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Welcome, welcome, welcome to another exciting episode of the Trap Nerds Podcast. This is not an episode. I'm pretty sure this is a promo. You know what it is. We in this piece. Trap nerds, trap nerds. Real n****s like you never heard.
We're giving you reliable gaming news with the best movie and TV reviews from a Blurred perspective. All things inside and out of Blurred culture. Listen to the Trap Nurse Podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What's good? It's Colleen Witt and Eating While Broke is back for season three. Brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. We're serving up some real stories and life lessons from people like Van Lathan, DC Youngfly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and many more.
They're sharing the dishes that got them through their struggles and the wisdom they gained along the way. We're cooking up something special, so tune in every Thursday. Listen to Eating While Broke on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Yo, it's Big Bank. Check out my podcast, Perspective with Bank, on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Each and every Monday, Perspective with Bank podcasts will feature individuals, all walks of life, who come together to share their unique perspective and engage in enlightened conversation. This podcast will explore all type of conversations from everyday people, your favorite celebrities. Every Monday, listen to Perspective with Bank on Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple
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Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Guillermo Diaz. And we're the hosts of Unpacking the Toolbox, the Scandal Rewatch podcast where we're talking about all the best moments of the show. Mesmerizing. But also, we get to hang out with all of our old Scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for an even more behind-the-scenes Scandal.
stories with Unpacking the Toolbox. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I reclaim my power by reminding myself that I am already loved. Asking God and truly letting him lead every aspect of my life. Because I'm like, if your wig falls off, will it be embarrassing? Yes. Did you survive? Yes. Was that my husband? I don't think I saw a man. Yes.
We are back at it. You know what I haven't said? Okay. I haven't said this in a long time. You ready for it? Are you ready? Ciao. Ciao. We are back at it. Oh my gosh. If you guys are new listeners, then you just don't know. I used to start every episode saying ciao because this was the ultimate girl time in which I would have a minute to just be like, ciao.
Life be lifin'. But I am in a great mood today. I hope you are too. I see things turning around and Lord knows they needed to. We are, you know, we're dipping our toe into the new year. We're not like full swing. First of all, the new year started over.
A year ago, and I'm talking about we are dipping our toe in. I'm easing into 2024, as I told you, because she came in here evoking all types of trauma. But we dipping our toe in and finding our rhythm. And it feels good to be fully alive, fully present. How are you? I hope that my voice is finding you at a time when you need it the most.
I pray that you are becoming sensitive to the ways that God is showing up in your life, that you are embracing the moments of joy and not just letting them pass by, and that you are diving into the moments of disappointment and allowing yourself to fully feel that as well so that you can release it, learn, and grow.
I feel like we're getting our rhythm with this podcast. I haven't really heard from you all fully. What do you think about it? Is it hitting the spot? Can we add a little bit more? What can we do differently? Before we jump into the mind your business question for today, I wanted to share a little bit of inspirational news that I saw. I saw that Nicole Ford has joined Nordstrom as the chief information security officer.
Nicole Ford is very much so giving beautiful black Barbie in this picture. But I just wanted to take a minute and acknowledge that like, oh my gosh, have you all ever seen the First Wives Club with like Diane Keaton and Bette Milder and Goldie Hawn? First of all, how old am I?
not the Tyler Perry one, like literally throwback, but there's a moment in the movie where they're dancing in the streets and they're like, sisters are doing it. That's not when they were dancing in the street, but it was a moment. They're like, sisters are doing it for themselves, standing on their own two feet. Um,
If you'd like to book me for your wedding or birthday, just email podcast at womanevolved.com. But it was great. It's not often that you see black people in technology spaces and to see a black woman in a technology space. Um,
was really inspiring to me. So evidently she previously served as vice president and CISO at Rockwell Automation with past experience leading security transformation initiatives and developing cybersecurity programs. Eat mama. Um, this says she's an active member of various cybersecurity and technology advisory boards, such as the Cybersecurity Collective and Evanta CISO governing body. Um,
And we love Nordstrom and we love Nordstrom Rack. And so sis, just thank you for all you're doing to keep our credit cards safe when we're out there doing what needs to be done, doing the Lord's good work over at Nordstrom. Okay. If you guys see any good news that you think is worth sharing with the rest of the delegation, or you have some good news, send me your good news. Did you get a promotion? Did you get to take a nap today? I don't
care how big or small the wind is. Send me your hallelujah praise report. I want to share them with the delegation because you taking a nap is worthy to be praised because we know you be out here hustling. You getting up and going on a little 10 minute walk to get your body moving is worthy of celebration. Send me your praise report. I want to celebrate you. Let me get, do I have a praise report right now? What is my praise report? My praise report is that I
I'm really excited about WomanyBof24 conference speakers and the WomanyBof24 creatives dropping. We're going all in as we always do. And I can't wait for you guys to see everything they're playing. All right. So listen, I want to get into the mind your business question. I love to hear what's happening in your world. If you're listening for the first time,
Send me a video podcast at woman evolve.com. Try to keep it about two minutes long. Let me know what's happening in your world. How can I offer you advice? Doesn't have to be super deep and can be super superficial as well. Like girl, how did you make Cajun butter? Like, tell me what you want to know. I'll share with you. Let's hear this week's question. Hi, Sarah. My name is Tremika Charleston.
and I am asking for some advice, girl. I wrote it down because I'm nervous, which is crazy because I'm at home by myself. Anywho, so I wrote down the advice that I am needing is how to push through and to execute the plan that I know that God has for me. And
I believe that is to be a writer, to be a spokesperson of some sort, whether that's YouTube, Instagram. I have written for this Black-owned newspaper company back in Austin called The Villager. I've done things for this radio station in KZI. But when it comes down to actually doing something that I know that it's just like a thing in my spirit that God is telling me to do,
I don't know how to fully execute that. And I don't know where to start with that. You talk to people, you talk to your best friend. I talk to people, I talk to my best friend, which is my mom. Pray about it. Write things down. But when it comes to actually putting the pen to the paper and completing it, I think that's what it is. It's the completion of something because it's not like I don't start it. I start it.
Don't complete it. Don't execute it. And I don't put it out. So how can you help me with that? What can I do to make sure that I actually follow through and get everything done and taken care of?
Hey, Queen. That's what my daughter, she runs around calling her by. Hey, Queen. Thank you so much for sending me in your advice question and also taking the time to pour into my cup. It means a lot to me. Thank you for being transparent about your story and about this stage and season of your life.
Initially, I was thinking to myself, like, if I do all of the work of creating something, putting it together, I usually don't get hung up when it's time to release it. But then I got convicted by the Holy Spirit. I had to, like, rerecord this little part because I do all the work and prepping and planning of a sermon. But when it is time to stand up and release that bad boy, the girl struggles.
I also feel it in moments of like big conferences and tours. So I'm going to ask you some of the things that I ask myself in those moments. If you know you're called to do it,
You don't necessarily question your call. And then you actually do the work of putting it together. So you're not necessarily concerned about whether or not you can actually do the thing you're called to do. If you're getting hung up in a space where it's about releasing what you're supposed to do, then my question to you is, what are you trying to avoid experiencing by holding what you have been working on to yourself?
When I answer that question for myself, I am attempting to avoid judgment and embarrassment. It's really not necessarily even judgment as much as it is embarrassment.
I get nervous because I am worried that I'm going to say something stupid, something that doesn't make sense, something that violates the text in some way, that I may say something that is going to be offensive to someone else. Um, it, it really isn't even about me being embarrassed about like my appearance. Um,
I am usually most concerned about, and by appearance, I mean just like my presentation and how I show up. I'm usually embarrassed about me having to think out loud on the spot in front of people and to maybe not have clear thoughts. And so if you've done all of this work and it's time for you to release something, I am wondering what is it that you are trying to avoid feeling today?
When I identify that I am trying to avoid feeling embarrassment and then ultimately rejection or humiliation, I have to remind myself that my outcome is not a reflection of my identity. That in those moments, I am feeling like I am putting myself for other people's interpretation of my value and my worth.
And when your value and worth has been reduced down to how you perform, then every moment of exposure is performance in disguise. And you ultimately end up believing that your value is connected to how you perform. So I reclaim my power in those moments. I reclaim my power by reminding myself that I am already loved.
I remind myself that I am human. I remind myself that I am learning and growing and that if there is a mistake that I make, that I am capable of owning that mistake, learning and moving on. I remind myself that God has not failed me, that even though I have the same fears and anxieties every single time,
God shows up every single time. And at some point I am praying that I get to a space where I no longer feel those things and I just know God's going to show up and I'm like, shoulder shrug, trust him. But until I get there, I allow myself to feel what I'm feeling and obey anyway.
That means that you may have to release it before you feel completely confident. You may have to release it and be willing to learn on the spot. You may have to give this content away knowing that the sound isn't where it could be or the audio isn't exactly where it should be or you don't, you're still figuring out the math, you're still figuring out the website. But as an act of obedience, there's something powerful about releasing it and being like, I survived.
Last year when I was preaching and my wig came off, which I think I've already talked about twice this year, I need to let it go. So I'm going to call my therapist. But it was valuable to me because I'm like, if your wig falls off, will it be embarrassing? Yes. Did you survive? Yes. I have stumbled. I have started choking and coughing when I preached before. Guess what? I'm still here. I'm still standing. It took me a minute to recover. Maybe I was a little embarrassed. I'm still here. I mean, no matter how embarrassing or harmful something is,
In the moment, you live, you survive, you can withstand feedback, criticism, and maybe instead of preparing yourself to avoid rejection, you should also start preparing yourself to experience acceptance. If I could do anything over in my life, I think that that is one of the things that I do. When I told my story,
I prepare myself for rejection. I prepare myself to be made fun of. I prepare myself for the worst possible outcomes.
I never prepare myself for the best possible outcomes. And I need to be prepared for good things to come into my life so that I can savor them, so that I can thank God that they came into my life. Most of the time, I'm so relieved that nothing bad happened that I don't have an opportunity to thank God for all of the goodness that happened. And so preparation is important. It sounds like you're doing the work, you're rolling up your sleeves, you're getting it done. I just don't want your preparation to stop in the area of
of you being afraid of exposure because you can survive that no matter what happens. - Here's a little secret. Most smartphone deals aren't that exciting. To be honest, they're barely worth mentioning. But then there's AT&T and their best deals. Those are quite exciting. They're the kind of deals that are worth talking about, like their deal on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
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Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Guillermo Diaz. And now we're back with another season of our podcast, Unpacking the Toolbox, where Guillermo and I will be rewatching the show. To officially unpack season three of Scandal. Unpredictable. You don't see it coming. It's a wild, wild ride. The twists and turns in season three. Mesmerizing. But also,
Also, we get to hang out with all of our old scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. So many people. Even more shocking assassinations from Papa and Mama Pope. And yes, Katie and I's famous teeth pulling scene that kicks off a romance.
And it was Peak TV. This is new scandal content for your eyes, for your ears, for your hearts, for your minds. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for even more behind the scenes. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life and marriage. I don't think he knew how big it would be, how big the life I was given and live is.
I think he was like, oh, yeah, things come and go. But with me, it never came and went. Is she Donna Martin or a down-and-out divorcee? Is she living in Beverly Hills or a trailer park? In a town where the lines are blurred, Tori is finally going to clear the air in the podcast Misspelling. When a woman has nothing to lose, she has everything to gain. I just filed for divorce. Whoa, I said the words.
That I've said like in my head for like 16 years. Wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Angie Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between.
This life right here, just finding myself, just this relaxation, this not feeling stressed, this not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things. That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being you. So you got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly.
Life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder. So if you have a story to tell, if you've come through some trials, you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone. You're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up, to not quit. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Cheaters and Backstabbers. I'm Shadi Diaz. And I'm Kate Robards. And we are New York City stand-up comedians and best friends. And we love a good cheating and backstabbing story. So this is a series where our guests reveal their most shocking cheating stories. Join us as we learn how to avoid getting our hearts broken or our backs slashed. Listen to Cheaters and Backstabbers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You know, I think that anytime we are living our lives out in front of people,
We get afraid. People can be harsh. They can be judgmental. Our advice question from last week, we were talking about daddy issues and sometimes our childhood experiences make it difficult for us to separate God from them. And I can tell you that God finds pleasure in you being obedient, like in you just saying, yes, Lord, like not my will, but your will be done. This is not my will. I choose a different will.
I would be behind the scenes. I do things differently, but because this is the path that is ahead of me, this is the step that you're ordering in this moment, I say yes, and I stand up to it. I was telling you all last week that after I got finished talking to B. Simone about her friend,
that I asked her a question that I wanted us to dive a little deeper in when we had our conversation, even a chapter from the Bible that I want to share with you guys. But I asked B. Simone a question about...
grieving friendship. If you guys heard last week, then you know that she talked about her friend passing away and how she taught her so many lessons about friendship and living life fully. But then we also talked about the transition of her podcast with her friend Megan and how that was a moment of grief and separation. And so I wanted to know what was grieving teaching her about
living? I'm going to let y'all hear the question and then we'll talk about it. Man, while you're sitting here talking, I'm thinking that you had two friendships that I know of that the public may know of and one by choice and one by force. What is
similarities in this grieving process of having to let go, whether it's something that you have to do as a decision or something that you have no choice in. What lessons are you learning about releasing people from the roles that they once held in your life? Wow, that's good. I think letting go of control.
Like letting God truly take control. And before anything, I asked him and go to him. I don't feel like I lived like that before. Like a lot of.
ditches and turns and confusion and things can be eliminated if you just ask God first. Like, did he even say to do that? Yeah. Did you ask him why this person is in your life? Did he say start a business with this person? Did he say be romantic with this person? Did he say to date that person? You know, so asking God and truly lovingly
letting him lead every aspect of my life. God first is not just a quote. It is a lifestyle. You have to ask him, why is this person in my life? Show me what their value is. Show me how I can be valuable to them. Maybe it's temporary. Maybe it's a lifetime thing. Maybe it's an associate. Maybe it's just business. Really releasing control, letting God control and lead me.
You know, and sometimes I don't have the answer. Sometimes I ask him questions and I feel like I don't hear him. So just wait in that waiting season, being, excuse me, in that waiting season, being patient and letting him have control. You don't have control, you know, letting him lead you. Someone may be listening. They're like, I want to ask God, but how will I know when God's responding? How will I know what it feels like when God says something back to me? What would you say to them?
He speak for me is different ways. Sometimes it's a knowing.
From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, every fiber in your body knows. He will give you that answer. And it's a knowing. Some might say intuition. That's the Holy Spirit. It's a knowing. Other times he's spoken to me. It's been through people. Literally articulation and things. They don't even know what's going on. And they're just spewing into me. I'm like, wow, you know, that's God. I've been asking for this. And he speaks through people. And then listen to God.
Things, if it's in your mind or through people, would God say that? You know, like certain negative things I've thought, I'm like, well, maybe this. God wouldn't say that, though. Yeah. God would tell you to be forgiving. Yeah. God, this, that. Why not? No, that's the angry thought. That's not God either. So monitoring your thoughts. But like I said, a knowing and he's spoken through me through other people. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
I love that. I think one of the things that I want to unpack in maybe next week's episode has a lot to do with us creating a space to hear from God. Yeah. Because sometimes we want to hear from God while doing our own thing. Like, God, I want to hear from you, but like, I'm going to need thunder, lightning so that you can grab my attention instead of creating a space.
to just listen and to hear from God and to practice stillness and oneness. Because I think once you practice it, it's easier to get it on the go. But it's hard to go from like doing your own thing to trying to hear from God without there being a real intentional pause in between. Yeah. And like you said, being still sometimes in prayer, I'm just like, God, tell me what you want to tell me. I'll just sit there and wait. Sometimes it's nothing. Sometimes it's like,
Hold on, I think I saw a man. But, you know, like you said, the more aligned you are with him, he'll show you. You just have to seek, seek, seek. Okay, so we're talking about surrender in 2024. And I'm just wondering, what is it that you are laying down in 2024? Or maybe just this week. Okay. What are you laying down and...
What are you laying hold of? You know what I mean? So in order to lay hold of something, which I believe surrender is all about, like I'm laying hold of God's identity. I'm letting go of control. What is one of the things that you're laying down and what are you picking up in exchange? That's a good question. Laying down. You know what? I'm going to let go of the idea I had for my career. Oh.
That's good. I still see arenas. I still see stage. I still see God has shown me so much. I'm a visionary. Everything I see has already come to pass. So I know when he shows it to me, I just have to keep going until I get there. But I don't know what I'm going to be saying on that mic. Could be preaching. Could be not. Nothing.
Not that. You said lay down. And then you picked it up. And so you need to lay it back down. I know. I know you're not doing that. Could be a word. Could not be. Could be. Just a little. Could possibly be. Not. Be. Please. Possibly. Don't stress me. I'm just saying. Absolutely. Think about it. Worship leading. Okay, fine. I'll let go of pre-ship. Worship leading. Absolutely not.
I would be like, where is Sarah? Code red. Do y'all hear me? No. No, not that, y'all. You the one said not that. Jokes or something. Okay. I don't know. A panel? A panel? That's a start. That's how it starts. That's how they get you. That's how they get you. I will get up there and embarrass the king. They'll cancel me from the blog. No. No.
I'm laying down my idea, though. I don't know what it looks like. I know he's calling me higher, but I know I was also placed. I feel like I'm going to let him continue to show me, but I was placed in this industry to be a seed and a vessel for people that may be not
Would have not had the encouragement or, you know, the desire to seek a relationship with Jesus Christ. So I know I was placed in this industry for a reason, but what I thought I was going to be doing, it looks totally different. I know I'm not doing that. Wow. Girl, no.
Y'all don't let Sarah fool you. I didn't say nothing. She know the Lord. They like this. You're protesting. You're protesting a little loud. Make me think something could pop off. I can't even look at you right now. I know. Wonder why not. Tara, stop. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Thank you so much. Get me out of here. I'm sweaty. Thank you. I love you so much. And thank you. Like, you...
have changed my life through social media, of course. But when I met you, now I'm going to cry again. Sarah's so cool. You just embraced me. You had no idea who I was personally. Social media, yeah. But I texted you the other day. I'm like, can you just pray for me? She prayed for me, y'all. Like who she is on social media is who she is in person. I love you so much for that. You have no idea how you showed up for me in a time where...
I was so hurt and broken and I'm still going through it. And you just showed, you loved me. You let me in your home and you just spoke into me. You look me in my eyes. When you talk to me, you, um,
Encourage me like you are such a gift. Thank you for your obedience. Thank you for letting God use you as a vessel. I know it's so much pressure. I know you're only human. You're a young black woman. So I know all the eyes are against you, but you are so needed. You are so special.
And you have been such an impact in my life in the small amount of time I've known you. And I just thank you for what you're doing, not only for me, but for the world. You are so needed and you are so called. And I love you. I know you know that, but thank you. Thank you. Don't do that. Now you're trying to make me cry. So much. Thank you. I know you know that. You know that. But you are just...
I'm in awe of who you are. Just being in your presence. People have to walk different. They have to talk different. They have to come correct when they come around you because your aura is just so bright and you're so touched by God. And it would be a blessing to even be a little bit of who you are in this lifetime. I look up to you so much. Thank you. I love you. I love you. She's cool. So much. Thank you. Thank you.
So I have already made it abundantly clear that I don't know how to respond to nice things. I need to prepare for good things, prepare for acceptance. I'm still working through that. I think it's hard for me to trust it because I'm afraid that I'll lose it. So don't judge me for being like glitching. Yeah.
If you can't tell, we actually recorded B. Simone's episode first and then the episode with Kobe that you guys have already heard. So I was asking her about glitching because Braylon had just said those things about me and I was glitching. But it's okay. I'm out of the glitch. I was surprised that her response to my question centered around letting God have control. It surprised me because I...
didn't realize how much we consult God after the fact about things and how going into it, trusting God and trusting the outcomes of what that means in our friendships could really serve us well. I wanted to unpack that a little bit because we hear a lot about trustworthiness.
Trust in God, trust in God, just letting God take control. And many of us wonder, what does that look like in practice? And so I wanted to share with you all what I learned. I preached a message the first Sunday of the year, and it was called Stay in Your Lane.
And in that message, I talked about the children of Israel, which were like God's chosen people in scripture, were about to enter into the promised land. And so this promised land is a land flowing with milk and honey that God promised them. They spent 400 years in the wilderness because of their own disobedience and them not being able to trust God. And they're at this stage where they're about to walk into the promise. And as they're walking into the
promise, there is dissension amongst their group. And in that dissension, we have two sets of people. I think there's a hidden set too, which I talked about, but within the two sets of people, there's one group that is like, we need to turn around and go home because he promised us this land, but he didn't tell us how much bigger these people were going to be than us.
And how small we were going to be in our own eyes and how small they were going to look at us. And they're trying to avoid feeling small. And so and they'd rather feel lost than avoid feeling small. They'd rather go back. They'd rather feel restricted than to feel small, which I feel like that's a word within itself because it's.
Sometimes God calls us to do big things and those big things make us feel small. And at least if we stay limited and restricted, like I feel important to this small space. I feel important in this limited space. I'm just thinking about the perspective that you would have to have in order to say, I would rather go back and be a slave.
Where I may not be free, I may not be liberated, but at least I'm important to this system. I'm important to this oppression and it is keeping me from having to take on the courage to
vulnerability, possibly pain, that is a part of freedom. That's one group. The second group of those are, and they're small. That's a small group of people who are like, we can do this. We can take this on. We just have to be willing to trust God. In other words, we got to let God take control. We can't let our fears take control. We got to let God take control.
And I preached about this message because I feel like that was a word for so many of us is letting God take control. So what does that look like in practice? In this text in Numbers 14 and 8, Caleb gives us insight. Caleb is one of the people who are saying we can go into the land.
He says, That's part of it. If the Lord delights in us, what does it mean to give up control? It's to find our delight, not in the outcome, but in obedience. It's to say...
I want to live a life that makes God proud. So when I am hanging on to control, I'm hanging on to what I have left. I'm hanging on to a possibility that I would enjoy. I'm hanging on to the way I think things should be.
I think things should be this way. And so I'm hanging on to it. And I may manipulate in order to hang on to it because hanging on to it isn't just like grasping it with your hands, right? When I'm hanging on to something, it means that I am doing whatever is necessary to keep that thing in my life. If that's people pleasing, I'm doing that. If that's manipulating, I'm doing that. If that's playing it small, I'm doing that because I am hanging on to whatever control I have.
To let go of control is to say, I'm no longer going to shrink. I'm no longer going to pretend. I'm going to live authentic to what I can and cannot do. I'm going to live authentic to what I believe God is calling me to do. And whatever happens from there, I can be okay with because at the end of the day, God is going to move through my authenticity. He's going to move through my trust. He's going to challenge me, convict me, change me. Who I am today authentically may not be who I am tomorrow authentically.
authentically, but I know one thing for sure is I will never see who I can be tomorrow if I'm still pretending today. And so I welcome and embrace a lifestyle of authenticity so that I can discover how can the Lord delight in me in the skin that I am in. And Caleb,
is trying to tell them, like, the Lord just needs to delight in us. I believe that that became Bea Simone's primary concern in her life is, how can I make sure that the Lord is delighting in me, not people, not my finances? Like, how can I make sure the Lord delights in me and that I'm delighting in the Lord?
That's what I think I desire for all of us, any of us who are on a journey of discovering who we are, is to relinquish our need to control the picture and to trust that God's got us in mind, that he's holding us near and that he's going to go ahead of us. That is what it means to stay in our lane. And so it's important to me that you create space to hear from God, right?
Because if you want to know how the Lord delights in you, you got to make space to hear from him. There's a book called Four Minute to Hear God's Voice. We read this book. It's by me, Rocco. We read this book in the Woman Evolved Book Club last year. And I love this book so much. I'm going to give you basically the essence of it, but you should read the book yourself.
Four Minutes to Hear God's Voice is literally a book about setting a timer for four minutes and sitting in complete silence, clearing your mind, practicing mindfulness.
and to listen for God's voice in a specific area. I love this book so much because I feel like it's an incredible tool for you to begin to really deepen your relationship with the Lord. When you do it with specificity, like sometimes I've done it when I'm preaching. I'm like, I need for a minute to hear God's voice about what it is I am supposed to preach. And then I practice mindfulness. I close my eyes. I take deep breaths. I clear my head.
You know, if my mind begins to wander, I like bring it back to center. I'm like, no, I'm clearing my mind. I'm thinking about Sunday. I'm thinking about what God would want me to say, how God would want me to serve this moment. And you would be surprised how when you make space for God, that God shows up. That's one way that you can create space to hear from God. Another way that you can create space to hear from God is you got to practice hearing his voice.
Sometimes when my phone rings, my daughter will pick up the phone and she'll pretend that it's me. And she may get away with it when she says hello. And maybe if she says, mm-hmm. But after a little while, you know, my brother, my husband, her siblings will be like, Kenzie, get off the phone. Because at the end of the day, they know my voice. They say it in the Bible. My sheep know my voice and a stranger they will not follow. If you are going to learn to hear God's voice,
I highly suggest that you begin taking note of the environments that make you feel spiritually aligned. If there is a worship song that you can't even put into words, but you just feel something, I want you to recognize that what you're feeling is God saying, these are my words to you. I'm singing these words over you. When you hear a message and a message resonates in a deep way, like in a way that's like doesn't even make sense, know that that's God saying,
speaking to you, God is saying, this is my voice. This is what I believe is possible for you. This is what I want to heal you from. This is how I want you to show up in life. When you begin to take note of those things that move you deeply, when you're sitting and you're having that time of reflection, you're searching for that voice. I talk about in one of my books, child, I talk about as
creating spaces where we are leaning into those moments with intention, not just on Sundays, not just when a clip finds us, but creating environments where we are fine tuning, hearing God's voice so that when we are taking those four minutes, we can sit and we say, oh my gosh, I know that came from God. I created the space. I sat there and listened and God responded. He heard me. I heard him. And now I have my marching orders for my next step.
That book is going to be really helpful for those of you who are on a journey to really hearing God's voice and creating space to listen. Here's a little secret. Most smartphone deals aren't that exciting. To be honest, they're barely worth mentioning. But then there's AT&T and their best deals.
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Masmerizing.
And yes, Katie and I's famous teeth-pulling scene that kicks off a romance. And it was peak TV. This is new Scandal.
Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for even more behind the scenes. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling, as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life and marriage. I don't think he knew how big it would be, how big the life I was given and live is.
I think he was like, oh, yeah, things come and go. But with me, it never came and went. Is she Donna Martin or a down-and-out divorcee? Is she living in Beverly Hills or a trailer park? In a town where the lines are blurred, Tori is finally going to clear the air in the podcast Misspelling. When a woman has nothing to lose, she has everything to gain. I just filed for divorce. Whoa, I said the words.
that I've said like in my head for like 16 years. Wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Angie Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between. This life right here, just finding myself, just relaxation. It's not feeling stressed. It's not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things.
That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being you. So you got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly.
Life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder. So if you have a story to tell, if you've come through some trials, you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone. You're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up, to not quit. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Cheaters and Backstabbers. I'm Shadi Diaz. And I'm Kate Robards. And we are New York City stand-up comedians and best friends. And we love a good cheating and backstabbing story. So this is a series where our guests reveal their most shocking cheating stories. Join us as we learn how to avoid getting our hearts broken or our backs slashed. Listen to Cheaters and Backstabbers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
My last little bit of advice for those of you who are practicing presence, practicing allowing God to take control is get in your word. It can be hard. Reading the Bible can be a snooze fest if you're still building that muscle. But I will say starting with the Proverbs is good. If there's a sermon that has particularly resonated with you, taking that text, that book, chapter, verse,
and reading what's happening around it, what happened before it, and just beginning to expand from a place that you already have connection. That's important because you want to understand God's character and hearing God's voice. If you don't understand his character...
you know, you may wonder like, was that God or was that my fear? Was that God or was that my trauma? And knowing God's character, which we're allowed to experience through scripture helps us understand like, that don't sound like nothing God would say. Like God would not be out here trying to tell me I ain't nothing. I ain't never going to be nothing. God would not be out here having me experience fear because why would he be talking about perfect love casting out fear? And then I would be afraid. He is not getting
Give me the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. You know what I mean? So like those are all things that I know because of the word, you know? And so I hope those are helpful for you. Before we go, you know, you know, you know, we got to try and...
I guess we're going to try and rescue people. Okay, so actually I'm going to do a more serious rescue. This rescue is for our young girls, to be honest. I know that knowledge is power. And because knowledge is power, I want to share with you all something that's happening, particularly amongst young black girls. I read an article by NBC News about puberty starting earlier than ever and Dr.
And so Woman Evolved obviously is about the journey of a woman and her becoming everything that God had in mind when he formed her in her mother's womb. It's also making every effort to make sure that we are understanding what young girls are up against as well. Evidently, young girls are experiencing what's called precocious puberty. And so what we're seeing is that young girls are experiencing
I want to read you something that came straight from NBC News.
And the average age is 8 to 13. Starting puberty significantly younger than age 8 for girls or age 9 for boys, a condition called precocious puberty may have lasting repercussions on a child's mental and physical development.
Precocious puberty is still rare, affecting fewer than 1% of the U.S. population. It's unclear why it's happening, although possible causes include diet, obesity, genetics, socioeconomic status, and the potential exposure to certain chemicals.
So when I tell you, you have to see it. I just want to read this last part. It says kids entering puberty earlier than the average can be mistakenly treated as older and inappropriately sexualized by society. If you are a girl who developed quickly, you already know what it's like for someone to be telling you that you fast, you fast, you fast.
Not necessarily because you was out here trying to do whatever, but because your body developed and your body developed. You started looking like a woman at an early age. And when you started looking like a woman, you started getting treated like a woman. And yet you were still trying to figure out what your own relationship with your body is.
I want to rescue these young girls and I don't think there's any other person more capable to rescue these young girls than a woman who was on the other side of these moments. And so how do we respond? Awareness is key.
Making sure that we are aware if we have young girls who are within our sphere of influence, who are experiencing this early development as it is appropriate. I don't need y'all going up to nobody's kids. I don't know. But if you have relationship with their parents to be able to just let them know what it is that.
you are reading about. If a child comes to you and they're having these experiences, to be able to unpack them. If you're a mother, being aware, an aunt, whatever, making sure that we have a community of educated women who are helping to serve in the development of young girls'
They actually have hormone blockers that can keep the puberty from developing rapidly. In some of those instances, though, I understand the criteria for that can be kind of complicated. If for no other reason, though, than to teach our young girls at an early age what is happening with their body, what it means, what it does not mean, how they respond, how they care for their body, love for their body as it as it is changing.
is a start. So listen, I'm not a doctor, I'm not a therapist, but I do have two young girls and I have two older bonus girls. And I feel like it's really important that we understand what is happening. There's no way. We knew the food had hormones and chemicals and all other things. Even like, Lord, is it okay? I'm gonna be vegan, but I gotta be organic. I gotta be organic vegan. I eat meat.
McDonald's is sometimes easier for like... There are so many different opportunities for exposure as it relates to raising our children. If you can do better, we should do better and we should be as informed as possible. Maybe we should have...
a doctor or someone on to help us talk about our bodies in general. I'm going to add that to the list. Hey, do y'all like this? Are we vibing? Are we connected? Are we learning, growing and exploring? I enjoy this. I enjoy this new way of connecting with you and rescuing our girls. Hashtag private jet. Hashtag we're on our way. I guess my charge for you today before we go is to be the kind of woman you needed.
That means inform yourself, make sure you're open, that you heal yourself, that you're filled with the Spirit of God so that you can affect the change that this world so desperately needs. Lord, we need wisdom. I need wisdom. I need guidance. We need guidance.
Together with your wisdom, your guidance, your spirit, your power, your confidence, your strategy for our lives, we believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We're not sure that we'll see it if we make our own decisions, though it is tempting to take matters in our own hands. God, we surrender. We surrender the way that we think our lives should look at this stage. We surrender the way that we feel our body should look, our feelings should feel today.
And we say, this is our truth. This is where we are. We're excited. We're hurting. We're nervous. We're afraid. We're yours. We're yours, God. I ask that you would fill my listeners with the undeniable sensing of your love being with them every step of the way in every portion of their day.
Feel them as only you can do that they may run their race and not grow weary. Thank you, God, for this opportunity to be real, to be honest, to connect. If there's anything I said that has not aligned,
with where you are leading these women. God, I pray that you uproot it and remove it. And if there's something I said that has added value to how you're moving in their life, I pray they never forget it. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, I forgot to work on my thing. I hope you felt a little less alone, a lot more known, and that you think you've grown.
Huh? Do we like that one or are we throwing it away? A little less alone, a lot more known, and that you think you grown because you had some girl time. I love you. I will see you next week. Welcome, welcome, welcome to another exciting episode of the Trap Nerds podcast. This is not an episode. I'm pretty sure this is a promo. You know what it is. We in this piece. Trap nerds, trap nerds. Real n****s like you never heard.
We're giving you reliable gaming news with the best movie and TV reviews from a Blurred perspective. All things inside and out of Blurred culture. Listen to the Trap Nurse Podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What's good? It's Colleen Witt and Eating While Broke is back for season three. Brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeart Radio. We're serving up some real stories and life lessons from people like Van Lathan, DC Youngfly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and many more.
They're sharing the dishes that got them through their struggles and the wisdom they gained along the way. We're cooking up something special, so tune in every Thursday. Listen to Eating While Broke on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Yo, it's Big Bank. Check out my podcast, Prospective with Bank, on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Each and every Monday, Prospective with Bank podcasts will feature individuals, all walks of life, who come together to share their unique perspective and engage in enlightened conversation. This podcast will explore all types of conversations from everyday people, your favorite celebrities. Every Monday, listen to Prospective with Bank on Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple
Presented by AT&T. Connecting changes everything.
Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Guillermo Diaz. And we're the hosts of Unpacking the Toolbox, the Scandal Rewatch podcast where we're talking about all the best moments of the show. Mesmerizing. But also, we get to hang out with all of our old Scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for even more behind-the-scenes Scandal.
stories with Unpacking the Toolbox. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life in marriage. I just filed for divorce. Whoa. I said the words that I've said like in my head for like 16 years.
wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
