The Jamie Kern Lima Show - The Lies Sabotaging Your Success, Joy & Freedom and How to Unlearn Them for Good! With Jennie Allen

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

If you ever find yourself thinking thoughts like “I’m not enough, I’m worthless” or “I’m helpless and can’t do it on my own” or “I’m unlovable” those are LIES….sometimes they�...�re even lies we don’t realize we’re believing…and when we believe them, they can sabotage all areas of our lives….from our career, to our friendships, to our romantic and family relationships, to our faith, to our joy and happiness…and today, I’m SO excited for this conversation because we’re joined by Jennie Allen, who’s here to share how to find that lie you’re believing right now, how to dismantle it and how to live free, finally! Jennie Allen is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, podcaster, bible teacher and the founder and visionary of IF:Gathering - a global movement that, over the past decade, has reached more than one million women in 179 countries through in-person and online gatherings and she has a brand new book out now called “The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe: How to Find It, Fight It, and Live Free.” I’m so excited for this conversation today, because I know first hand, that lies can hold us back, keep us stuck and sabotage our calling…and when we learn to stop believing them, it can transform everything in our lives! I am so excited for this conversation with you, me and Jennie Allen! ___ And whether you're joining me today for yourself or because someone that you love shared this episode with you, I want to welcome you to the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast family. And remember this episode is not just for you and me. Please share it with every single person that you know because it can change their life too. ____ Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Jamie Kern Lima Show 10:20 The Lie You Didn't Know You Believe! 13:55 The 3 Core Lies Most Of Us Believe 31:40 How Belief in God Gives You Grace 43:40 3 In 5 People Are Lonely - There's Power In Sharing Who You Truly Are! 1:01:20 How I Overcame Doubting God Exists 1:04:40 Imperfect People Does Not Equal God's Perfect Love 1:29:40 You Need Friends No Matter Your Age 1:33:30 Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life! It’s such an honor to share this podcast together with you. And please note: I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Order Jennie's new book The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe: How to Find It, Fight It, and Live Free here: https://www.jennieallen.com/lies-book Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Follow me here:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ —  Sign up for my inspirational newsletter for YOU at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ jamiekernlima.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  —  Looking for my books on Amazon? Here they are!  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WORTHY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Believe IT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Most humans believe one of three lies. I am worthless, I am unlovable, or I am helpless. One at some point got into your life and began to define your life. For me, mine was, I am worthless. These narratives have gotten there, and they've stayed there for long enough that it's really hard to rewire our brains. It's really hard to change the story, but you can. You can.
Starting point is 00:00:23 You can. Coming up in this incredible episode with Jenny Allen, Why don't I believe I'm enough? Why do I think I don't have what it takes? Why do I think other people can go after their dreams? But I just can't and on and on and on. When we believe negative lies about ourselves, how does it impact our life? The storyline behind those negative thoughts that we all feel that you just named.
Starting point is 00:00:49 And there's so many more. There's this real fear that deep down we think it's true. We hope it's a lie. We pray that it's not true. In fact, we try to fix ourselves and we spend a lot of energy pretending that we don't believe those things, that we are perfectly secure and confident. There's these running things that we have just been programmed to think that have been there so long that we don't even question them. And now what I can say about today, that lie that I'm worthless, that I know how to recognize it, I know it's a lie. I don't wonder anymore if it's true.
Starting point is 00:01:28 And I can spot it and I can speak to it. I can put her on trial. Hi, it's Jamie. I'm so happy you are here today. If you ever find yourself thinking thoughts like, I'm not enough, I'm worthless, or I'm helpless and can't do it on my own, or I'm unlovable. Those are lies. And sometimes there are even lies.
Starting point is 00:01:50 We don't realize we're believing. And when we believe them, they can sabotage all areas of our lives. from our career to our friendships, to our romantic and family relationships, to our faith, to our joy and happiness. And today, I am so excited for this conversation because we're joined by Jenny Allen, who's here to share how to find that lie
Starting point is 00:02:11 you're believing right now, how to dismantle it and how to live free finally. Jenny Allen is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, podcaster, Bible teacher, and founder of the very, visionary if gathering, a global movement that over the past decade has reached more than one million women in 179 countries through in person and online gatherings. And she has a brand new book out called The Lie You Don't Know You Believe, How to Find It,
Starting point is 00:02:42 Fight it, and Live Free. I am so excited for this conversation today because I know firsthand that lies can hold us back, keep us stuck, and sabotage our calling. and when we learn to stop believing them, it can transform everything in our lives. And whether today you're listening for yourself or because someone that you love shared this episode with you, I want to welcome you to the Jamie Kernelima Show podcast family. Thank you so much for being here. And if you take one second, just hit the subscribe or follow button on the app that you're
Starting point is 00:03:15 listening or watching on. It truly means the world to me. You can also get more inspiration free right into your inbox from me to you. to join my newsletter community at jamie kernlema.com. Also, this incredible podcast episode today, it's not just for you and me. Please share it with every single person that you know who might need some inspiration today, or perhaps a boost in their own belief or to stop believing a lie in their life right now because what you're about to hear can truly impact mine, yours, and their life too. Welcome to the Jamie Kernelima shop.
Starting point is 00:03:51 Oprah, how have you defied the odds? Her show is unlike any I've ever done. A revelation. When you listen, it feels like a hug. First Lady Michelle Obama. Jamie, you are going so deep. I have never had this in-depth conversation. I've actually never said that out loud to anybody in an interview before.
Starting point is 00:04:13 You know how to get there. Your brain and your spirit and your heart is like, wow. Melinda. French gates. When I look into Jamie's eyes, I feel like I am on some other cosmic level with her. Megan, Duchess of Sussex. I wasn't expecting that one. I could see the light around her.
Starting point is 00:04:36 She's infused with light. Maria Shriver. I never made that mistake again. Imagine overcoming self-doubt, learning to believe in yourself and trust yourself and know you are enough. Welcome to the Jamie Kernlema show. Jamie Kernelima is her name. Everybody needs Jamie Fern Lima and their wife. Jamie Kern, Leema.
Starting point is 00:05:02 Jamie, you're so inspiring. Jamie Kernelima. Jenny Allen, welcome to the Jamie Kernelima show. Oh, Jamie, it is such an honor to be here. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited you're here. I read your new book cover-to-cover.
Starting point is 00:05:19 Love it. And it is something that, as you and I both know, We've both been impacted by believing lies. And I feel like it's probably one of the most common questions I get asked by, you know, viewers, listeners, friends, people I know. It's just like how, why don't I believe I'm enough? Why do I think I don't have what it takes? Why do I think other people can go after their dreams? But I just can't and on and on and on.
Starting point is 00:05:47 And so I'm so excited for this. And a lot of people are aware that they have sort of like negative self-talk. And maybe they are believing lies that aren't true. Or maybe they don't even know the lies they're believing. And just right off the top, when we believe negative lies about ourselves, how does it impact our life? Well, let me start with a story. Yes. So I'm sitting across from my daughter, Kate, who at the time was about 21, and she's just dynamic.
Starting point is 00:06:19 I mean, one of the most likable people you've ever met, just everybody knows her. She lights up a room. She's a successful photographer. She's married to this darling young guy and they're starting their lives together. And we're at the airport together and we're having a meal. And she begins to tell me, just open up vulnerably, I'm defective. I'm broken. Something is really wrong with me.
Starting point is 00:06:45 And she's just saying these things to me. And as her mom who sees her as just one of the most dynamic humans I've ever known, you know, I'm furious. Like everything inside of me is just wanting to fix this. I want to preach. I want to tell her what's true. But what was so shocking and what broke my heart was even when I tried to tell her this is a lie. This isn't true.
Starting point is 00:07:14 She was like, you can't tell me that. You're my mom. Meaning all of those horrible things she had just said about herself, she actually thinks they're true. And so I just think the storyline behind those negative thoughts that we all feel that you just named. And there's so many more. There's this real fear that deep down we think it's true. We hope it's a lie.
Starting point is 00:07:40 We pray that it's not true. In fact, we try to fix ourselves and we spend a lot of energy pretending that we don't believe those things, that we are perfectly secure and confident. Something, I think, down deep in all of us. And sitting across from my daughter that day was, it was one of those moments where as a mom, you just think, what did I do? Like, how did I allow for this to happen? And I felt this deep, deep conviction and just stop me in my tracks because I realized, like,
Starting point is 00:08:15 okay, I actually believe the same things, even today. You know, I mean, today I'm feeling pretty good. I did my hair and makeup. I feel pretty good today. But you know what? Yesterday, I was struggling with these again. And so I think there's these running things that we have just been programmed to think that I've been there so long that we don't even question them.
Starting point is 00:08:36 And so my prayer and my hope is that the conversation we have today that this book, it causes us to start to question them. I go, is it true? Is this something I've just accepted maybe for decades of my life? For you in your life, as you just shared what your daughter believe, thank you for sharing that, for you in your life. Yeah. Because I know so many women and men, everyone's going to relate to this.
Starting point is 00:09:04 Yeah. What are some of the biggest lies you've believed and how have they impacted you? Because I know now, you know, and your book is so. powerful. The lie you don't know you believe, because a lot of us we just go through life, or we take it as truth, or we're not even realizing it. And you go into how to find it, fight it, and live free. You go into dismantling lies, which I have questions about too. I'm so excited about this conversation. Because, you know, our identity, who we are, who, what we believe, everything, we're worthy of all the things. And so for you, because there's a lot of people out there,
Starting point is 00:09:39 millions of people out there who are inspired by you, by your work, by your offerings to the world. And I think that it's easy to be at home going, oh, she has everything. She must not believe that, you know, she must have no issues. She must not. And then people think they're alone in their self-doubt or they're alone in maybe the lies they believe about themselves. Maybe they don't realize their lies. but what lies have you believed about yourself?
Starting point is 00:10:09 And can you share a little bit about how those have impacted your life? Let me first say, I want to go backwards and talk about kind of my core lie and where it came from because I think all of us can look back and trace it. We can find the thing that we've believed. Most humans believe one of three lies. This is from Psych 101. This is just common knowledge. I am worthless.
Starting point is 00:10:30 I am unlovable or I am helpless. Those are three core lies. Now, we all believe those at different points in our life, but probably one core one at some point got into your life and began to define your life. For me, mine was, I am worthless. And I remember being in sixth grade and I remember being on my dad's lap and it was a really sweet moment. We were looking at the popcorn ceiling together. We were in his big recliner. I was still kind of a little girl. I hadn't like gone through puberty yet. And I was headed into sixth grade and we were talking about middle school. And he started just running through a list about boys, totally innocent things,
Starting point is 00:11:09 boys and homecoming and all these little things that were going to come up in the coming year. But what I heard was these are the grades you need to make. Are you going to be liked by boys? Are you going to hit these marks? Are you going to make cheerleading? He was just trying to talk to me. It wasn't, it was so innocent on his part. And yet, I, I remember that moment like it was yesterday. And it was the moment where I thought, oh gosh, I need to hit some marks to matter. I don't remember feeling it before that. I probably did.
Starting point is 00:11:46 There were probably moments of insecurity or ways that I picked up I should behave a certain way or should measure up in a certain way. But I remember that day like it was yesterday. And it was like my life turned. And it turned from freedom and creativity and just. and joy and play and lightheartedness to hustle and stress and failure. And I can't get where I think I'm supposed to get. And I wish you could read this book.
Starting point is 00:12:21 I could write this book and never feel those things again. But it was almost like writing the book, I felt. like my sixth grade self all over again, even worse, because it was, I was now saying, this is something we can fight together. But I was also feeling like nothing I was building or doing. It was, it was almost like I was, I was being attacked with the thing I was trying to help people get. Does that make sense? And I say that because we could, we could just, if only, we could just tell ourselves like, it's not true, don't ever believe it again. Right. And yet what's happened is these narratives have gotten there and they've stayed there for long enough that it's really hard
Starting point is 00:13:12 to rewire our brains. It's really hard to change the story. But you can. You can. You can. And now what I can say about today, that lie that I'm worthless, that I know how to recognize it, I know it's a lie. I don't wonder anymore if it's true. And I can spot it and I can speak to it. I can put it on trial. I don't have to just accept it. I don't have to agree with it. So many of our thoughts we just agree with, like just naturally like, oh, you know, it's a thought. It must be true. And if we don't agree with it, if we begin to put it on trial and go, is this true? Where is this coming from? you can begin to shift it. Can you share with the three most common lies that most people believe?
Starting point is 00:14:00 Can you just share a little bit for the person listening who's like, huh, you know, I want to figure this out. What is the lie that's affecting me the most? And can you explain a little bit about what those three look like for most people that have them and like what ways they might show up in their lives? So people are like, oh, that's me. Because when you share this, I know right away from me. I'm very similar to you. Yeah. I'm like, oh, I remember I used to do gymnastics growing up and my parents were always working.
Starting point is 00:14:33 And so they'd always be the last to show up. And I mean, I was so loved. I wouldn't change, by the way, I would not change the thing. I'm so blessed, so grateful, all the things. And also, I learned if I achieve something, they leave work and show up. So like if I win an award at school, then they show up. Right. So I'm able to trace back now. Why is it that I like built a company and worked 100 hour weeks for a decade? And why is it that even sometimes right now I would rather work and do podcast
Starting point is 00:15:04 prep than even just be present with my family? Like why is it? And I go back to like, oh yeah, it's because I think I, you know, I don't feel worthy unless I'm achieving. Well, yeah. I want to talk to that. How old were you? What age comes to mine? I would say nine. Okay. Yeah. So little nine-year-old Jamie, I'm just thinking of her what you ultimately wanted. Did you want to be important? Did you want to matter?
Starting point is 00:15:29 Did you want to? No, you wanted your parents. You didn't want to be alone. Yeah. Like at the core of all of this. And so let's just start with like this tremendous grace. Like grace for yourself as you're sharing this grace for everybody listening. Like as they're thinking about this.
Starting point is 00:15:44 Like just everybody take a really deep breath because we are all the same. We all just want to be loved. seen and known and accepted. Like, we're not complicated. We really just want basic things. We need to pause for a super brief break. And while we do, take a moment to share this episode with every single person that you know who this could inspire. Because this conversation can truly be the words and inspiration they need to hear today to keep going, to remember that they matter and to feel less alone and more enough, more connected, more inspired, and more worthy. In life, you don't sort the level of your hopes and dreams. You stay stuck at the level of
Starting point is 00:16:27 your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life. And that's exactly why I wrote my new book, Worthy, How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for you. If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, worthy is for you. In Worthy, you'll, you'll be learn proven tools and simple steps that bring life-changing results, like how to get unstuck from the things holding you back. Build unshakable self-love. Unlearn the lies that lead to self-doubt and embrace the truths that wake up worthiness. Overcome limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome. Achieve your hopes and dreams by believing you are worthy of them and so much more. Are you ready to unleash your greatness and step in to the person you were born to be?
Starting point is 00:17:26 Imagine a life with zero self-doubt and unshakable self-worth. Get your copy of Worthy, plus some amazing thank you bonus gifts for you at worthybook.com or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you do if you fully believed in you. It's time to find out with Worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also
Starting point is 00:18:10 a love letter to you delivered straight to your inbox each and every Tuesday morning from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamiecernlima.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamiekernlima.com or in the link in the show notes. Do you struggle with negative self-talk? Living with a constant mental narrative that you're not good enough is exhausting. I know because I spent most of my life in that habit.
Starting point is 00:19:03 The words you say to yourself about yourself are so powerful. And when you learn to take control over your self-talk, it's life-changing. And I wanted to give you a free resource that I created for you if this is something that could benefit your life. It's called Five Ways to Overcome Negative Self-Talk and Build Self-Love. And it's a free how-to guide to overcome that negative self-talk to build confidence and develop unshakable self-love so that you can dream big and keep going in the pursuit of your goals. Don't let self-sabotize. Don't let self-sabotize. causing thoughts, hinder your progress any longer. It's time to rewrite the script of your life when filled with self-love, resilience, and unwavering belief. If you're ready to take charge
Starting point is 00:19:54 of your narrative, build unwavering confidence, and empower yourself to persevere on the path to your dreams, you can grab your free guide to stop overthinking and learn to trust yourself at jamiekernlima.com slash resources or click the link in the show notes below. And now more of this incredible conversation together. We are all the same. We all just want to be loved and seen and known and accepted. Like, we're not complicated. We really just want basic things.
Starting point is 00:20:26 You wanted your parents to show up. You want to know that you're loved and somebody knows your name and they're so happy that you're alive. These are just human desires. And so I think it's so good to start here because we can kind of tend to hear the word lie and beat ourselves up and think to ourselves like, I shouldn't think that way. I shouldn't feel worthless. Like, God loves me, people, love me. Like, here's the truth.
Starting point is 00:20:50 You know, stick it on. So it can feel almost transactional. Like, I need to fix this. And the reality is we're just people that I love my counselor. He says, we come into the world looking for someone looking for us. Like little babies when they're born. They come into the world going, who's out there, who loves me, who's going to pick me up, who cares about me?
Starting point is 00:21:10 And we never stop. Like when we're 80, we're still like looking for somebody looking for us. So I just think that's so precious, that gymnastics story because it really does, I think, go to the core of what we're actually after. And so, you know, when I think of those three lies, I'm worthless, there's something in us, all of us, really, that just wants to believe. that we can matter, that that we can arrive and hit the mark. And so we tend to beat ourselves up when we don't. We tend to be really hard on ourselves when there's failure. We hate failure.
Starting point is 00:21:49 We're afraid of failure. And so there's a lot of striving in our lives. Like there's just a lot of working and hustling and not wanting to be too much, but also really wanted to be enough. And so the way my brain works is I just always feel like there's a line and it keeps moving, you know, and I'm just trying to hit it. But then I hit it. Dang it. And I thought that would be it. And it moves again.
Starting point is 00:22:15 And so, yeah, that one I'm familiar with. And then helpless, a lot of people that I interviewed, a lot of people I am friends with that struggle with this one often have abuse in their background. They had something in their childhood that they couldn't control. And so maybe it was verbal, maybe it was sexual, maybe it was physical, or maybe it was just a really hard life. They were in poverty or something that they just couldn't control. And so circumstances, their mom got cancer. It could have been something like that where they had no control.
Starting point is 00:22:46 And so a lot of feelings that people expressed to me when they say, I feel helpless, it's I can't ever change. This will never change about me. I'm just this way. I don't think people really want to be around me because. I'm just stuck. I can't get my life together. Those are some of the phrases that I hear. Like everything's out of my control. Yeah. Like I can't. Right. Yeah. And then the other one is I'm lovable. And I certainly feel this way. I think we all feel this way some days. But for a lot of people, it's it's a sense of feeling forgotten or feeling like they are, you know, they maybe grew up in a home where
Starting point is 00:23:25 there was a disconnect emotionally and they didn't have parents that could really be there for them. And so they're always kind of looking to connect emotionally. And there's a real high approval idol. They want to be liked and they want to be seen and they want to be understood. And so a lot of things that I'll hear from them have to do with insecurity of just being rejected or feeling left out or feeling like, why wasn't I included in that? And that really crushing them in a unique way, where that one just really has them. They really want to be included. I think we all want to be all these things, right?
Starting point is 00:23:58 We all want to, you know, we all want to have control. We all want to and not be helpless. We all want to be matter and succeed and not be worthless. You know, we all want to be loved and accepted. And so we all have these desires. But I think depending on what the narrative was playing in your life, there's one that really just feels true. And in addition to the three core lies, you say, too, there's others.
Starting point is 00:24:26 There's others, right, that people could potentially believe. And so for someone listening right now, what's a great way to sort of either get quiet or pray or meditate or feel like where they can get in touch with even tuning into what are the lies or the main lie they're believing? Yeah. Well, I mean, first of all, I found this to be hard for people. Let's be real. I don't know if you've gone to counseling, but I've been to a lot of counseling.
Starting point is 00:24:52 Yes. So the reason I can know what my lie is, I've done a lot of work on it, right? So for people that don't, I mean, we wanted to make it really simple. And so you can go to my website, jennie allen.com, and y'all can link it. And there's actually like a little quiz. And it's pretty accurate. Like it's pretty unbelievable. Because I think sometimes we can overthink it.
Starting point is 00:25:10 We can go, I think I'm all three and I don't know what. So that really is just a helpful tool that's free. Yeah. But as far as, you know, when you're sitting there and you're just praying, I would just go back to a moment that you remember feeling scared, that you remember feeling pain, and think about what age you were, just like we both did real naturally. I thought of 12, you thought of nine. What was it an event in your life where you felt like a really strong negative emotion?
Starting point is 00:25:35 And oftentimes that's when a lie is planted and it begins to take root. And so if you can just go back and think of what that time was, what that age was, And then you just begin to go, gosh, did I pick up something there in that moment that I need to question? That maybe it wasn't true. You know, it's so funny. Now my dad and I, we talk about this and he's heard me tell that story. And of course, he's pleading with me going, baby girl, like, I don't even remember that, first of all. And second of all, that wasn't what I meant.
Starting point is 00:26:11 You know, like, I was just trying to find something to talk to you about. And so it's good to go back and just question. You know, maybe that wasn't even real. Now, in some cases, it's a real thing. Right. And that's where, you know, we have to begin to go, okay, even if your dad walked out. And even if, let's fast forward to your husband walked out. And maybe it was something that you did, right?
Starting point is 00:26:38 So we can pick up lies from circumstances as well that really, really, really reinforce it because it feels like, man, that was my fault. I am a failure. And so I think we have to just find the moment and begin to ask questions about that moment and really think about where, where do that come from for me. And let's say, and there's an example of, you know, I did something horrible for the person listening. It's like, well, I actually made this huge mistake. I regret it in my past. I did something in the past and I regret it. And ever since I've done it, I consider myself a failure. I consider myself not enough. I consider myself a bad person. Those kind of things. How do you take that where all of a sudden you have evidence that your lie is true?
Starting point is 00:27:24 Yeah. And how do you? And I would love to hear from you personally, because for me, faith has been a big part of this. Absolutely. Is like, how do you go, okay, as an imperfect human, I did that or as improvving, but that is not who I am. That is not, like, how do you take that and have it not become, have the lie not become your identity any longer? How do you do that for you personally are? How do you tell people to do it? I love Jesus. I do. I love him. And the reason I love him is because he made a way for all this. And I, you know, I've studied and thought about so many different religions and I just keep coming back to him to what he did because I don't have to measure up.
Starting point is 00:28:15 That was the story of Jesus and the gospel was that he would pay the penalty for the mistakes we made. And as a kid who grew up with, and I grew up in a religious home, I grew up in a Christian home. I heard the gospel. As a kid who grew up with this pressure and feeling like I could never hit the mark,
Starting point is 00:28:36 When I really understood the gospel, I was about 17 years old, and I remember I, it hit me. You know, I'd heard it before, but it hit me that he liked me, like that God liked me, that he didn't hate me, that I didn't have to do anything else that like right where I was at 17-year-old little punk Jenny Self, who was so self-obsessed and boy obsessed and dramatic and vain and all the things. He liked me and he loved me. And I just was like, I will never forget that night. I was, I was on the ground. I was at a summer camp. And I just, but it might as well have just been me and God. I was like, I can't believe that, you know? And I think that just changed everything for me. It changes everything for me. I mean, I do all of my books. I wrote a book called Get Out of Your
Starting point is 00:29:35 head, I talk about mental health and I want to talk about that because I believe God built our brain and it's so helpful to know how our brains work and how we can shift our thinking because it's real and we can. And we can talk about that and we can talk about psychology. I believe in it. Like I love all of that. But at the end of the day, underneath all of it for me is just there's a God who built me who loves me and who has accepted me because of his his son and Jesus and what he did for me. And that just, it just kind of, it sets me free. It helps me find a confidence that, that nobody can take away from me, you know? And I know everybody listens in different places with God or believes different religions. I know everybody comes at this
Starting point is 00:30:28 from a different place, but that's, that's my story. And it really has given me peace. When I think about mattering and being worth something, I'm like, Jesus died for me. Like, he came for me. And he knows my name and he loves me and he accepts me. And when I think about feeling helpless, I'm like, and he has empowered me and given me gifts and the spirit to walk with him. And then when you think about being unlovable, it's like, man, he loved me enough to like come, show up in a baby manger, like in the hay and like all the things, you know? And I just, I can't believe it. So I think I've never gotten over that. I just, it's so, just still melts me. And so you can, you can instantly sort of dismantle every lie. Yeah, with that.
Starting point is 00:31:21 With that. Just that. And, and I have to keep coming back to it, right? Because, you know, God's quiet. The world's loud. And, you know, for me, it really had to come down to which world am I going to live in. Because this world's really loud. And I live for it most days in the morning when I wake up, right? And the hustle, it's true. You know, there's to some degree, if I just live for this world, I do need to measure up.
Starting point is 00:31:56 You know, if I just live in this world, I need to be liked. I need to be accepted. If I just live in this world, I need to try to control everything that I can. But if I really believe that life doesn't end at the grave, like, I'm not going to die and it's over. Like if I really believe that there's something more, all of that faith and all of that perspective seeps into who I am and it just gives me this peace and this joy that, hey, you know what, Jenny, it's okay that you didn't do that right. It's okay that you screwed that up. Like,
Starting point is 00:32:35 God still loves you. You still have the most important things. You may lose some money. You may lose some acceptance. You may lose. And that just, it's a grounding that's underneath, you know, these, these fears that we have and we live with. I walked through a season of doubt in my faith for about 18 months. Scared me to death. Tell me about that because a lot of people struggle with doubt when it comes to like, is God real? Of course.
Starting point is 00:33:10 Is, you know, all of that. Oh, I get it. Yeah. Yeah. I get it. I mean, I just mentioned 17 and like that's how long I've, you know, walked with God. But it wasn't long ago. It was about, well, it was before COVID.
Starting point is 00:33:26 So it was probably eight years ago. Okay. I am going to sleep at night and I just start asking myself, is this real? Is this true? I'm a preacher. I'm out there like talking about Jesus. I want to give everyone context. So Jenny Allen is probably.
Starting point is 00:33:50 one of the most beloved preachers, Bible teachers. I mean, in the, I would say, Christian world, especially, but also just globally everywhere. You've impacted millions and millions of people. So this is news to me. So I didn't know this. Yeah. Okay. So I'm in the middle of public ministry, right? Yes. And I just, this question of, are you sure? You know, are you sure? God's real. I just, I kept asking it. And it was every night to be in the middle of the night. I'd wake up in 3 a.m. hour and I would just spin. It just started out of the blue. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:34:25 Out of the blue. Okay. Nothing prompted it. There was no like drastic suffering. I've had suffering in my life. That wasn't what caused it. Out of the blue. Random thoughts.
Starting point is 00:34:35 And didn't think much about it. Honestly, I didn't. I just, but it grew. And I became obsessed in the night wondering and not sure. And I never told anybody. I mean, months go by. And as thoughts do, they grow and they begin to take hold of you. And I began to have people notice that I couldn't watch movies about death anymore.
Starting point is 00:35:08 I couldn't watch, I mean, basic movies. Like we're talking Spider-Man and Marvel. Like nothing that scary. Yeah. But I had such a strong reaction because I became so afraid of death. because I just thought if it goes to black, I became so afraid of dying. And I remember preaching sometimes or being on a stage and talking. And in the back of my mind, I was like, do I believe this?
Starting point is 00:35:36 And I'm someone who's really real. Like I'm not, I don't fake it. So I wasn't, it wasn't that I was trying to fake it. It was that I didn't understand how serious it had become. I wasn't taking it very seriously. And so I look back at that season and I just, I mean, you know what it did, and I'm so grateful for it now. It scared me to death and I didn't know how to make it end.
Starting point is 00:36:08 And so for anybody listening that feels like I would love to believe in God, I just don't. I just don't. Like you could be watching me and thinking, she's all lit up. she really does believe that. Like, I would love to believe that. That would feel good to believe that. I would just say, I get it. And you see in the Bible doubters, you see people that wrestled with God.
Starting point is 00:36:35 And I see so much permission for that. And so I would just say, don't be afraid to just say, help me. Like, help my unbelief. I don't know if I believe, but if you're there, I'm curious, you know, like make yourself known to me. just ask him, you know? And so in that season, I couldn't get out of it. And I remember the first time I told somebody. And it was so scary.
Starting point is 00:37:07 I remember feeling like it felt so big to say out loud. I mean, Jenny Allen, Bible teacher, doesn't, isn't sure she believes in God anymore. You know, a problem. Slight problem. My problem. But I wasn't afraid of like losing any. It wasn't, I don't want it to sound like I was trying to self-protect or something. I just, it was so, it was so much deeper than like my job or it was like, it was like a fear of like, what if he's just not there?
Starting point is 00:37:37 Like, what if this, we made this up in our mind, you know? And so when I said it out loud, I said it to one of my friends named Anne and she started laughing. at me. And she walks pretty closely with me in life, you know. And she started laughing. And she goes, that's not true. You do believe in God. Jenny, Allen, I have washed your life. That's just not true. You believe in God. And it was, it was like these lights came on. Like I'd been in the dark all by myself. And all these lights came on like, I do believe. Like, I do, when I said it out loud, do you know what it felt like? It felt stupid. But I had been in my brain all by myself. And that's a terrible place to be. And so the greatest thing we can do, the first thing we can do always is say it out
Starting point is 00:38:33 loud. To say out loud, like, I think I've been believing something. And I don't even know if it's true or false, but I need to say it out loud because I think about it all the time. And if I don't say it out loud, I can't know if it's true. I can't. And the second she reacted that way, it was so clear to me that honestly, I believe that whole season. Like, I believe there's an enemy. You know, I believe there's an enemy that hates us, that's after us, that wants to
Starting point is 00:39:04 trick us, that wants us to believe lies. The Bible talks about it. He's a liar. And I think that was strategic for 18 months that I would just sit there in that lie that God is not real. God is not real. God is not real long enough for me to dismantle my whole faith. And when I said it out loud, when I named it, it even sounded ridiculous to me. You know, but it didn't for 18 months.
Starting point is 00:39:31 It didn't. And so I just, I just, oh, I just think we live so isolated, you know. This is so good, Jenny. I just want to say this one more time because I want anyone to miss this right now. Because when I think about, you know, for example, the example I gave earlier about like, oh, you know, I need to achieve to be worthy of love. When I say that out loud, I know that sounds ridiculous. Right. If your kids said that, you'd be like never. Yeah. Ridiculous. Or when you probably heard your daughter say that, you're ridiculous. What? And, and but yet, so many of us, just like you for 18 months, We keep it inside. We think it.
Starting point is 00:40:10 We don't tell someone about it. And it's just in us. And it's probably like growing and magnified. And what you just said is so, so powerful because I want everyone listening right now or watching us, whatever the lie is that you have and maybe you're going to go to Jenny Allen's website, do the quiz to figure it out. Or maybe you already know. Maybe you already know your lie.
Starting point is 00:40:29 Maybe you have a few of them that you're believing. Try saying it out loud to someone you care about. It is a first easy step. Oh my goodness. You could do it today before you go to sleep again. And then see how you feel when you say it. Okay, but here's what's going to happen. I'm going to tell you right now.
Starting point is 00:40:46 I'm going to tell me. Tell me, tell all of us. This happened to me yesterday. Okay. So I did this last night with a friend because I told you I had had a bad day. I was leaving a lot of lies. I was even anxious about coming today and talking about all this because I'm like, you know, one of my first times to be talking about the book.
Starting point is 00:41:04 I was like, I'm just not ready to be out there and I don't even, you know, I'm struggling with these things. I'm going to go talk about, you know, I just was having all these doubts and spiraling. Yeah. And I texted a friend and I said, what are you doing? She was like, let's go. So we go to our little spot and we sit down together and we order. And she goes, what's wrong?
Starting point is 00:41:26 And the first feeling I felt was a lot of shame. And I just want to say that because this is last night for me, right? And I just felt like, I don't want to say this out loud because it sounds embarrassing. And deep down, I'm not sure the book is good. And I don't know if it's going to help people. And I don't know if I'm measuring up. Like, I think we want the answer to be, it's awesome. You measure up.
Starting point is 00:41:57 You're great. Go in the world. Slay, kill it. Like, that's what we want. But it's like, that only feels. good for a little while because you're like, I don't, I don't know. But what does feel good is my friend looking at me going, girl, I don't care. Like if your books on New York Times this time or not, like, I don't care if you, like, I am loved and known by my friend. And if I fail miserably,
Starting point is 00:42:21 and if the comments below this are, that girl is, like, if it's all negative and like making fun of me and all this, my friend, Lindsay, didn't go in anywhere. But she would love. laugh at it with me and we would be okay. And it is the deepest longing in my soul. It's not to actually be great. It's not to make New York Times. The deepest longing in my soul is that somebody knows everything about me, knows what's embarrassing, knows what feels hard to say, knows that I'm afraid that I'm not going to hit a mark that everybody around me wants me to hit, knows that I lie sometimes and I am jealous of people and I am mean. I can be mean, you know, and she knows all of that. And she looked me in the eyes and she's like, I got you girl. Like, I'm not going
Starting point is 00:43:12 anywhere. It is the longing of a heart. And I know some people listening are thinking, I don't even have anybody to call. Like I don't even know who to tell. And I would just say three and five people are lonely. Somebody is craving the same thing you are. And we're all tired of pretending and we're all tired of playing the game and we're all tired of just talking about our kids and talking about our work and talking about that and talking about this and going home empty. We're all tired of it. And it feels good just to go, you know, I can't control my husband and our marriage is hard and I don't know what to do about it. It just feels good to be honest and say these things out loud and whatever you need to say, like whatever your thing is. And I went home
Starting point is 00:44:05 last night. It was so funny. My whole mood changed, you know, and I texted her on the way home and I just said, I love you. And that was so fun. And it wasn't fun. We cried and we laughed a little, but it was real and it was deep and I felt known. So I guess I just want to encourage people that that first feeling you're going to feel, which is shame, push through it. Push through it because that's actually the thing you want. We need to pause for a super brief break. And while we do, take a moment to share this episode with every single person that you know who this could inspire because this conversation can truly be the words and inspiration they need to hear today to keep going to remember that they matter and to feel less alone and more enough, more connected,
Starting point is 00:44:56 more inspired, and more worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to you delivered straight to your inbox each and every Tuesday morning from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamiecarlima.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you.
Starting point is 00:45:40 If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamiekernlima.com or in the link in the show notes. I am so excited for this book. You know why? Because it's going to save so many people. It's going to say, worthy. Your new beautiful book worthy.
Starting point is 00:46:10 Get this book? This book? I'm telling you. It's a book. that can change anybody's life who picks it up. Anybody who's ever felt that they were not good enough, didn't measure up, something's missing in your life. I have to tell you.
Starting point is 00:46:24 It's powerful. It's happening. It's worthy. Imagine what would you do if you fully believed in you. I went from struggling waitress facing nonstop rejection to founder of It Cosmetics, a billion dollar company by learning how to overcome self-doubt and believe I'm worthy of my hopes and dreams,
Starting point is 00:46:48 and I'm sharing how you can too in my new book, Worthy, how to believe you are enough and transform your life. If you're ready to truly trust yourself and break through that barrier of self-doubt and know that where you come from or even where you are right now doesn't determine where you're going,
Starting point is 00:47:09 then worthy is for you. It's time to go from doubting you're enough, to knowing you're enough. It's time to step into all of who you are and into the person you were born to be. And it's time to believe that you are worthy of it. Because in life, we don't become what we want. We become what we believe we're worthy of. Join the worthy movement today by grabbing your copy of worthy anywhere books are sold. Then head to worthybook.com now for free gifts, including my five-part course on becoming unstoppable and my 95-page worthy workbook action plan
Starting point is 00:47:51 that teaches you how to implement the tools from the book into your real life right now. Worthy is groundbreaking. Yo. My God! Worthy, you are worthy. This book is going to change lives. This book literally will teach you
Starting point is 00:48:06 how to actually feel worthy so that you can have the strength, you can have the confidence. The lessons in this book and the strategies will change your life. You will never be the same again after you read this book. Jamie's bookworthy is a must read. It is going to inspire you, empower you, give you the hope that you need and the kick in the rear end that you deserve. Jamie's book worthy is incredible. The gifts are going away, but they're off free right now on worthybook.com. Now more of this incredible conversation together.
Starting point is 00:48:41 So many things you just said are so, so good. someone needs to hear them right now. And I think it was so insightful when you said there's going to be someone that's like, well, I don't even know who to call to tell them that, you know, I don't feel I'm enough or whatever it is, right? Or I feel like I can't do anything on my own or I'm unlovable, right? And three and five people being lonely, I think that that is so powerful to know because I think we feel, especially when we feel lonely or we feel like we don't have a new call, we think it's just us and we think that, you know, there's something wrong with us. And I think what's beautiful about this is, like, I always have loved this concept of like
Starting point is 00:49:28 what you, if you need something, give it. Like, if you need, right, right? That's the answer. Be that for someone else. And it's like, if you are feeling lonely right now and you walk into a coffee shop. There is a good chance, three out of five people in there, feeling the exact same way. That's right. Right. And so the odds of just, I mean, that's when I think about making friends as an adult and it seems so intimidating and it seems so hard until there's moments like the last three minutes with what you just shared. There's going to be people that tuned in and maybe have known you or your work or seen glimpses of your work because your work's impacted millions for a good reason because it's incredible.
Starting point is 00:50:10 because people connect with it, because it changes lives. Like it's not an accident when someone has multiple bestselling books, Jenny Allen. But the fact that you're sitting here and in the last few minutes saying that just yesterday, you're having all these thoughts and you're sitting here and you're sharing things like, I sometimes am mean and I'm sometimes jealous and I'm sometimes all of these things. I just feel like that is so powerful and such a blessing because there'll be people that maybe started watching this episode and see you, but maybe think that they're somehow different or that, like, they, you know, they could never stop believing their lives,
Starting point is 00:50:58 or they could never write a book and share their own stories, or they can never do those things. And at the end of the day, we all, like you said earlier, we all have these same things that we feel that we experience, even if the outside that person is this hyper successful achiever or this person is on stages all over the world like you are or whatever. But you're sharing those things. And I think that that's so beautiful. And I think that's one of the many reasons your work. And in particular, because we have your brand new book right here, the lie you don't know you believe how to find it, fight it, and live free. One of the reasons, and I've read it cover to cover. So you might have doubts yesterday. I've got no doubts. Oh, girl. My yesterday. Let me just
Starting point is 00:51:43 tell you about my yesterday. My yesterday was like, I get to talk with Jenny Allen. I get to have I get to have her on the show and talk about the lie. You don't know you believe. I was talking to Paulo, my husband about how much of my life I have lost believing lies, believing lies about who I am, how I don't have what it takes, how I'm not enough. And when we believe these lies, we sabotage stuff. You know, we sabotage it or we stay stuck, right? And we don't go for things. Or, you know, we can like, it affects us. It affects us. It could doubt, literally, there's times in my life, I feel like I doubted myself out of my own destiny. Because I was like, oh, I don't have what it takes and I believe the lie. And so the work you're doing and also just like you sharing
Starting point is 00:52:25 who you fully are, I think is so powerful. And I think when it comes to faith, by the way, I think that, you know, and I actually isn't going to ask you about this, because there's going to be a lot of people listening who have really strong faith in their life. And maybe they have a really strong relationship with Jesus. And then there's going to be people that have different faith
Starting point is 00:52:47 and people that are like, I've always felt judged and like I wouldn't be accepted into a faith. And one of the things I think is so beautiful is you're sharing, you're sitting here as one of the most well-known preachers, Bible teachers, all the things, life-changing, inspiring women to so many people. And you're saying all this stuff. You're like, and I mean some time and I lie and this and yesterday I was crying because I was worried about tomorrow. And then my daughter shared all these lies. And I realized, well, wait a minute.
Starting point is 00:53:27 I believe those lies too. And I just think that the, I don't even know what to call it. Yeah. The, I don't want to call it, the courage, the anointing, that all of it combined is such a blessing. Because I personally know so many people who, when even the topic of faith comes up, they feel like they're disqualified from it or they'll be judged. Oh, yeah. What do you say to the person listening right now who maybe is like, you know,
Starting point is 00:54:06 I maybe feel like I'm open to faith, but I don't know. I just, like, I feel like maybe I wouldn't fit in or I'd be judged or I've made too many past mistakes or somehow parts of me wouldn't be accepted or or any of those. those things. I just, I think I feel really tender to that. I feel sorry on behalf of a lot of Christians because we may have made you feel that way. We can be really judgmental. We can make it seem like you have to arrive somewhere to be a follower of God. You have to believe something. You have to be in this political party. You have to do this. You have to, it can just feel complicated the word Christian anything about it and so I just I guess I would just start by just
Starting point is 00:55:01 saying I'm sorry and that is not Jesus Jesus is simple for him you know he he built you he loves you he knows you he says he knows every hair on your head like that's how well God knows you he's been coming for you. It's like this force of a love that's like been coming for you your whole life. And maybe you felt it at times and maybe you've never felt it. But like I promise you for God so love the world that he came after us with the most costly thing with Jesus. I mean, he sent his son so that people could be saved to earth, to show his love. You know, I've enjoyed watching The Chosen and you just see, you know, the character, Jesus, the way it was played. He's just his eyes, you just are like, I just hope, I hope he loves like that. He does. Like, it's better than that,
Starting point is 00:55:59 you know, and he comes for us and he loves us and he specifically loves. The whole Bible is about it's all stories of jacked up people. Like, I don't know what anybody listening that's never read the Bible would think it was about, but it's all about all these people that are murderers, that are liars, that betray each other, that betray Jesus. I mean, it's unbelievable. like it's a disaster. Like it would be R-rated, top to bottom, like most of it. It's just, it's a disaster. And it's all about God coming for us anyway.
Starting point is 00:56:34 I just think somewhere we got it all wrong, you know, like we thought we had to measure up. And then God would like us or love us. And it's like, no, we never did. And he loved us anyway. And so I, you know, for me specifically, who always, always thought she had to measure up. It's like, I always go to God and I always think I'm a disappointment, right? Like I always, I remember, I was reading my college journals once. And every single entry was like, I'm so sorry, God, that I, you know, haven't prayed in a while. I'm so
Starting point is 00:57:10 sorry that I made out with that boy. I was so, you know, it's like, it's just, it's all the huge apology. That's all I did in college was apologize. And I was like, God, Lee, like, he probably feels a little like I feel about my kid, you know? He's 17 and way too busy for me. And when I get his attention, when he gets to sit in front of me, all I feel is delight. I just feel like I'm the luckiest human on earth that Cooper Allen is looking in my eyes and telling me about his life. I am the luckiest person on earth.
Starting point is 00:57:43 That's how I feel about my kid. He's a punk. He gets in trouble. He's imperfect. I don't want him to sit down and talk. talk to me about that. I want him to tell me about his day. I wanted him to tell me about the girl he thinks is cute right now. I want him to tell me, I want to be with my kid, you know? And that's like this much of how God feels about you, like this much. And so we just get him all wrong, you know?
Starting point is 00:58:05 We just think it's a measure up thing and it's not. It's delight. Like delight. And now, like, in general, I think probably one of the most defining things about my life is that I really do think He likes me and not because I've measured up. In fact, I have done a great job bragging at everything. I'm terrible at this whole podcast. But I do believe that he loves me and delights in me because he came after me. I mean, that's what the Bible says. I just really do believe it.
Starting point is 00:58:37 You know, I was raised going to church every Sunday and I was raised in the Lutheran church. And I used to go and I literally nothing, this is a little kid, nothing or a teenager also, I didn't even, nothing would resonate with me, right, at all. And I would just sit there the whole service. I would look for cue boys, like I would scan all the pews for cute boys. And nothing ever resonated, but we always went every Sunday. And then when I was older and I went off to graduate school, it was the first time I lived in New York City.
Starting point is 00:59:07 And I was surrounded by people in an academic world, but also just the peers I had and everything, where there was not a lot of faith of any. types. But there was a lot of belief that if you believed in God, you are somehow not, you know, like everyone I was around thought you should only believe in what you can see and prove. And I remember I went through this season of God doubt, like really starting to doubt if he existed. And I was then working in television news after graduate school. And it really started to, I started to feel like something was missing, like something's empty.
Starting point is 00:59:48 like all of that and I was and I started seeing a therapist for the first time ever and I told her and I said like I'm you know I was telling her all the things and I was about to get married and I said and also by the way I'm doubting God exists and all this now I don't know if this therapist has any faith I have no idea but she said something to me that day that changed everything she said well what makes you think God can't handle your doubt and I'm like like her what do you mean And she's like, well, let's just say, like, if he created the whole universe, what makes you think he can't handle your doubt? And she says, why don't you tell him your doubting? Yes.
Starting point is 01:00:26 He exists and ask him to prove you wrong. And I was like, okay. And so that day, Jenny, so every time I would pray from that day before, now, it didn't happen right away. But it was over time. Every time I'd pray, like if I prayed for a friend who was sick or whatever was going on, I would end my prayer. Literally, I'd end my prayer by, and by the way, God, I believe. I don't believe that you're existing. And if you could please show up in my life and prove me wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt,
Starting point is 01:00:54 I'd be so grateful. In Jesus' name, amen. Like that would be how I ended every prayer, right? Which... Don't you know he was smiling so big at you? He was like, I got you girl. And he did. And let me tell you, because I was in that space of just like, there's no way this doesn't
Starting point is 01:01:09 make sense. Everyone around me thinks I'm, you know, not that smart for believing and this and that. And also, what about this? and da-da-da-da-da. And by the way, I have to say that in my soul, I believe that if Jesus were just standing right here, like he would love every person no matter what, no matter how they vote, no matter how they pray or any of the things, who they love, how they love, I believe he would just love us. So at the time when I was going through that season of God doubt, I was also like, this doesn't make sense that, you know, that you have to do certain things or be a certain way
Starting point is 01:01:45 to be embraced into the worlds of faith I was seeing. So when I started praying that prayer, and I want to share this too, in case anyone's listening right now who's in that space of God doubt. I said to him, I was like, you know, I'm doubting you exist. And please prove me wrong,
Starting point is 01:02:01 like beyond a shadow of a doubt. And the number of times and the things that started happening, I mean, and some were quiet and some were very overt and very big. And I mean, there are stories, Jenny, where it was like something incredible happened. And for a moment, I thought like, oh, wow, I got lucky or this happened. And then the person would come up to me and be like, oh, actually God whispered to me to do that for you.
Starting point is 01:02:28 I'm like, what? It just started happening over and over and over and over and over in my life. And, you know, now, you know, I have, I mean, I very rarely will doubt, will feel God doubt. And there's times I do. Yeah, there's times I do. But I just, you know, for the person at home, I don't. I don't know. Just let, you know, be honest about it. And then just say, like, come into my life, show me. Prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're real, because I'm doubting you. And then just like wait and watch what happens and be open to it. Because for me, that was like the big game changer. Well, and I think we can stand back and hear a lot about Christianity. We can hear a lot about Jesus and faith and all these things and never explore it for ourselves. And I would just say,
Starting point is 01:03:14 I remember when my eighth grade daughter, she started just doubting everything. And I almost started panicking as a parent. But then I was like, no, no. Like, this is good. Like you need to process this for yourself. And so I just think to don't be afraid to read the Bible for yourself. Like just open it. Like open it to John 1 if you don't know where to go.
Starting point is 01:03:35 And just start to read because I think people are surprised when they read it and they see like who God is. it's just different than what they thought. You know, one thing I love about technology, too, there's a lot I don't love about technology. One of the things I love about technology is now there's so many great, easy ways to start reading it. And then if you don't understand it, there's, you know, great ways to understand it. And I started the Bible recap this year. And I love when you read for 12 minutes a day and then you have, you know, the nine minute recap by Tara Lee. and it's like, or the six-minute recap, and it's just like makes it really, really digestible.
Starting point is 01:04:19 So good. Yes, I highly recommend that too. I feel like the other big thing that seems to be, and I'm curious if you have this experience, and maybe you do way more than I do because you are really, you know, you hear from so many people on their faith journey all the time. Yeah. One of the big things that I see is so many people confuse. imperfect humans with God's perfect love, like someone that maybe has been hurt by a church or had a
Starting point is 01:04:50 bad experience with a pastor or maybe they were invited to some type of a church gathering and the people they met there weren't so kind or someone's had a bad experience and then they somehow confused because a pastor is not God. Right? Every one of us is an imperfect human or they hear on the news that there was some scandal in a church or something like that. And I think people confuse imperfect humans with God's perfect love. And then they shut down from it and think that is Jesus. And that's not. And so what do you say when people come to you and they're like, well, this person that maybe they're a politician and they say they're a really strong Christian, but everything they're doing, that's not, that is not what Jesus would do. Or they had a bad experience in the church
Starting point is 01:05:41 growing up or they met someone who says they're a strong Christian, but they feel like an awful person, right? What do you say to the person who says, oh, but all that? I feel grief. Yeah. The hurt is real. Yeah. It's not easy enough just to say people are imperfect and God is perfect because that was someone that showed you God. That was somebody that had a, a, fact on your faith potentially and felt that betrayal and that hurt is so real. And it's so hard for our minds to separate those two things. And I would just say, God understands. I just think, you know, you look at David's life and, I mean, he had his son trying to kill him. He had his life falling apart. He also made a lot of really big horrible mistakes in the Bible. The guy who
Starting point is 01:06:43 wrote the Psalms if you don't know who I'm talking about. And you read his words and his prayers and you just see a man who wrestled with God. He questioned God. He was like, why are you doing this? Why are these people allowed to prosper? And I'm not. And he's questioning everything and he's bringing it all to him in a really raw way. And that helps me because I just, I don't think it's wrong to be really angry about the way people act in the name of Jesus. I don't think it's wrong to hold people accountable for the injustices that are happening in the name of Jesus under the church's name. So I just, I want to say, I'm sorry. And I've done it too, right? Like, I mean, like Paul, I'm the worst of the, like, I have let people down.
Starting point is 01:07:45 I have, you know, certainly there has not been moral public failure, but, man, just come over on a Sunday morning when we're trying to get to church, like, and you'd be like, that is not Jesus, you know? So, so I'm not, I'm not above it. I am just, I want to, on behalf of people that, that have caused that hurt, I just, I just say I'm so sorry. And I also know people. I know some of these people.
Starting point is 01:08:13 I know some of the people that have publicly their lives have been the ones that have hurt everybody. They have betrayed people. And I have seen them behind the scenes. And I have watched some repent. And that doesn't mean they should necessarily be leading again. But I have watched them be made right with God because the blood of Jesus covers everything. and it's something that doesn't make sense to us because it's not human it's not the way we work but he really can make broken things right now for the person that's hurt i i just give him a chance
Starting point is 01:08:56 like he is grieving with you believe me he is angry too you know and and and and things justice is part of his story and how he works as well. And so, you know, I just, I do believe that I think what I do within my own mind is I just rest that I'm not him because it's like I don't want, I don't know how to sort this all out. I don't know how it could possibly all be sorted out one day, but he promises it will be. And so I wrestle, I think you get angry, you'd be sad, you grieve it, and I would just say, do it with him. Because he's grieving too, he's angry too, he feels it too, he's felt it, right? He was killed.
Starting point is 01:09:59 He was betrayed by the people that lived with him, loved him. He gets it. You know, that comforts me. That he has felt the things that I've had to feel. What prayer would you say to the person who, like, wants to pray to see if they can start a relationship with Jesus? but maybe they've never prayed before or they don't even know what to say or what to do. This is what I do with my life. I mean, I've been on, I don't know how many college campuses and I get to pray this with students all the time.
Starting point is 01:10:36 And it's so simple. And all you have to do is say, Jesus, I believe you're the son of God. I believe that you gave up your life for me and my sin. I trust you. I want to follow you. and I want to walk with you and I want to know you. Help me do that. That's it.
Starting point is 01:11:00 That's it. It's that simple. And that's the beginning, you know. And it's a relationship. I think that's what people miss. Yeah. You know, we think it's a religion. It's a relationship.
Starting point is 01:11:12 It's not a... Explain that. There's a lot of people are like, what do you mean? I thought it's a religion. It's a relationship. Explain that more. You know,
Starting point is 01:11:21 he talked about there being a new covenant in Isaiah, I believe was the first time it was mentioned and this new covenant would come and that the law would no longer be written on tablets of stone. It would be written on people's heart. And there would be this new way
Starting point is 01:11:44 that God could be with man and the dividing line of sin would no longer separate them. Because we really do want a just God. We don't want a God that just tolerates everything. We want a God that actually is going to deal with stuff, right? You don't want there to be traffickers of young children that are not dealt with severely. That would not be a good God. So we actually love that he's a just God.
Starting point is 01:12:15 We just don't want him to be just to me, right? We just don't want to be the one that his justice is coming against. And so the way that we are made right with him, that we do not get the wrath of God, that we do not get the punishment of God is because of what Jesus did on the cross. And so when we trust that and we go, yes. And it's hard because we all want to believe like, oh, you know, there's, yes, that's true. But this is true too and this is true. you this is true to. And I would just say to that, I get that. Like, we live in a world where that would be great, like if all of that was true, but I'm not God. Like, I don't get to decide.
Starting point is 01:12:57 And so for me, the way I've viewed this is just, it is not my job to go around and fix everybody and judge everybody and make everything right. But I do want to know what God says. And I want to know who he is. And what he says is, I'm the way the truth. in the life and nobody's going to get to the father except for me. It feels narrow and that could feel mean and that could feel horrible, except that the way there is not measuring up. The way there is grace, by grace through faith. That's it.
Starting point is 01:13:36 And so, yes, it is Jesus. But our means of knowing Jesus and God is not religion. It's not measuring up. It's not doing everything right. It's why I like Christianity best because it's the only one where I don't have to measure up. Every other religion, you have to do these things to hit the mark. Jesus is like, I'll do it for you. The mark has to be hit, but I'll do it for you.
Starting point is 01:14:05 And so the grace that I feel because of him is that, yeah, I'll keep messing up. Yeah, pastors I know and love are having affairs right now. Yeah. Churches are broken. Betrayal is happening. Yes. And Jesus paid the price so that we could be right with God. And I watch these kids, you know, they want God because they've had the whole world.
Starting point is 01:14:38 And they're so empty and they have no hope. and they are so hard on themselves. And they have, I mean, there's not anything they haven't known or tried. That's this generation. They have it all. And then they hear that. Jesus loves me. He's not disappointed in me.
Starting point is 01:15:01 He wants a relationship with me. Like, they can't believe it. I have boys seven foot tall walk up to me, tears in their eyes, hug me. I didn't know God. loved me. That's what they say. I didn't know God loved me. I'm like, oh, man. I was like, he really does. I think you're probably his favorite buddy. Like, you know, I think we all are. But I just think it changes everything. And we just, we don't understand. We don't know. Because that's not the way the world works. It was hard to even imagine. I love seeing you in the
Starting point is 01:15:38 back of a pickup truck, like on a college campus doing baptisms. Can you talk about it? Can you talk about all of that that's happening. It feels almost like a whole, like it, you just feel it. And I'm only seeing it on Instagram. Can you talk about what's happening across college campuses and all the work that you're doing? Yeah. It's been so fun. So in 2018, I remember it was at Texas A&M. And I, I just opened up. We were an arena. Okay? This is thousands of kids. And I said something about, you know, if you just, why don't you just yell out, like whatever it is that, that you're struggling with. And I mean, people got real. Like, they were yelling in an arena in front of their roommates and friends. Abortion, I just had an abortion, sexual addiction, pornography. I mean,
Starting point is 01:16:25 they're just yelling it out, you know, and I'm going, what just happened? Like, what is going on? And since then, I don't even know how many campuses I've gotten to be on. Recently, I've gotten to be on campuses with a ministry called Unite and that we've been on about 20 campuses. And it's just been amazing. Like people want God. And it's not complicated for them because they aren't necessarily wounded. They just never knew. You know, they just never knew.
Starting point is 01:16:56 And they're hearing it and it's hope to them. And it is a relationship that they're getting. And it feels really precious and sincere. And, you know, I mean, suicide. I mean, that's in the backdrop of this. There's so many kids that are struggling with suicidal thoughts. And that hopelessness, I think, is pretty rampant and, you know, in general across campuses. And so I think what Jesus means to people right now on these campuses, and specifically with that generation, is that he loves me right where I am.
Starting point is 01:17:39 And I can have a relationship and be made right. And I mean, their lives are changing. You know, not all of them, but a lot of them, I mean, I'll see them a year later. And they're now like ministering to people. You know, like they were wasted. Some of them literally come wasted. Like they're in the audience. Like they got drug there by a friend.
Starting point is 01:18:00 And now they're like doing this. And it's just, it just, it could only be God. You know, you're watching it and you're like, it could only be God. but I will say this about baptism. And some people are like, what does that even mean? And it's a Christian practice. It's a beautiful picture of when you come into a relationship with God, he calls us to baptize people.
Starting point is 01:18:24 And it's so cool. He's so unique. I love that he likes to tell a good story. And he wants to make something unforgettable. Because when somebody gets saved, you put them underwater. So odd. You put them underwater and you lift him up. But all these kids, they come.
Starting point is 01:18:39 up and I go, why are you doing this tonight? And they say to me, because I want to be clean. And they're going underwater and they come up and they feel cleaner. It's so sweet that he would do it that way. And so, you know, I always tell him, I always say, don't forget the feeling of coming up and the cold water washing off over you. Because that is the feeling that we need sometimes, you know, where it feels like we're dirty. It feels like, like yesterday, I just felt blah. I just felt sinful. I felt selfish. I felt embarrassed. I felt all these things. And when you think about that, that he makes you new, but he, it's just beautiful. So that's happening everywhere. It's wild. Thousands and thousands of kids. Pretty fun. I recently interviewed, the episode hasn't come out
Starting point is 01:19:28 yet, but I recently interviewed Arthur Brooks, who is, uh, uh, was amazing. Yeah, yeah. So Arthur Brooks, you know, teaches the top class at Harvard on happiness. and his new book on the meaning of life. One of the things he talks about is that we're just in this unhappiness epidemic. Yeah, we are. Just feel empty and they feel like something's missing. And when you look at the data, especially on, you know, anyone in their 30s and under, but really it's now starting to be everyone.
Starting point is 01:20:00 People just feel like something's missing. And he goes deep into our left brain and our right brain and how everything with technology and also with like, a striver world and just like how we're, and now AI, is just like we're not in the part of our brain that gets, you know, ignited when we are in faith or feeling love. Yeah. You know, those kind of things. And we're no longer even tapping that part of our brain and people are just feeling more empty than ever and feeling like they're lacking meaning. And I think that the need for people to connect in person.
Starting point is 01:20:39 Yeah. And also to connect with, with their creator. And to be, I think that, you know, and what I loved about, because, you know, his entire world is research-based and everything else.
Starting point is 01:20:54 And he was saying so many people are now seeking the answers to everything on AI or Google. And that we're starting to be programmed where we can just solve everything on Google or AI, but you can't. Because people are,
Starting point is 01:21:08 feeling emptier than ever. Yeah. And they're feeling lonelier than ever. And they're feeling more hopeless than ever. And you look at all the data, as you mentioned, even on suicide rates and all the things. And it's just like, it's an epidemic. And so, you know, the work that you're doing and continue to do is so powerful. And, and going to college campuses on top of everything else you're doing. People are just feeling like something's missing. Yeah. You know, and I think that, you know, so many people who have maybe not explored the idea of meaning in their life or purpose or whatever, but they're like, my job is, you know, my purpose and whatever. But now AI is going to impact almost every industry. And we're, I think, in the next five to ten years, the need to be in relationship, whether it's with Jesus or with you.
Starting point is 01:22:06 with your friend, because you're having a bad day, the need for relationship. It's everything. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We are craving connection. And I would just say this, that we have to fight this, right? I worked on a book called Finder People.
Starting point is 01:22:22 Yes. Oh, my gosh. That was the saddest. When I was researching that book, I was so discouraged because I thought, is it really this bad? Are we really the loneliest generation that has ever lived on earth? That is the saddest thing. And we are set up that way, right?
Starting point is 01:22:36 So when you think of every generation before, it's just about, especially prior to the Industrial Revolution, but honestly, before the technological revolution, people lived in villages. They took care of each other. They depended on each other for agriculture. They depended on each other for, you know, the blacksmith in town. The community had to have each other to survive. So just by the nature, it wasn't like something they had to do or think about it. It was something they were and it was how they lived. So we really are.
Starting point is 01:23:05 It's hard where we really are in a hard time to live. And it really is the most important key to being happy, connected, peaceful. It's being known by God, by people. That's it. That's the goal. But I think shame lies, all of that. We pull back and now we don't have to come out because we can just move or we can just change jobs. or we can just, you know, people couldn't do that.
Starting point is 01:23:37 For every generation, they would never move more than, you know, five miles, 20 miles from where they were born because you couldn't do it. And so it's just, we've got to be aware that this is not the way we were built. This is not what we were designed for. And we've got to fight it pretty hard. When it comes to finding your people, what for the person listening? He's like, I want to find my people. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:24:01 What would you say to them? Well, you're not alone. that you feel alone for sure, that is common. What I would say is that this is a, this has to be a conviction. This has to be something that you're like, I need this, I'm going to get it. Now, all the introverts are like, I don't need it. I'm fine. I love my robe. I love Netflix. I don't need you. I want you to realize that every time you turn on a show, you are watching people have community that you're actually craving. That's why you like the show. There's not one show. Even that movie with Tom Hanks where he's on an island by himself and the whole movie
Starting point is 01:24:40 he's by himself, he talks to a volleyball. Like, even that is communal in its own weird way. You know, there's nothing you're really watching where somebody's alone. It's true, it is the worst form of punishment, solitary confinement. There is nothing worse than being alone. And so, and I'm not talking about every minute of every day, but you've got to be known and you've got to be seen. And so I really pray. And I, I, I, I, have hoped that there's a massive change in the world the way we view this because it's going to take that. It's going to take a revolution. It's going to take us seeing that this is the reason we're so unhappy and choosing connection and people. I mean, we moved to a neighborhood
Starting point is 01:25:30 where the houses were really close together in a big city. And I just, pray, Lord, give me five friends and five miles. Super basic. I need five friends in these five miles. Because I knew if it was 10, we wouldn't do last minute dinner like we did last night, my friend and I. And so I pray that and God brought it. But it was work. It was like dating, right? Like you have to like, I don't like this person. Okay, three dates and I'm like, no, you know, no, no. And you have to give people a chance. And then, then two years in, they want. want to quit you, you know, and that's real. And you've invested all this energy and time and then you don't want to do it again. So it is a mess. It is hard and we've got to have it and we've got to
Starting point is 01:26:17 choose it even though it's hard. I have friends and five miles. That's good. That's good. Not everybody can have that, but it's a start. Yeah. And proximity does help. Yeah. I know exactly what you're saying, you know, I'm newer to where I live. And, and I knew one person moving here. And so I'm in that space of, you know, and my close, my two bus friends are one of over 30 years, one of over 15, but they live in Pennsylvania across the country. And so I'm like, okay, so I'm making a whole lot of new friends. Right now my kids are in school. But I'm in that process of, you know, because I also believe it's so important to make sure that who you are around, you know, you know, that you feel good when you're around.
Starting point is 01:27:04 And you can still be real and raw and cry your eyes on and do all the things, but that you feel they want the best for you. And sometimes you see things over time, right? You say, like, oh, do they show up for you when, you know, when it's a bad day, not just a good day? Do they, you know, are they real friends or are they deal friends? Are they just all of it, right? You kind of learn over time.
Starting point is 01:27:23 And so I'm in that space right now. And I know exactly what you're talking about where, you know, then you'll have one friend where you're like, wait, are they distancing themselves? Like, yep, all of it, right? And it takes work and it takes work. And it's doable. And we've got to do it. And when, you know, I always say, because I get, the number one question I get about
Starting point is 01:27:40 friendship is this question and it is, it's heartbreaking. But it's, I always initiate and nobody initiates back. Or I reach out all the time and nobody invites me. And I would just say, the only way you won't be lonely is to initiate. You have to be the one. and and you have to remember and believe that if five people say no, the six one might say yes and the six one might need a friend. And it's like you just keep going.
Starting point is 01:28:14 And if you knew that three months from now and 17 knows from now, you would make the beginning of the best friend you could have for the next 10 years, would you do it? and you probably would. But you usually stop after three, maybe after one. You know, after one rejection, after one, it just feels like nobody wants to be friends with me. You know, I always say if it really feels that way, first pay for a counselor because maybe you need to pay a friend to find out that there's some things you need to know about yourself. You know, we all need to know things about ourselves.
Starting point is 01:28:50 But probably it's just that you just need to keep trying and you need to find somebody that need you as much as you need them. And it's just so important. And I feel like this conversation is really new in the sense of it's easy for people to think, oh, you know, virtual friends or social media or soon AI is great. Like it's, oh, come on. We all just say, no, no, we're not going to be friends with robots. No, not in any real way that is, will fill our soul. Exactly. Exactly. It will leave you feeling empty just the way if you only rely on social media does or if you only rely on watching other people communicate on television, but don't have any real connection. And I think that, yeah, that's so good. I love you sharing that because I think a lot
Starting point is 01:29:43 of people have tried once or twice. Maybe they haven't even got to three times and they're like, okay, I'm just not going to make friends as an adult. And I can do without it. That's not true. Right. That is a lie. And you need. need people. Fundamentally, the way you were built, your DNA, every scientist would tell you that, every theologian would tell you that. You were built to need people, even the introverts. We all need people. And you've said a couple times, and I want to bring this up, how important it is that we feel known and we feel seen. Yeah. So can you share why to the person listening going, oh, no, no, I'm an introvert. I'm good. I got my blanket. I got my real housewives or my cat
Starting point is 01:30:24 or whatever it is. Not that I know anyone that does that. Yeah. Nor have I ever done that. No, never. Neither of us. But talk about the importance of that feeling, even for the introvert listening,
Starting point is 01:30:38 that you need to be known and seen. Yeah, my daughter's an introvert. And we're a whole house of more extroverted people. And it's hard for her, like just to jump in there and do it. she'd just as soon, you know, be cozy at home. And I watch her. And she just, last night, I came home and she was out with her friends. And I was like, yes. And she's got plenty of friends. She just, it's hard to choose. You know, it's just, it feels good to just be in and be cozy. And I get it. I'm that way sometimes. She came home, bouncing off the walls, you know, telling me stories about all of them.
Starting point is 01:31:20 And so it's like, yeah, it feels like maybe if I stayed in my room, I would be happier. It'd be easier. Sure, it would be. But there's a part of you that's just dormant in a sleep until somebody else wakes it up. There's part of you that is bored and missing life just because you're scared to go out there and live it.
Starting point is 01:31:46 And so I would just say keep showing up, keep doing it. And it is, it's like a muscle. You just got to practice it. But to the introvert that's like, I don't need it, it's just not scientifically true. Just speak to the science of it. There is nothing more damaging to your health than isolation. They have ranked alcohol, drugs, I mean, all of it. The most detrimental thing to your health, if you're just motivated out of, like, facts, is isolation.
Starting point is 01:32:26 So you need connection. You just physically need it. And I think you like it more than you think. I think most introverts I know they want connection. They just want it in smaller doses. They want one or two deep, great conversations. And that's great. That works.
Starting point is 01:32:42 It doesn't need to be a party. Find what works for you. It doesn't have to be every social event you get included to. You don't have to go join, you know, a bowling team for goodness sakes. You just find the way you connect with one or two people. And that's enough. When you say God creates our brain and one of your bestselling books is all about our thoughts and getting out of our head and all of those things, what would you say to someone
Starting point is 01:33:09 listening about that and about the power? Yeah. Oh, I mean, this is such good news. It's such good news for everything we're talking about today that the way our brains were built is that we have the power to interrupt our thoughts. I didn't know that for so long, which is so funny to me because it's such a big thing. basic important thing to understand. I think all first graders should be taught this in school. You have power over your thoughts. Don't have as much power over your emotions. I mean, if you
Starting point is 01:33:35 were feeling really sad today and you were crying to me and I said, Jamie, don't be sad. That would not be very helpful. You know, just wouldn't. But if you are sitting there thinking the same negative thought over and over again, which most of us are, the research says that 80% of our thoughts are negative every day. It's really a lot to take in. And 95% of our thoughts are repetitive from the day before. So we are thinking the same lies, the same negative thoughts, the same spirals on repeat over and over and over and over and over and over for decades. It's really sad, except that we can interrupt our thoughts. And so the pathways, many of you've heard this, the neuropathways that repetitive thoughts like that build, so these lies we've been talking about, this book came out of that book.
Starting point is 01:34:37 Because when I wrote Get Out of Your Head, I just barely mentioned these three lies in there, but I realize this is different because what Get Out of your head talks about is interrupting thought patterns. This is really talking about core lies that have been there for a long, long time that you don't even know are there, right, that are just you think are true. But the same principle does apply that we can build a new pathway, that the same trenches that got built in your brain because you've thought this over and over and over again, you can build a new one. And it's pretty amazing. Actually, what happens in your mind physically, what they can see on scans, is that what is rebuilt in your brain when you think a thought is real. It's a physical thing that's happening to you.
Starting point is 01:35:25 A thought causes your brain to build little buildings and little cities and it just builds a whole little structure in your mind. And so thinking good thoughts and being grateful, for instance, instead of cynical, like immediately. So this is what we do in our family. Let me give you an example. We'll get home from school and somebody will say what happened to them that day. And then it will turn into the spiral. of everything bad that happened, right? That's okay.
Starting point is 01:35:55 We do that because I want them to be able to do that and I want to know what happened. So we will do that. And then what do you do? You go, okay, sit in that, talk about it, process it. What can we do about that? I'm so sorry. We feel all the feelings.
Starting point is 01:36:09 We do that. Then we say, what good happened today? What are you grateful for? It is a discipline. Again, it's a muscle. You just have to practice it. The first part, I never had to ask, right? That came out real easy because that is the 80% that we're thinking about.
Starting point is 01:36:26 That is what our brain does. It is easy to think about what is negative. It is a discipline to think about what is positive and what we're grateful for. And so what I learned in that project was, as I wrote that book, was the power of interruption that I have a choice. And I don't have to spiral in all of these negative loops. And so the same is true with lies. It's, I have a choice. And so yesterday it was a big choice.
Starting point is 01:36:56 You know, my choice was sitting that, you know, sit in that, you know, sit in that, go to sleep, wake up in the night, think about it more, or call a friend. You know, I'm a phone-a-friend kind of girl to say, sometimes it's to say it out loud. Sometimes it's to write it down, to journal it, to notice it. I think the most important thing is first is whether it's a lie or negative thought, to name it because you cannot be free of something you don't name. Because it's just going to stay there. You're going to be stuck in it. And we aren't neutral people.
Starting point is 01:37:32 We don't wake up in a neutral world with neutral minds, with neutral feelings, with neutral thoughts. There's a force in us. And it is either spiraling down or it is spiraling up. And that shift can be interrupted and we can. change it from going down to going up. You know, and the three core lies from the lie you don't know, you believe, your new book that's out now, everyone needs to grab their copy, talks about how to find the lie, fight it
Starting point is 01:38:04 and live free. When you say that, you know, so many of our thoughts are repeated every single day, if we have core lies, imagine how many times we're thinking those every single day. Like all the time. All the time. That's why we think they're true. Yeah. That's why we don't know it's a lie.
Starting point is 01:38:22 Yeah. You don't know we're believing it because it literally is just the way we think. It is a story we have told ourselves since the beginning of time. And to learn a new story. To believe something more beautiful is true. It's going to take work, you know. It was funny. Like I dress up today to come see you and,
Starting point is 01:38:49 and what I felt when I was getting dressed is I wish I could like put on like boxing gloves. You know, it's like we gotta go fight. Like we gotta, this is we gotta be feisty here. Fight these lives. Like I'm put on a cute little blouse with a bow. I'm like, we need to be like fight. Like because it really is kind of that mentality of you cannot just,
Starting point is 01:39:10 if you're just going to stay on neutral, you're going to believe lies. You're going to have to turn. You're going to have to put, set it up and go, is this true? You're going to have to think about it. You're going to have to share about it. You're going to have to wonder about it. And you're going to have to be pretty vicious and go, you know what? I think I have been told that and I have believed that my whole life.
Starting point is 01:39:31 And it's not true. And that takes getting a little bit of feisty. Lacing your gloves up. Lacing your gloves up. For the person right now who's like, okay, the lie you don't know you believe, your brand new book, what would you say to them that they should expect when they get it home? Yeah. Well, the first thing is just grace. That they're not alone, that this is common. That really we all have one, you know, that something has plagued us and we don't know it. And I think sometimes we can tackle something like this and just feel overwhelmed. And there is so much power and just knowing it. You know, one of the things I do all the time is what I did last night with my friend when I shared that I was struggling is I was like, you know, the lie I tell myself is this. And I'm, so I've gotten used to
Starting point is 01:40:23 just saying it out loud. The thing, the lie that I tell myself is this. And I just start to say it, that is powerful. Because in that one line, I'm inviting someone else into it and I'm able to call it a lie. Yes. I couldn't do that for so long. And I didn't, it just sat there. Yeah. True in me. Yeah. Thinking it was true, you know. And so I think people are going to go, oh, like within two chapters, chapters, they're going to go, oh, I have one, it's this. And they're going to be able to name it. And that is powerful. Because now it became an enemy. It was your friend. I think about when my daughter, who used to rescue animals all the time, where all my kids thought it was wonderful to bring little baby creatures home. And I'm like, you probably stole that from their mother. Like,
Starting point is 01:41:11 I don't know where they found these things. But we rescued turtles. We rescued rabbits. We lived on a little reserve. And so all these baby animals, we were their salvation. And we lived in a city in Austin, Texas, where PETA is a big deal, right? Like, they love animals. And so we would often, you know, deliver these animals that we didn't know how to take care of to the animal shelter. And they would be grateful and they would take over for us and all that. And so one day she rescued some baby squirrels. And these squirrels needed to be rescued. They were on the street. They would have gotten run over. We put them in a shoe box. We try to give it little. I don't know. We looked it up, drops. We kept them alive. And then we had to drive an hour
Starting point is 01:41:50 out to the animal shelter to take these animals. And when we got there, these people that love animals, right? Like, they are protective of all animals. Look at us, angry that we have brought these animals in because they are rats. We have brought them a box driven an hour, kept alive, nursed, fed, cared for, baby rats. And that is what we are doing. We are nursing, feeding, taking care of, making friends with, keeping loving all these lies and acting like we've got to protect them for some reason. And so my prayer is that we shift this and realize like this, we are nursing and caring for things that are not serving us, that are destroying us.
Starting point is 01:42:37 It's so much worse than not serving us. They're destroying us. And they're taking our callings and the things that God's put on. on earth to do. They're taking our joy and our peace. Some of you are living out your callings, but there's no peace and joy in it. Like, you're not even enjoying it. Because in the back of your head is, I'm not doing it well enough. I can't measure up. People aren't going to like me. That's going all the time. It is possible to turn it off. And so my hope is that first they know it, they name it, that's freeing. But then, too, they hate it. And they're like, I'm not living with
Starting point is 01:43:11 this anymore. I'm not going to feed this and take care of this anymore. I'm going to fight it. That's my prayer. That is so good. And I love the tool to you that you just added about how when you say it out loud, which you know, you shared that when we say it out loud, automatically we kind of go, oh, that's ridiculous. But you say it out loud, but you call it a lie. Like you name it, you call it when you say it.
Starting point is 01:43:34 Yep. And that's so powerful because instead of every day, as we just learned 80 to 95% of your, every day you're thinking the same negative thoughts over and over and over and over and over over and over your whole life. Instead of just then that, which then makes us believe it, we're naming, we're calling it out, we're sharing it, we're hearing ourselves say it, but we're saying, I believe the lie, or I'm telling myself the lie that, and you're calling it a lie, which is, I think, so powerful to stop believing it. Yeah, I think it's good to start with, what do you feel? Because sometimes it's like, I don't know what lie I'm believing. What do you
Starting point is 01:44:08 feel? I feel anxious. Because, why? Because I feel like I need to hit some mark. Okay, because I feel like I need to hit a mark. Like, just start to put language to it. But oftentimes we'll notice a feeling before we notice a thought, before we notice a lie. So if you feel anxious, if you feel like you're spiraling, if you feel like you have doubt, if you feel like, gosh, I keep isolating myself, those are signs and symptoms of what we're talking about. It's not the end game.
Starting point is 01:44:40 There's a reason you feel those things and probably underneath those things. and probably underneath those things is that because, because I can't seem to be accepted by people. Like, I just keep feeling rejected. Okay, that's why I feel anxious. So it's that work of just maybe you notice a feeling and then you know, okay, where is that coming from? And fill in those blanks.
Starting point is 01:45:09 I feel blank because blank. And that is the beginning of a great conversation. That's the beginning of a great conversation. And a great way to get to like, okay, what is that lie? Yeah. Or more than one. But what's the core lie that's like your big one? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:45:23 That's underneath it all. Yeah. Millions of people have been impacted by your work. And for someone listening right now who's like, I want more of Jenny Allen or I want more of these lessons. Of course they're going to grab the lie you don't know, you believe. but also can you just share a little bit with the person listening who maybe doesn't know about if, about gather, unite, all of it?
Starting point is 01:45:51 Well, everything is on my website, jenny allen.com. You can go there and see it. But what I love to do is I love for people to experience connection with God and each other. And so I build lots of experiences for that. So if gathering is women around the world, they get to gather in their homes. It's not something that you have to attend. It's something that you can host wherever you are. And gather is the same way.
Starting point is 01:46:14 It's really special. Gather was a dream that I can't believe is a reality now of the entire global church coming together. And 7 million people participated. It was so magical. Last year we're going to do it again next year. And it's just really special. So all of those links are on my site and all of the resources we talked about today as well. Thank you so much for just inviting me into your community.
Starting point is 01:46:39 community and just this was so meaningful and I'm so grateful. And you know, and thank you so much, Jenny, and your website and and everything that you do put together. That's also a great tool for someone who wants connection. Yes. You know, find a gathering near you. Yes. Yes. I mean a lot of friends have been made that way. Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for the lives that you impact. Thank you for being an inspiration to me, just so many people out there. I'm excited for this book, the lie, you don't know, you believe. Just this time we lace up our boxing gloves, as you said, and we go to battle with the lies. Thank you for giving us the tools to know how do we do that. Like, how do we do that? And also that we're not alone in the
Starting point is 01:47:26 ones that we believe, because I think that is huge. Because it's like, okay, all right, I've got this. So thank you so much for being here. Thank you, friend. Remember this episode's not just for you and me, please share this with every single person that you know because it can impact and change their life too. And if you love today's episode, please click the follow or subscribe button for the show on the app that you're listening to it on or watching it on. And if it added value to your life, if you could please give it a rating or review. Five stars is perfect. I would be so grateful. And again, please share it with everyone that you believe in. Share it with another person in your life who could benefit from it. Maybe somebody that you know right now is believing a lie. They need
Starting point is 01:48:09 to unlearn and stop believing. You can also post the episode and share it with others online in your community who just might need the words and tools and lessons in this episode today. You never know whose life you're meant to change today by sharing this episode. And thank you so much for joining me.
Starting point is 01:48:27 Before you go, I want to share some words with you that couldn't be more true. You right now, exactly as you are, are enough and fully worthy. You're worthy of your greatest hopes. your wildest dreams and all the unconditional love in the world. And it's an honor to welcome you each and every week to the Jamie Kernelima show. Here, I hope you'll come as you are and heal where you need, blossom, what you choose, journey
Starting point is 01:48:54 toward your calling, and stay as long as you'd like because you belong here. You are worthy, you are loved, you are love, and I love you. And I cannot wait to join you on the next episode of the Jamie Kernelima show. In life, you don't soar to the level of your hopes and dreams. You stay stuck at the level of your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life. And that's exactly why I wrote my new book, Worthy, how to believe you are enough and transform your life for you.
Starting point is 01:49:31 If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, worthy is for you. In worthy, you'll learn proven tools and simple steps that bring life-changing results, like how to get unstuck from the things holding you back. Build unshakable self-love. Unlearn the lies that lead to self-doubt and embrace the truths that wake up worthiness. Overcome limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome. Achieve your hopes and dreams by believing you are worthy of them and so much more. Are you ready to unleash your greatness and step in to the person you were born to be?
Starting point is 01:50:16 Imagine a life with zero self-doubt and unshakable self-worth. Get your copy of Worthy, plus some amazing thank you bonus gifts for you at Worthy Book or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you do if you fully believed in you. It's time to find out with Worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to you
Starting point is 01:51:02 delivered straight to your inbox from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamiecarlima.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamiekernlima.com or in the link in the show notes. And please note, I'm not a licensed therapist and this podcast is not intended as a substitute
Starting point is 01:51:43 for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

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