Conversations with Cinthia

How To Stay Motivated and Be Inspired, Part 2

Are you trying to motivate yourself to do something for which you have no real vision?  Motivation and inspiration can be an uphill battle when we try to work ourselves up to do something that doesn't fit, or when we keep sabotaging ourselves in other ways.  Learning to manage our own internal worlds frees us to pursue the passions God placed inside us.  Also, if you liked yesterday's quotes, you'll love the ones Cinthia shares in this episode, including one from Dr. Seuss!

How To Stay Motivated and Be Inspired, Part 1

Do you believe in what you do?  Do you have faith in your ability to do it?  Cinthia explores what it means to live out the passions inside us wisely and what it takes to keep going.  Get ready to figure out what helps you and identify your own personal kryptonite when it comes to staying motivated and inspired.

The Wedding In Cana (first aired 7-5-15)

Having recently officiated at her niece's wedding, Cinthia shares insights from the message she gave during the ceremony! Jesus's miracle at the wedding in Cana was the first one recorded, one that happened at the beginning of his ministry and, He initially stated, before His time for miracles and ministry had come. That means it's the miracle where we most clearly see Jesus functioning as the perfect man who was a human member of a family. Yes, He was the Son of God, but it seems at the beginning of this passage that He is still functioning primarily in His roles as a human male, a man, a son, a member of the community, a relative. That means we get to see the sinless version of what a man is really meant to be in a family setting and in communication with a female relative! We also get to see Mary's beautiful example of how to interact as a woman with a trustworthy male relative, as well as how all of us can interact with God.  Don't miss Cinthia's insights on family, gender differences, and more.

The Power of A Minute

David, the psalmist, asked God to teach him to number his days correctly so that he could gain a heart of wisdom.  Today Cinthia shares something she does every year on her birthday and how the practice helps her value the time God gives her.  Minutes are precious; minutes are powerful.  History can change direction in a minute; lives can be forever altered.  Minutes are gifts.  Still, none of us (other than Jesus) uses all our minutes to the fullest.  What do we do with the minutes we regret, and how do we more fully utilize the minutes to come?

Making Friends With the Word "NO" (originally aired 8-12-18)

It's two letters. One syllable. One tiny word. Why is it so hard for some people to say "no" to others? Why is it so hard to say "no" to ourselves? Cinthia asserts that the ability to say "no" is a gift from God, one that is meant to keep us safe, and that it can become a best friend. She also explores the impossibility of truly owning our "yes" if we're still rejecting our "no."

Song of A Wounded Heart: Guest Lora Jones

There are times when life disintegrates into a living nightmare.  Lora Jones experienced this.  A pastor's wife and mother of two children, 11 and 14, Lora woke up in a car accident that took her husband, her son, and her daughter within a matter of hours.  In her new book, Song of A Wounded Heart, she describes the miraculous experience of hearing God sing to her, even as she was trapped in the van and gripping her husband's head in her hands.  She describes how, in the days and years to come, she clung to God but struggled with Him at the same time, grappling in agony with the tragic reality He had allowed.  If you have faced grief or feared it, if your dreams or loved ones have ever slipped away from you, if you have struggled to accept the gift of life when it seems so much less painful to die, Lora's story is one you have to hear.  

Stop Trying So Hard: Becoming Your Own Best Version (first aired 4-14-19)

This week, we are revisiting a great podcast that beautifully presents some of Cinthia's foundational material.  Listen to this episode on its own, or preface it with the 4-7-19 podcast that preceded it ("Stop Trying So Hard: You're Worth More Than You Know"). Once we embrace our status as valuable to God no matter what we do, we are free to grow up emotionally and take our places in the world as emotional adults. What would happen if you stopped trying to be good enough and started living like you have something to offer instead of something to prove?

God Wants You Truly Living

If you've been around Christianity long, you've probably heard or talked about the idea of "dying to self," a biblical concept that sometimes gets misrepresented and confusing.  Sometimes we try to improve ourselves, killing off the parts of ourselves we don't like.  God knows whom He made each of us to be, and He knows what is killing the real us.  Cinthia reads excerpts from one of her previous books, exploring what it means to truly live.

Why No Peace?

We've all heard the phrase "trust issues."  Some of us have them with God.  Cinthia continues last week's discussion of what it means to partake of the peace God gives us, this time looking more at how our relationship with Him can be a place of transformation, healing, and peace.

A Dog is a Cheetah's Best Friend

Did you know cheetahs have anxiety?  Peace is hard to come by for lots of living creatures.  If you're one of them, you will appreciate this exploration of acceptance, trust, and the gift of peace Jesus gave us.  Apparently, even for cheetahs, there is no peace without the presence of someone, or Someone, we trust.