and I enjoyed our conversation so much I thought I’d share it here on the spacious place. We talk all about purpose, sharing some of our own thoughts around it from our own lives. Think you’re gonna like it! 

“In the face of God’s glorious creation and his perfect law, we are called to both revel and to repent. God’s glory and perfection, like the majestic sun, call us to Himself.” —She Reads Truth Bible notes   Today’s conversation comes out of some time spent in Psalm 19. This psalm is packed with descriptives about what God is like as well as invitation to commune with Him. As I read it I was deeply motivated and encouraged by God’s generous pursuit, even through creation—-longing for all to know of His goodness. I hope after listening today, you experience some of the same things!

“Uncorking my thoughts and naming them gives me the ability to receive.” Sara Hagerty, The Gift of Limitations   Are you struggling because of some limit your facing right now? What does life look like for you when you find yourself bound by some kind of limitation? I can tell you that for me, I’m often not proud in hindsight about how well I’ve handled said limitation. I constantly need reminding that God is at work and that my limitations don’t limit Him from accomplishing what He has planned to do. I get so forgetful! Today I’ll share some of the places in my own life that feel like they could leave me hopeless, and I’ll also share some of the ways I’m practicing some rhythms that are more helpful than the run of the mill, anger, frustration or pit of despair, that feels most familiar.

"In the Kingdom of God, weakness is a superpower because in God’s Kingdom strength and weakness are not opposites, they’re synchronistic with the rule and reign of Christ." Ruth Chou Simons When Paul talks about freedom in Galatians, I think it can feel defeating at times when our lives don’t feel like we’re necessarily walking in freedom. In this episode I’m sharing some thoughts about what freedom is and what it isn’t.  (**Spoiler alert…freedom isn’t something we can maintain on our own, and we will never do it perfectly. That’s really good news!!! Its not all on us, and perfection isn’t the goal.) I’ll also share what it looks like for me and the things I begin to notice that have shifted in my heart and mind and my way of being. So join me and lets talk together about how to get back to the free space Jesus made possible for us!

See what’s there, not what you expect to see. See what is really present in your life. See yourself, see each other.       Frederick Buechner   In today’s episode I’m sharing an experience I had as I sat quietly at my dining room table, early in the morning. As I looked out the window at a bird, God invited me to watch and listen and it took me to a deeper place that I decided to share with you! I’ll also share some of the thoughts I struggle with at times and the ways I’m combating them. I’ve also got an announcement at the end of the episode, so be sure to stay til the end!

Isaiah 49:14-15 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.   Waiting is just hard and it can get real messy in our heads the longer it takes for whatever it is we are waiting for. In today’s episode we’re taking a short peek back at the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus from John 11 and taking note of something new and different that I hadn’t noticed before. But we will also look at my own seasons of waiting and how messy they get. I’ll share what they are as well as some of the new things I feel like God is inviting me into that I may have missed out on that, have become a surprise gift to me. 

To be human is to live in the space between our expectations and reality. Katherine Wolf   This is the second part of our time around Mary and Martha. I finished the last one and felt like I’d left some things unsaid. I thought I’d just re-reocrd it, but decided on a part 2 instead. So here we are! In this episode we’re taking note of some things around the story of the loss of Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus—-their grief and their disappointment in God and his timing.    But not only must we entrust all of ourselves to Him, but I think you’ll see, with me, that He welcomes our thoughts around our confusion and even frustration around what we can’t see. I hope you’ll see with me that our God is not far off and in fact, He sees all of your circumstances, especially those that are troubling you, and enters into it with you!   Join me for a listen and as always, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts about how the Spacious Place impacts you!

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