Conversations with Cinthia

I Got Nothing!

Have you ever been at the point of saying, "I got nothing!" -- nothing to give, nothing to offer, nothing to draw on, nothing?  We all face times of discouragement, disappointment, exhaustion, and even the temptation to despair.  Today Cinthia addresses those who are (or have been or will be) in that place.  When you've got nothing, it's not the time to give up.  It's the time to find out what is being offered to you by the One Who has it all, gave it up for us, and will one day be acknowledged as Lord of everything.  Join Cinthia to consider whether "nothing" may be all you need to take the next step.

Feelings -- Nothing More Than Feelings

Feelings... Some think of them as touchy-feely nonsense, the kind of thing only the weak really notice.  Others feel dominated by them, tossed about by a swirling ocean of emotions that ebbs and flows but never seems to stop.  Lots of people pay attention to some feelings but don't even notice others.  So what are these things called feelings?  Why do we have them, and what are we supposed to do with them?  Today Cinthia explores what it means to be created with feelings by a God who also has feelings, as well as what we are supposed to do with these feelings and what role they may or may not play in our faith.  Whether you love them or hate them, embrace them or ignore them, feelings are part of our lives as human beings, so join Cinthia today to gain some perspective on how to use them the way they were meant to be used.

How Intricately and Wonderfully Made You Are

Our culture tells us we should be so many things we are not, then tells us (without knowing us) that we should accept ourselves and embrace high self-esteem.  God, on the other hand, is completely aware of who we are and how He made us.  The things He has to say about us are not uninformed or generic.  He knows what He made each of us to be, and He knows what we've each done with it so far.  Today Cinthia looks at Psalm 139 where the Psalmist expresses awe at how well God knows him and at the amazingly creative work God did in making him.  So what does this mean for how we handle our lives?  Join Cinthia to look at God's incredibly intimate care for us and what it means to respond to the One Who made our fingerprints.

Why Be Grateful? (first aired 11-23-14)

Gratitude is a key to our spiritual and emotional health, and it can even impact our physical health.  But what does it look like on a practical level?  Why does it work so powerfully on the people who practice it?  How do we move toward gratitude when we are in the middle of tragedy or other painful circumstances?  Join Cinthia to explore the discipline of gratitude. 

The Greatest Comeback of All Times

Do you ever long wistfully for a time when your life seemed full of potential, when it seemed your life would be filled with meaning and you would truly make a difference?  Just because we start counting ourselves out doesn't mean God does.  Sometimes, when we think a person has passed his prime and is beyond the age when people can make something of themselves, God is just getting started.  Whatever your failures, whatever your age, whatever your circumstances and however life has happened, God is still working, or He wouldn't still have you here.  Join Cinthia to rethink your ideas about what "too late" really means and to reignite your willingness to let God take you places you may not have dared to dream.

Where There Is No Vision, There Is No Hope

How much hope do you have left?  Is your hope strengthening or waning?  Our culture likes to tell us to reach for the stars and make our dreams come true, but reality often steps in to crush our highest and deepest hopes.  The Bible, however, acknowledges that life is often crushing, and it seems to associate hope with attachment to things bigger than ourselves —God, His law, the Truth as He communicates it to us, etc.  Cinthia explores what it means to place our hope in Jesus rather than in our dreams, systems, or social and political processes.  There is a hope that does not disappoint; join Cinthia to consider how to more fully cling to this hope.

Mission Recovery: Interview with Ron Smedley

Is addiction being adequately discussed in church?  Ron Smedley is a pastor, as well as the Executive Director of Mission Recovery, a project of S.A.V.E. (Survivors and Victims Empowered) that seeks to advocate and educate regarding addictions, including opiate addictions.  He has also been a parole officer and a caseworker with Child Protective Services, and is currently a trustee on the local school board as well as serving on several other boards for non-profits.  Today he joins Cinthia to discuss the crisis, as well as the programs he and others have created to help people who are struggling with addictions, whether their own or those of loved ones.  He and Cinthia discuss shame and stigma, barriers to recovery, and ways the church can address addiction inside and outside its walls.

A Life of Listening: Interview with Dr. Leighton Ford

In a world of soundbytes, really listening to each other can seem a dying art, one that takes more energy and time than we want to allow.  But we have a God Who listens to us, Who truly attends to us.  Following His example requires learning how to listen to Him and to others -- and even to ourselves.  Today's guest is Dr. Leighton Ford, a man who some say has mentored more people (especially Christian leaders) than anyone else alive!  He and his wife Jean began a ministry to Christian leaders after losing their 21-year-old son.  He joins Cinthia today to discuss his books A Life of Listening:  Discerning God's Voice and Discovering Our Own and The Attentive Life:  Discerning God's Presence in All Things.   Whether you listen for a living or have trouble truly hearing and discerning anything these days, join Cinthia to learn from a master of attending to what matters.

What Has to Die In Order For You to Live?

We hold on so tightly to the things we think give us life.  We fear loss and change, and we desperately cling to our own self-definitions.  But so often God knows we are hanging onto the things that kill us, thinking they are our salvation.  He longs to give us life, real life, but to do so He has to kill parts of us that are choking the life out of who we were meant to be.  Today Cinthia revisits an excerpt from her book God Wants You Truly Living, Not Walking Dead.  Are you willing to let God kill what's killing you?  Will you let the One Who made you define your identity?  Whether you're ready to do it or ready to panic at the very thought, join Cinthia to consider what's really at stake, what we really gain, and what we really lose by holding onto what God wants to end.

Are You Just Tired? Or Actually Weary?

Our culture tends to value accomplishment, busyness, and a fast pace.  We may not always get the sleep we need, and describing ourselves as "tired" is common.  Tired, however, is different than weary.  Weary is a deeper problem, and it needs a deeper remedy.  If you feel beaten down, if apathy is creeping into your life, if pain and loss of hope are nipping at your heels, join Cinthia to consider what kind of refreshment your heart, mind, and body need today.