WHOA That's Good Podcast - How to Know God MORE | Sadie Robertson Huff & Emma Mae McDaniel

Episode Date: May 1, 2023

Sadie remembers the first time she noticed Emma Mae McDaniel radiating joy — and it hasn't stopped radiating for 10 years! Emma is the host of the "Have You Heard?" podcast, she's a wife, an expectant mother, and she says her biggest goal for anyone in her audience, or whomever she meets day to day, is to help them personally know God. Emma recalls a life-changing moment — and her pursuit of God, loving Him and knowing more about Him every day in His Word has revolutionized her whole life! Emma says that there are some days when she doesn't always "feel like" reading her Bible and showing happiness to others, but it's because she WANTS to obey the Lord and her love for Him isn't dependent on how she feels day to day. Sadie and Emma have both struggled with feeling the need to be perfect, and how exhausting that can be — but isn't it freeing to know that God isn't interested in our attempt at perfection? Plus, Sadie and Emma talk about the very real fear parents have about bringing children into a dark world, but don't let the worry stop you, rather, take a closer look at what your child is receiving, learning, and observing in your home. That's the best counter to anything they might see in the world!  https://give.cru.org/whoa or text WHOA to 71326 — Get a free copy of Sadie's book "Live on Purpose" with your gift! Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at https://www.stamps.com/whoa - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I know you guys already love and if you don't love her, that means you don't know her because if you know her You're gonna love her. I have Emma McDaniel formerly known as Emma Jenkins on the podcast today and she is actually here She flew here to be here with us. So thanks for flying here Emma. Yes, it was a joy. It was a journey I've got to meet people in the airport and I'm so glad that I had a little extra time because I may not admit him. That's awesome. See, this is the first bed that my husband needs. I hope he's listening to this podcast. That when you get a delay, you never know who you're going to meet. He told you. Get a look at those opportunities. Yes. It's like, no, this is just, no. We should not be in the airport right now.

That's all my husband is too though. I see Mr. Efficient. I see so. He's like quickest and I'm like, wait, but there's somebody there at the cash register that you can say to me, and I just a couple of minutes to talk with them. That's awesome, yeah.

Me and Christian are the same way. Which hey, I gotta appreciate that too, because he actually gets us there on time and see where we're going. And if it was up to me, I'd probably miss a lot more flight. So, we'll find some balance in the middle. Yeah. And you just announced an Instagram that y'all are expecting.

Yes, we are. And are just over the moon. We are so honored and grateful and wildly amazed that this is what we're stepping into. We're so excited. And now to freely talk about it is really happy to be here. It's a secret for a little while because you waited until you were in your second trimester to announce, right? Yeah. So yeah, it's hard to keep that secret because it's the only thing you can think about and it feels super obvious to you. Like, I don't know if you feel like, I really, like before I told people,

I'd be like, it's so obvious. Like they have to know. Like I said, one thing, like when I was facing my mom, it was the night I found out I was pregnant and I literally lived five minutes for my mom. So I definitely should have waited to tell my mom whenever I saw her the next day,

but I faced having her and I said something and it wasn't even like a giveaway at all. I was just like said something and then I was like you know I didn't even think about that I was like oh I'm pregnant just like what and you're telling me about face-time but I love five minutes of you and I was like I thought it was all of you that's so true it's like when it's like the forefront of your mind it's what you think is at the forefront of everyone's eyes. That's true. I know you're thinking it. She's like, I wasn't thinking it.

It's like talking about money. It's so funny. Okay, speaking of just telling your family and stuff, was it so fun to tell everybody? It was so fun. I was very similar to you in the sense that like I wanted to tell my mom like automatically and we found out on December 23rd. Oh wow. And so it was so hard though,

because we were like, okay, we have to wait till Christmas. That would be the most ideal way to tell them. But we went to a football game with my whole family, which was like three hours away on that Saturday. Like so on Christmas Eve, because Christmas was on a Sunday. And so we were within like six hours in the car for the whole football game until like 10 that night. And it was really

special though because it was just me and Josh who knew so you would give each other like special looks. Like we're the only people in the world who know that. But we packaged up our pregnancy test in on Christmas day. We get to our families. So it was day. We that's awesome. We get to it to our families So it was really special that is awesome. That's so special I know I had all of these good ideas and then hadn't zero follow through I had told Christian before yet pregnant I was like okay Whatever we get pregnant We're not gonna tell anybody because I was like I wanted to just just be a man you that know, like that whole thing, like you just said,

there's something so beautiful. It was like, we were gonna, like, give us a secret. And like, literally, we were on the phone with his parents, and we hung up the phone and I was like, I'm gonna go take a pregnancy test. And it was late, which normally I would have waited until the morning, but I was just like so antsy. And I said, I'm gonna take a pregnancy test,

so I went in as soon as I was positive. I was like, call your parents, guys. I was like I thought, we were gonna tell anybody, I was like, forget the plan. We call them, we call them all. I was like, who am I? I cannot keep a secret to save my life. But that's just so fun. I'm glad the world knows. I can celebrate with you all now. And you don't know the gender at this point, but you have the information out there, you're just waiting. Yes, my doctor knows. Your doctor knows. Maybe the time this podcast comes out,

you will have an outfit on Instagram. Yeah, that's so fun, Emma, I love it. Thank you. Well, I want to talk to you. So, you know, I told you how these podcasts kind of came about, the next few sisters and friends that we're about to do are topics that people send in on Instagram like, hey, can you talk talk about this and I just kind of read the topics

and thought about the people in my life who live that out so beautifully and there is one about like keeping routines like spiritual routines and habits and I was like man Emma is so good at this but I feel like the conversation goes so much bigger than just like routine yeah it has to be really an overflow of who you are. And when I think back to your life, I mean, I think back to whenever you were young and there's a specific moment I remember where you guys had moved a couple of times. Y'all used to live here, which is how we really got to know each other. And then you'll move to Huntsville or Madison, Alabama.

You moved to Birmingham, Hoover, all over the place. Yeah. And I don't remember when it was. And I want you to talk to me a little bit about when and where this was. But you came back one summer for camp. And your joy was like radiant. Like, it was so evident that everybody at church was talking

about it. I remember people were like, how do you see Emma Jenkins? Like, she's like so happy. Like, her smile is like so big. She Jenkins? Like, she's like so happy. Like her smile is like so big. She's so happy. She's like so joyful. And I was like, no. And then I, like I specifically remember this

like was yesterday, a widespread road church. I like saw you up at the front with your family. Cause you always sit like a little bit in front of us. And you were smiling, you're at your worshiping. And I don't know why it makes me teary because I just think it's really sweet that I really do remember that. And they're like, whoa, she is really joyful. And then I start talking to you. And I just remember thinking like, what happened? Like because it wasn't a normal joy.

It was a spiritual joy that I had not seen before. I had not experienced before at that time of my life. And I was so captivated by it. And so take me back to that time. Do you remember an evident change in your life? Was that like a big moment for you? And where and how did that all happen? Yeah. So when I remember that so specifically, that season because we did move. We, I remember started moving when I was nine years old. And so by the time I had come back to camp that summer, we had moved like three times in that period. And I remember I was 14 years old that year, or I guess turning 15, it was my eighth grade

year of middle school. And a couple of months before camp and we came back to Louisiana, I was, it was like late February early March. And I was honestly in like a really rough spot. I was sitting on my bed like, like how you said there were moments in your life that you just remember so vividly. And what I'm about to share, my dad, like barely remembers, but it was one of the most pivotal moments in my life, which I feel like is just a side note that like some things that we may see as, oh, like did that even really have impact. Was that even really that weighty or significant? Actually could have created impact in someone's life.

And I think sometimes like the enemy would love to keep us from making the most of those little moments because he wants us to think they're insignificant, but it literally changed my life. So I'm sitting on my bed in such a rough place and I'll explain why. I really did not understand what grace was. So I loved life, loved people, loved my family, like went to church regularly, loved the Lord, but I really was so anxious and I was just so way down because I believed that I subconsciously I really think, believe that I had to be perfect. So every time I noticed myself mess up, even to the detail of like having thoughts that was like, oh no no that wasn't a good

thought which is you're basically holding yourself to a standard of not being human. And so anybody who's having that pressure on themselves to live up to perfection is going to inevitably be exhausted and way done because it's an unrealistic standard. And that's where I was at 14. Wow. And my dad walks in my room and the best way my 14-year-old self could tell him what was going on, I tried to tell him. And he pointed to my Bible and my bookshelf. He was like, Emma, what was the last time you just spent time alone with the Lord and His Word? And I was like, I really thought about it because again, not regularly went to church, I love the Lord, but I was like, God, I don't know. The last time I just went to be a woman with God and spent time in his word. And he said,

Emma, when Jesus comes back, I'm not going to be standing here with you holding your hand. It's just going to be you and him. And he's either going to say, well done, my good and faithful servant or depart from me for I never knew you. And then my dad left the room. So I'm sitting there and again, my dad doesn't remember this, but I'm telling you every detail of the story because it was so significant to me. So I'm sitting there on my bed. And something that really hits me in that moment is like, he's not going to say, apart from me for you never did everything perfectly. Depart from me for you never kept every routine to the tea. It was, you didn't have a relationship with me Emma. You didn't know who I was.

And so I went to my bookshelf and I picked up a devotional book off my bookshelf. Went to the introduction because I hadn't been reading it. So it's like, what even is in a playlist of a book. And the introduction was talking about the God girl. It said, the God girl is the girl who wakes up before the rest of the world does just to listen to what it is her father's wanting to tell her. And I like, it bubbles over within me and makes me emotional. Every time I talk about it, because I remember so clearly telling the Lord this literally about it told him I just want to know you like in that moment I sat in my bed I just want to know who you are. I want to make want to know what makes you happy. I want to know what makes you sad.

I want to know if you like chocolate too. Like I was really in this genuine childlike space of like, I want to know who you are. Yeah. And so that happened in late February, I came there to back here to Monroe that summer. And it was during those months that I was in his word. Wow. Every morning, because I wanted to know who he was.

I wanted to know who I was in him. And I've say all of this because it's like where does joy come from? It literally says in scripture that in the presence of the Lord is the fullness of joy. So the fruit of the Spirit is joy. It says that he is joy, that his joy is strong. It brings us strength. And so I can't be walking in step with his spirit. I can't be genuinely seeking to know who he is and be filled with who he is and not have joy. And so it's like you can't help,

but it'd be seen when it's really just who you're sitting with and who's filling you. Wow. Okay friends, let's take a minute and think about something. Imagine if you did not have access to a Bible or you weren't even allowed to have one. It's kind of hard for us to imagine because we've been so used to having access to it, but how would you look different if you didn't have your Bible? How would your family look different?

How would your life look different? To me, everything would literally look different. Everything about my life would be different if I didn't have the Bible. And it's crazy to think about so many people around the world. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people around the world that this is their reality. They don't have a Bible or the access to get one.

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supposed to do in life. So I just wanted to say thank you so much to all the listeners who have already signed up to help crew. This is amazing ministry. You all are truly the best. And there is still a lot of work to do there. So we need some more of you up to help crew. This is amazing ministry. Y'all are truly the best. And there is still a lot of work to do though, so we need some more of you guys to help out. Simply text woe to 71326, that's WHOA

to 71326 to help today. Imagine just how much this gift could truly change someone's life and impact, literally a whole nation. So text woe to 71326 to help now or go to give.co.org slash woe message and data rates may apply available to you as a Just so that is like the most beautiful story in Like I love that it wasn't just like I love how you said like I love that it wasn't just like, I love how you said, it's not,

you kept my, all the routine, or you kept all of, you know, the commands, or you did everything perfect, but it was like, I just want to know you. And that is really why I said this is such a bigger conversation than a routine, because you're, if you were who you are, because of routine, that would have died at 17.

You know, you maybe would have kept up with that for three years. But I think the thing that is so amazing about you, Emma, is the person that I saw when you were 14 at church, a couple of rows in front of me, is a person that I sit across today, as a how old are you? 24. 24, 10 years later, a grown woman,

married about to have a baby, and it's that same joy. It's that same spirit about you. It's the same faith. And I think that like so many people go through these like spiritual highs, they go to a conference and it's like, oh, now I'm going to like dive into the word or they go to, you know, a camp. Now I'm going to get into a routine or they read a book and they kind of get on fire They listen to a podcast and it was great for a moment

But the things jwendo and they die out and you know you look back later You go, oh, wish I had that joy that I had for those couple weeks. All right. Wish I was that kind of fire that I used to have So throughout the past 10 years I'm not saying that you haven't gone through seasons and changes and ups and downs and all the things because our life looks like that, you know. But what do you think it is that has not been the spiritual high, but it's really been like a true life change of who you are. Do you think it is that knowing him the way that you that you got to know him? Like what's carried you through 10 years of having the same joy and that same childlike faith. Yeah, I was reading, I've been in the Old Testament lately and I was reading, I think it was in like Deuteronomy. So it's right before judges, which we know that it gets to a big old hot mess.

And it talks about how the leaders were personally experiencing what the Lord was doing. And I think that's one thing I want to come back to it. And the other thing is in 1 John 5, which says that it got to saying basically, if you love me, you will obey me. And my commands are not a burden. So the first thing is, I think that there's something about personally experiencing who God is. So people can hear these words that I'm saying and be encouraged and be fired up because it's like from the Lord. It's from His Word. It's from walking with Him. It's from a genuine place of loving Him. but I can't personally experience it for them. Yeah.

It has to be a personal relationship. At the time my dad said, I'm not going to be standing there with you. You can't have Emma's faith. You can have Jason Jenkins' faith. You can't have Sadie's faith. It's your faith, it's your walk. So there's something that is really enduring about a personal experience with the Lord. Perse, like, I mean, just the fact that like I spent two years just spending time in God's word

and getting to know Him and being poured into by Godly people before things on social media went kaboom and cyberbullying became a big thing. And I was then able to see the authority of God's word in a personal way. Yeah. Because I was having people personally say things about how I looked, things about how I talked, things about what I believed, but I was able to endure. Yeah.

Because of my personal experience, it wasn't just words that I had heard in church on the Sunday, or my mom believed, but it was words I had experienced. And I was experiencing the confidence that came from it. And this kind of ties into it, but what I was saying about first-gen is those who love me, oh baby. Coming back to the routine, like it would have died out when I was 17, because, I mean, a routine, it's like, you think of the religious leaders, they were the most retained people you'd ever met. They fasted more than you could have ever seen somebody fast.

They knew the word, frontwards and backwards, like anybody knew the word. Yet the Lord was calling out their heart because they didn't actually love him. So it's like, my routine endures, and yet it may change as we'll probably talk about just from season to season But my commitment to growing in the Lord in der's Because I love him and because I love him

I want to obey and what I think is cool to you is that like my love for him Isn't dependent on how I feel Is there some days where I don't feel like getting in the word? Yeah, there's some days where I don't feel like praying. Yeah, there's some days where I don't feel like getting in the word, there are some days where I don't feel like praying. There are some days where I don't feel like getting out of my comfort zone and telling somebody that they look good.

There are days where I just don't feel it, but it goes so much deeper than that. It's like, I've got to have personally experienced you and I love you. So I am choosing to walk in obedience. And that's what brings an enduring routine. That's good. Emma, that is so good. I love that because I think sometimes people can look at you and they can think, oh, well, that's just her personality. Like, she always is happy. She always feels good.

It's like second nature to compliment someone, but it's actually so refreshing to hear you say, like, I don't always feel like that because that is also part of being human. You're not always going to feel like that. And I love that song gratitude because it, you know, that part of the song was like, oh, my soul, don't you get shy on me. And I had to say that to myself sometimes, it's like, don't get shy on me. Like, stop. Like, you got to lie it inside of those songs. Like, get up and praise the Lord. And sometimes it is like a get up and praise the Lord because like you're so grateful for who he is. And I'm just, I'm loving what you're saying. And to me, you're speaking so direct to me as well

because I had this moment, my sister, you know, just called today LA and the girls were asking me how it was, some of our friends weren't able to go. And I said it was so good. I was like, if people were looking around in the moment of, you know, raise your hand. If you're coming to the Lord, they might have been confused

because I was raising both my hands. And I said, I just had such a moment. Like where, you know, I just finished reading this book and it was literally a 10 and a half hour audio book about a guy who was a pastor of underground church in Romania. And him and his wife was Richard and Sabina Warren-Brand. And it was the most tragic in the sense of how bad suffering can be and how horrible just

the communist- and country where religion was not, you know, you can't just freely worship God like that was tragic. But their faith was something that I've never seen before. The beauty of their faith to endure, um, suffering, to endure pain, to endure just affliction and hate and all the things that they endure. And I mean, literally prison, they would get out of prison. And then the next day they'd have people in their house for house church. And then they get thrown back into prison. And it was just crazy.

And Richard, like said this prayer one day to God after getting out of prison, after being like tortured to the extreme, like should have died tortured for nine years. He gets out of prison. He's finally back with his wife and his son. and he says to the Lord in a prayer, God, if there's someone in prison that needs me to be there so that they can know you, then send me back. And like, he went back and he continued to preach the gospel in prison. And then like all these different leaders who were like literally the ones torturing him came to Christ. Every single person that came in to preach the gospel in prison. And then like all these different leaders who were like literally the ones torturing him came to Christ.

Every single person that came in his prison cell came to Christ. Like he brought so many people to Christ. And I just started like thinking to myself, like what would I do, you know, if that was me, you know, would I be able to endure that? And then, so I'm kind of processing that. And then, Jill Dascher speaking at Colesville LA,

and she starts talking about an underground church leader in Russia, and she starts reading like the torture that he went through, and then she reads about his son who got tortured because of his father. And his father was like, I can't endure watching my son. Like, I'm just gonna go ahead and basically come out with whatever they were trying to get him to say. And the son said to his father, he was like,

no, do not give me the indecency of my father being a coward. Like I would rather you stay faithful to God and like me die than you like to nots your faith or whatever, or nots your faith. And so the son ended up dying. And the father was like, just, I can't believe my son would have that kind of faith.

So she would tell us the story, I just read this book. And then she kind of gives this call to like, you know, you need to know God like that. Like, is God really, is God really the best thing in the world to you? Is he really the thing that your heart desires the most? Is he really the thing that comes above all other things in your life? It's been something I've really been searching my heart about

because I'd heard a sermon by John Mark Comer recently who said, we all have a public faith, a private faith, and a core faith. And your core faith is what you really believe when the things that you love the most are stripped away from you. I've kind of been searching like, what is my core faith? Like when things have gone wrong in my life,

what's at the core? What's still there? What do I really believe? And so I'm sitting here at Coltsman, LA, both hands in the air with the prayer of God, I wanna know you like that. I want to know you more. I want to know you like Richard Wormbrand, new you to say I would go back to prison.

I want to know you at the 14 year old kid who told his dad, do not turn away from Jesus. I would rather die like I want to know you like Emma knows you and say, you know, when I don't feel good, God, it's a joy to obey you. And I feel like there have been times in my life where, even when I was single, that it felt a little bit easier to know him like that because I had time. And now, as a married person and a mom, I find it harder to like stay in that close relationship

with him. When I think about it, it's like, well, it's because I'm tired. It's because I'm distracted. It's because I let every other thing get in the way of my personal space with him. And so I've just recently been convicted of that and just having this prayer of like, God, I want to get back to like, knowing you like asking the question of, do you like chocolate? Like, what do you want to talk about about God? What makes you excited about today?

What brings your heart today? Like, like, these questions that I just haven't asked him in a while. And so talking to you is just so cool, personally, for me right now, because of what I've been thinking about and processing for the past few weeks and just this fresh, repentant, running back to the father moment of, I just wanna know you like that. And so, just wanna ask you as you've become a wife and as you're about to become a mom, what does it look like to know him

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Whoa. So I think one thing that's really cool, it's a prayer I pray all the time and it's from Ephesians one. It's when Paul says, I pray that you may have a spirit of wisdom and revelation seeming no God better. And I think that's also something that's really refreshing to hear that we have just this lifelong joy of getting to know God. It's good. It's like my husband. I know him so much. He's my best friend. But when we are 40 years into marriage, I'm going to know him much more than I do now, two years into marriage.

And so thinking about that, I hope it encourages people listening because it's like there's no arrival of like, oh, now I know God, now I'm established in my faith and I'm here and now we're just coasting. It's Now I'm established in my faith and I'm here and now we're just coasting. It's like I'm getting to know him every day. Like how Peter, he literally says,

I pray that you may grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. So that's just really encouraging. And let that comes different seasons all throughout your life. So I mean, I remember when I was single, like, and I had bright neon note cards of scripture all over my room. And I now share a room with a guy.

Does it look the sad? Right, pink note cards all over my room. But what I do is, what I do have is like time set aside in the morning where I go and I sit with the Lord and I spend time in his word. So it's like it may look different from the season but it's like is it still a priority? And I think something really like really sweet too is like having a husband who desires to know God too. So it's like, it's both our priorities, which I think is really special, but I think regardless of what season you're in or what even your marriage looks like,

like if I love God, I'm gonna seek God because I wanna know God. And so, yeah, I don't necessarily have a dance party in my bedroom with bright pink note cards anymore But I go in my living room and I sit down and I write out the word and I read the word and I spend time in prayer because It's still the same guys actually matured, you know, like of course when you're 14-15 you do dance parties And you had the bright pink neon colors and all the things and then as a wife, you know, it's sitting in the living room and it's writing and it's

doing all these things and like, I love that. It's not that it's dyed out. It's just matured. It's just changed and deepened in certain ways. And I was reading this other book, I listened to audiobooks a lot and I was just telling you that I didn't think I was getting much from it, but I am getting a lot from it. But there is, it was Thomas Sios Lewis and his life helped. It was 12 years before he passed away. He had this revelation of God's grace and it was like the first time in his life. He really understood the grace of God and it changed like everything for him.

But the cool thing they were saying is, about this point in his life when he had this revelation, he had written most all of his books that people read today that they love so much. And obviously have grown so many people's faith in God. And he had already loved the Lord, of course, but he even would say, like, oh, I didn't even know the love of God until I got the grace of God. And so I understood this kind of understanding, this kind of love, this kind of grace, this forgiveness.

And he said that one day, this woman has said something about how, you know, sometimes she struggles with feeling like we're worthy of being forgiven. And he goes, oh, surely you didn't just say that. We're not worthy of being forgiven. And he said, but we are. And that's the power of God.

That's the power of his gracious, the beauty of the cross, the beauty of Jesus. And that's the power of God. That's the power of His grace, it's the beauty of the cross, it's the beauty of Jesus. And it's just this really cool thing that like this grace idea of just the beautiful grace that Jesus displays on the cross and offers us forgiveness. And then a relationship with the Father,

how that just, that revelation changes whole life. And then letters after that change, the way he wrote, changed the the way he taught the people changed the way he interacted with people and I love just going about the beginning of your story that so much of this was founded on grace like it was understanding the grace of God and that the grace of God and understanding the grace didn't lead you to be like, okay, well now I can do whatever I want. And I love God. No, the grace of God led you to say, I want to know you deeper because of this. I want to love you more because of this. And it created a relationship for you with the Lord that is filled with grace, filled with forgiveness, no expectation to be imperfect and something that you actually desire. And I think that some people, they hear things like this and they say, well, that sounds awesome.

And that sounds like pressure. But what I love about this from the very beginning of you telling your story is there's no pressure. Yeah. There's no pressure in your relationship with God. This is what you desire because this is what is good. And I think that that's really refreshing because I think that whenever you look at Christianity as something that brings pressure to your life, that's whenever you don't want to get up and read. You do not want to, you know, go to church, you don't want to do the check box things because

you're like, this is just another thing in my life. But when it comes out of the revelation of grace and love and the gospel and who he is, there's such a desire for more. And it's taking you 10 years. It'll take you the rest of your life. I mean, we both have generations of faith ahead of us and so cool to see. I mean, my grandpa, they're making a movie about Pepplefield's life right now. And it's just really cool because his story is wild, like big story of transformation and forgiveness.

And God's grace showing up. wild like big sort of transformation and forgiveness and God's grace showing up, but what's really cool is like here. He is now he's 75 76 years old and You know and all these interviews he's doing he's preaching about Jesus and baptism and God's grace and all of these things well now that they're this, maybe they've dug up like so many old videos of him and they have a video of him when he's like 30 years old. And he's saying like the exact same thing that he's saying now, at 76 years old. Wow.

And you think about that just like, how many years that's been, I mean nearly 50 years, appreciating the same message that radically transformed his life then and radically continues to transform his life today. And that just makes me excited that I'm a part of a hope that lasts forever. That's the same yesterday, today and forever. And what a like great thing to

be confident in a world that's for like changing so fast, changing by the scroll. But to be locked in on a hope that last forever is like super huge So I got to ask you about to become a mom, which is a big deal. It's no small thing What are some things that you're thinking about as you're thinking about bringing a kid into the world because people tell me So do you scared to have kids in the world? It's so dark and you know always say I'm raising image bears I'm rate I'm raising the wide of the world. It's so dark. And you know, I always say, I'm raising image bears. I'm re I'm raising the light of the world like we need more truth bears. We need more people to come in the next generation and be leaders. And that's not to put pressure on my kids, but that's what I'm praying for my kids. If they would love God like that,

that they would be the light of the world. What are when you think about your kid, you think about the times ran, what makes you excited to bring a kid into the world this time? This episode is brought to you by Sold the Genero. As Sold the Genero, touch isn't just for screens. Physical connection is so essential to how we communicate. It's infused in everything we offer. Since so irresistible, PDA is guaranteed. Textures are so luscious, skin is huggable.

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I've noticed this theme throughout scripture. I've been reading a lot of Psalms and something that I've noticed is trusting God is how I combat fear. So just speaking to that posture of I'm so afraid of bringing a child into this world and all the things that they may have to face all the things that we're walking through in our culture and like is that the best move my capable, all of these things that we can have going on in our mind, just stepping into the unfamiliar as well. I've just read so many Psalms of David where he's like, enemies are surrounding me, enemies are planning to attack me, but I will not be afraid.

I will put my trust in God. And he's like, my God is my light and my salvation. Why should I be afraid? And then he's are surrounding me, but God put my trust in you. It's like what I love is that His circumstances gave him great reason to be afraid. Yeah. Like our culture, if you look at it with just our own human eyes, and it makes sense that you would be afraid. Of course. It makes sense that insecurities and doubts would flood your mind. But I think what's so cool is that his trust in the Lord, his dependency upon God, is

what brought him confidence. And so what that shows me as a mom is that, wow, I can have the presence of confidence with me, no matter what I'm stepping into, no matter how unfamiliar it is, no matter how scary it may look, because though there's lots of things I don't know, there is the reality that I do know my God is with me. And that the God who I'm relying on, like we've been talking about, he is the God who's hope and durs. It's everlasting, it has no end. And so that, I think think has brought me so much encouragement getting ready to raise up a child is like, yeah, I have weaknesses. Yeah. Yeah, our world is broken. But my God

is with me and I trust him. And it just brings up this like, let's go. And now get to raise up children like how great is the joy to know that my children are walking in the truth. Like I get to you like you're saying like raise up people who love God who know God who declare that he is their light and their salvation and and so yeah I think just going there's so many things that just go back to the foundational or things that you can just to the foundational or things that you can just rest in of, God, I trust you.

Scott, God, you're good. Scott, you sent your one and only son to come and die for me, he rose in, and through faith in him, I have hope for eternity. I'm running on this all day long. And it's good. So it just brings about this, again, just this joy and this hope that like I know for a fact that as I raise my child up showing them who God is like praying that they have personal

experiences with God, praying that they genuinely love God's filth, delight in obeying them like they're set to be like what you're saying. The light of the world. There's a reason we're called the light of the world because we live in a dark one. Yeah, that's so good. I love that so much. And it's just so encouraging.

And it's true. That's the thing. It's based on true. That's not like we're sitting here going, oh yeah, you're like, our kids are gonna be great. And they got, you know, because the world is awesome. We're being very real. Like the world is definitely dark and scary.

And there are reasons to be afraid. And there are definitely things that if you let yourself linger a little bit too long and you will be totally anxious and freaked out. But then there's also a real reality of truth that we have a true gospel and that we really are called to build a light of the world and that we are capable of doing that because the light of the world lives inside of us. Yeah. And if the light of the world lives inside of us and darkness has never ever come at light, then we're good. And so it's like there's a real reality to the darkness

and there's a real reality to the light. And so I just love that this is not some whimsical like, oh, it's just gonna work out. It's like, no, there's truth. I'm not like this is gonna work out person. I'm like, let's have a plan for it to work out. Kind of person, you know? Yeah.

Six on the 80 grand light. We're gonna have a plan for safety, a plan for it to work out. Kind of person, you know? Yeah. Six on the 80 grand. I'm like, we're gonna have a plan for safety, a plan for security, and the gospel, it's like a good plan. So, Grandpa says, you know, we're all going six feet under. He goes, is there, if there's another way that you've figured out how to get out of that? Let me know.

But as of right now, the gospel is the plan. And that's the best news that we have. And I love it. Like, speaking of this book with Richard and subino warm brand. So they're being tortured and stuff. Well, they had 14-year-old son at the time. Talk about living in a scary time for your kids in a communist country where every day, you know, the school is telling them that God is not real, that they need to believe in communism over the Lord, that communism is more powerful than God.

They're just like saying all these things, and like literally like injecting this into his brain, well both of his parents are in prison, both of them are getting tortured, both of them are getting beaten. So it would be really easy for this kid to come out and be like, I hate God. Like God, where were you?

Why are my parents suffering? And now I've figured out my truth. Like it would be really easy for him to turn like that. And when Sabina, the wife got out of prison, she was so worried, like, what is he going to think of God? What is he going to believe? And they start talking and just his knowledge of the Lord had actually grown so much since they had been in prison.

It was so cool. And it said this in the book. It said, you know, what, you know, communism tried to throw at him, what the country tried to throw at him, what his peer should have thrown at him, could not overpower the fact that he had two parents who were praying, parents who love the Lord, who modeled a Christian lifestyle for him.

And I just thought, man, it's so hopeful for even the days that we live in that the world's gonna throw ideas that are kids that are going to be in opposition to what we believe is true. They're going to throw things that are kids that are going to want to damage them and want to want to harm them better, want to tell them that God isn't who God says he is, but the most powerful voice in their life and the most powerful testament they're going to see is the one in their home from their parents right in front of them. a testament they're going to see is the one in their home from their parents right in front of them. A loving mom, one that stays faithful to the Lord, one that's not perfect, but receives

grace and forgiveness and teaches that one that prays over them and speaks life and encouragement and truth over them. And a just was like, man, that's so cool because I could sit here and I could be worried about what the whole world is doing and what the whole world is showing, honey, or I could be worried about what the whole world is doing and what the whole world is showing honey Or I could be confident in what I'm showing her as a woman of faith and who loves and trust my God And it just made me realize like man I don't need to put so much emphasis and worry on what the world's doing I need to like literally look in the mirror and say what am I doing at my home that's stewarding her life? Well, and our next baby and so

Man, it's just, it's encouraging to talk to other moms like you and I'm sure that moms listening are encouraged to be a little bit afraid of just the days we're in and stuff. Let's see, last layer I'm talking about, you have so many good things going on. You have a podcast, you've written books, you do so many things.

First of all, tell everybody a little bit about your podcast for those who don't listen, so we can make sure people go listen. Cause if you've been encouraged by this podcast, there are a little bit about your podcast for those who don't listen so we can make sure people go listening because if you've been Encouraged by this podcast there are a lot of good things that you have coming your way if you haven't Divided into the world of Emma McDaniel And then also just touch a little bit on what you said the season you're in before we start talking about just the fear of the future But trust and God make us a thought that was so good and the hardship of that with the beauty of that

But first tell us a little bit about what you have going on. Yes, so this is a really sweet season. I graduated college in May. And I think sometimes I hear conversations about post grad, but I don't think it was until I actually entered post grad that I was like, whoa. Like finding community is different because it's not like you have classes with all these people, you know.

So yeah, it's just been an adjustment of just day to day rhythm, ministry full time not balancing it with papers and soccer practice. Like we're just all in and so that has been a really sweet journey and it's been a transition and honestly, I've wrestled as I've been just seeking the Lord on, okay God, like what do you want? Unless you build this house, unless you build this ministry,

then Josh and I are working in vain. We want to work on what you are building. And so it's honestly been the last six months of like really seeking God on what do you want? And so that's kind of been like, wow, we're stepping into the unknown. And now we have this baby coming. You're stepping into the unfamiliar, but God, I trust you. And so I have cried and prayed some heart prayers.

It had some really vulnerable conversations, but I've grown so much in my fate. Like, I mean, it's cool. Like, we're talking so much about that. Like, you won't always feel it, but like, God, I love you and I trust you. So I'm coming to you. And even as I don't know everything coming, you're strengthening my faith.

You're strengthening my relationships because we're walking through it honestly together. So I'm so excited as we continue the podcast, which is the Have You heard podcast? So we love it. Yeah, I have some fun projects coming up that I'm excited to eventually share and getting to just speak the word with our ministry and pour into people, have such a heart for helping people personally know God through faith in Jesus and grow and confidence in him. So I'm really excited about what God has in store. It's awesome. Well, you do it all very well.

And from a sister to a sister, well done friend. You're crushing it and just you being on this podcast today. I hope it's for everyone out there. I know it will be, but if not for anyone else, it was for me. And I'm so encouraged and strengthened every time I talk to you. I know you will be, but if not for anyone else, it was for me and I'm so encouraged and strengthened every time I talk to you. I know you've called me at times and said, say, do you know, I need help in the area,

prayer in the area, and I'm right there with you in the sense that I need to learn from you. I need prayer. I'm like, you are teaching me so much as you sit across from me on this couch. And so, friends, I hope that y'all have just grown so much. And just knowledge of the word, I mean, I have just as Emma has so effortlessly just spilled over scripture, I could scripture over us today. And I just want to remind y'all the reason

she can do that is because she knows it. It's because she spent time in it. She's meditating on it. She's setting the presence of God because she has such a desire to know him personally and that desire to know him personally has really made her become who she is today. This beautiful, amazing woman that is just so filled with joy. And so I just encourage you girls, if you are listening and you're like, she's awesome. Take it the next up further. Don't just say Emma's awesome. Like go do that for yourself. Go open the word of God for yourself. I love what her dad said, you know, at the end of the day when Jesus comes back, I'm not going to be standing there with you.

It was not going to be standing with you. Your pastor is not going to be standing there with you. It's going to be you. And you want to know that you know him, you know, that you knew him so well. Not that you were perfect, like Emma said. Not that you did everything right. Not that you did all the routines, but that you knew him because that's what that you were perfect like him. I said, not that you did everything right, not that you did all the routines, but that you knew him because that's what he's after is your heart.

And so we love you guys. I hope you have a great rest of your week. Send it to a friend if you are encouraged by this word and we will see you guys soon. you