April 13, 2026 • 49 mins
Don't forget to grab your free scripture journal at PrayingChristianWomen.com/journal today!
What do you do when God gives you a miracle — and then it looks like He's taken it away?
This week, musician, author, and worship artist Kristen Rickards joins Jaime for an honest and hope-filled conversation about trusting God through seasons of devastating loss, unexplainable health battles, and the kind of waiting that tests everything you thought you believed.
In this episode, Kristen shares her journey from child actress and pageant winner to Christian worship leader and author — and the painful season of two miscarriages and a health crisis that nearly shook her faith to its core. She opens up about what it felt like to be angry with God, to pull back from prayer, and the moment she realized she couldn't stay in that place for long.
Kristen also unpacks the powerful story of the Shunammite woman from 2 Kings — a mother who watched her promised son die and still declared "all is well" as she ran toward the man of God — and how that story mirrors the faith required when our own dreams look dead. She reminds us that God doesn't punish us for our doubt; He rewards us for our faith, even when it's only the size of a mustard seed.
You'll walk away encouraged that no pain is wasted, that it's okay to come to God imperfectly, and that the dreams you've written off may be exactly what He's about to breathe life into again.
Visit KristenRickards.com to learn more about Kristen, grab a copy of her devotional A Life Worth Living in Christ: 90 Days to Clarity, Purpose, and Hope, and listen to her album
Faith Can Move Mountains
and her single "To My Unborn Baby, I'll Never Forget You" on all major streaming platforms.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Life Audio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hi there, and welcome to the Praying Christian Women Podcast.
I'm Jamie Hampton and I'm so excited to be here
today with Kristin Rickards. Kristen is a musician, a radio host, model,
and author of A Life Worth Living in Christ ninety
Days to Clarity, Purpose and Hope.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Kristin, there's so much to.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Talk about, like I feel like we need multiple interviews
to cover it all, but thank you for being here
for this one to talk about your story and just
to share the hope, just the ways that God has
worked in your life.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm so glad to connect with you, Jamie, and You've
gotten the right person. I am a talker, so when
you said can we talk for an hour? I said yes,
I can talk for hours.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
That makes my job so easy. It's like, take it
and go, Kristen.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You want to talk about apple Pie, We'll talk about that.
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'm going to start making notes of all the different
podcast episodes we're going to have to have together, because yeah,
I mean, we have never had someone on the podcast
that wore so many hats. I don't think because I
feel like we could talk to you about each of
these hats.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
That you wear at length.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
And so I think we're going to probably focus a
lot on your book right now, but I'd love to
have you back to ask some other questions about things.
But yeah, so before we get into it, though, before
we get into you and your story, we like to
ask all of our guests, what is your favorite prayer closet?
Where do you like to go to meet with God?
It could be a literal closet, It could be a
(01:31):
prayer chair, it could be somewhere wild and crazy and
wacky that we've never heard.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I love that question. No one has ever asked that question,
and that's such an obvious, great question because it's so important,
and you're right, it could it. For me, it is
a physical place, and that place has changed, but sometimes
it is if I'm on the go, it's the car
or you know, a hotel room. Growing up, of course,
it was my bedroom, and now that I got married
(01:59):
and moved to another house, it's in another place. Obviously,
it's in the guest room of my house, which is
being converted to a nursery because I'm pregnant with my
baby girl with congratulations, But wherever it is, the common
theme is it's got to be a place where I
can have a window where I can look out at
God's creation, because I feel like that's how I start
(02:21):
of just of course, no phone, no just no distractions
and just be able to look out the window and
hear God speak through nature and then then start talking
to him start because I feel like He's got so
much to say, and I always think you can hear him.
A talker, I want to say everything first, but I
try to be still and just hear what He has
(02:43):
to say first, and that is so important to have
that space. You're so right. So I love my prayer room.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, so we hear this over and over again. People
will talk about nature being like a component of their
prayer time a lot of times, not always, but I
find the same thing. It's like just being in God's creation.
And you know, like the saying touch grass, I mean
(03:13):
we need to touch grass sometimes. I literally I remember
being in a really tough time. My mom had dementia.
She's passed away many years ago now, but she had
dementia very young, and it was just the first time
in my life that I had debilitating grief, and I
remember this feeling of just I thought I felt like
(03:37):
I was needed to get out of my skin or something,
and I just thought, I have to take my shoes
off and walk in the grass. And there was something
about like being connected to the grass that just made
me feel like, Okay, God, I'm like I'm closer to
you now somehow. And I can't explain it, but that's
how I feel when I'm in my garden. When i'm
and even when I'm indoors, I like to be looking
(03:59):
outside some mountains in the distance from where we live,
and so I do. I like to have a little
like prayer window area, like a window seat in our room,
and I can look out and kind of see the mountain.
There's just something about that that makes us, I think,
feel more connected to him absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And I because I live in New Jersey and our
our climate is very it's a varying climate.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It is extremes.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
You know, when it's nice out doing those prayer walks
and all of that is so great to be in nature.
But if it's freezing, I'm not much of a I'm
not a camper, I'm not a hiker, So just looking
out a window is it works for me. But I
do feel with you there. I had a grandmother who
had and I know it's not the same as having
a mother who has dementia, but she lived with us
(04:45):
from the time I was five till I was ten,
And unless you've walked that journey, it's it's tough. And
again it's different. Grandmother is a different role. But I
saw it was tough on my dad and on my parents,
And you know that's the thing. God holds your hand
through that, and I'm sure we have a lot of
listeners who are in that position as well. So God,
God definitely walks through that journey and carries you through
(05:07):
that journey as well.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Absolutely well. Which came first? So which came first? Being
a model, being a radio host, being a singer, songwriter,
or being a writer an author? Like, what are of
those things? What was your journey and what were the
stepping stones?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Okay, so let me try to condense it, because I'll
tell you my life story. But basically I would say
that my whole life, my whole family is very musical,
where like the Partridge family or there I love it.
So I was born into music. I from my earliest
(05:43):
memories as a baby, just music. And I'm doing the
same thing for my little one, just constantly floting, of course,
to worship music. When I say music, the worshiping God
and that environment and music because I believe it's so
important and so And then when I was actually as
as young as three years old, my sister, who was
a couple of years older than me, begged my parents
(06:05):
to go in an audition for a Broadway show and
she got the Broadway show as Annie, and she did
Annie and Salent music. And I was a three four
year old surrounded by that, and I was like, when
can I start? When can I? I always wanted to
have that performance bug they call it, so at age
five I started. I did my first film, a major
(06:25):
motion picture and Nickelodeon stuff and did all the acting stuff.
And I was so fortunate to have parents. And I
know we'll probably touch on this later, but I will
say that as advocates, we were in good, wholesome things.
We were not you know, they kept that because as
a five year old you can't make those decisions. But
then came the time when I was about I guess
(06:45):
early teens, where things started being questionable and we just
felt not called there anymore. So my sister and I.
We had our own variety show. When we traveled the country.
We got to perform at the White House and for
the Men, and had all great experiences. During that time.
I was also a Miss New Jersey teenager, so I
had all those experiences. Fast forward, because I'm condensing all
(07:08):
this to when I got married. I met my husband
seven years ago and I got married five it'll be
five years in May. And he has really been the
wind beneath my wings as far as seeing me take
off as a solo artist, solo career songwriting, I've always
I've written songs. Even when I was a little girl.
I would write in journal. That was my way to
(07:29):
express to the Lord, whether it was happy things or frustrations,
whatever it was. Songs came out of that and they
still do to this day. And so I felt the
path the calling to do, you know, to be a
worship leader and do Christian music and write Christian music.
And then the book came after that most recently, and
the modeling all throughout. But you know, it's funny because
(07:51):
I was kind of thinking, because I grew up doing
kind of more secular things, wholesome but secular, I said, God,
can I influence. Still do you want me in this
Christian market so to speak? And God really spoke to
me and said, look, you don't need to water anything down.
You need to just proclaim. People are hungry for my truth.
(08:13):
You proclaim my words. You write songs that blatantly say
everything about me, and people will be drawn to that.
And I've seen Christians and non Christians drawn to my
music and my books, and that is what just sets
my soul on fire to know that it's, you know,
bringing more people to Him. So I've tried to condense
(08:33):
that as much as I could, even though that was mouthful.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
That's so good you.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I feel like you had to have practiced that because
that's so much No, so we can add actress. I
didn't realize that was part of it too, So yeah,
that is. I love what you said there because I
think as Christians we can compartmentalize to the point of
excluding things that can still be considered worship. For since
(09:00):
a job in a secular space where we could say, oh,
well that's not worship, that's not Christian. To be a
good Christian, I have to do this. And what God
told you was you don't have to be labeled as
something create authentically without a filter, not trying to curb
it so that it'll fit into a non Christian naure,
(09:22):
you know. But just create authentically and I will bless
it and people will be blessed by it. I just
think that's beautiful. That's such a like a freeing way
to look at being creatives is creating authentically.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, because as you know, it can really paralyze you
to think, to start thinking when you do wear a
lot of hats, and Jamie, I'm sure you do too,
and all of our listeners. If you're a mom, if
you're a wife, if you're everything, you're wearing a lot
of hats. So it's that can paralyze you to think
when you overthink things and instead you just do everything
(09:57):
unto the Lord and then he'll put it where it's
supposed to be. So absolutely, that's great.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I love that. Well, you kind of touched on this
a little.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
So what is it like being in and I initially
said in the modeling world as a Christian woman, but
also in the you know, television world, in the broadway world.
You know, what is it like being in artistic spaces
that are pretty you know, not overtly Christian What is
that like?
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Have have there been times when you've.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Had to stand up against some of the norms that
that are maybe go against your faith? Is it awkward ever,
or do you find it comes naturally?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
It's funny because it's well, I shouldn't say it's funny,
but it's you know, we have really seen the tide
go just so far. I think about when I was
a kid acting in these things, there was still some
element of I would say, respect for Christian values, and
so there was not Yes, there was things out there
(11:00):
that were just bad projects that my manager at the
time I won't even I don't even want to mention
the name of them, but you would know they're very
famous things that came out. They wanted me to be
the lead for. I would have been famous and all
this stuff, and my parents said no. They didn't even
have to think twice. And I'm so grateful they put
that precedent and instilled that in me, because what is
(11:23):
it to gain the world and lose your soul. But
there was more opportunities than to be as I said,
my sister was in the sound of music. The stuff
that I was involved with were very, very wholesome, very
uplifting kind of content and you could find people in pockets.
Now that's why we started to kind of do our
own thing, because we saw that tide start to shift.
(11:44):
I will say the great news about today is that
there's more Christian projects out there. I'm actually working on
being a producer. They want to use my song on
a Christian film, and I love that that that's in
the main market that didn't really exist when I was
a kid, that at least in this capacity. So there's
still those opportunities. If you're a person who feels called
(12:06):
to the entertainment industry, you just have to know you're
lying like and have it non compromising, like if you
just kind of don't if you vaguely know, that's not
good enough because you'll be drug way over. You've got
to have those values in place, so you know, yeah,
is there you know, persecution and all those things that
(12:27):
people say. And I always hate to use that word
because I always think of like the people in the
Bible or the Christians around the world that are persecuted
for their faith. To me, that's if someone's just not
nice to you, that's I don't know, it's not obviously
the same level of persecution, although we tend to call
it that, but you know, yes, there are those things,
(12:48):
but if you know what you're doing it for and
you keep your eyes on the prize, it's all worth it.
And there is there are people you can connect with
that are on the same level and value as you.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, I've read a couple of books recently about Christians
in different kinds of industries that aren't Christian, and I
think the key to what I see in their ability
to maintain their faith is making connections with other Christians
and that kind of helps them be grounded. I'm curious
when your parents set those boundaries, were you mad, Like
(13:33):
were you upset at the time, Like did you feel
like you were missing out or like they were holding
you back? Or were you grateful at the time. I
know you said looking back, you're grateful.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
I was grateful at the time, because I don't think
that I even you know, I knew, I guess because
of my age, because I started so early, I didn't
really have the concept. Maybe if I had been a
little older, I might have had the temptation to be
like you know, every person has that fleshly, I want
to be famous, I want to be seen. We all
(14:04):
want to be noticed. It might have been because of
my age that when Goldie Hawn or whoever was right there,
I was like, okay, good for you, you know, like
I just didn't you know what together this is a
famous person, so they really shielded. I don't know that
they ever even It's not that they like lied to
me or kept something from me, but I think they
just probably declined something and they told me later and
(14:25):
it was not made a big deal out of it
wasn't so to me. It was like, okay, we're not
doing that. It wasn't like it wasn't till later that
I found out, oh that was that movie that I
was supposed to be an end then at my gratitude. Really,
then I was really grateful because I do know people
unfortunately who've gone down that path, and you see unfortunately
(14:46):
through the years and you think, oh my goodness, it's
just so destructive and even from even from a secular perspective,
it's not even good for their mental health. Of course
we know the spiritual part behind that. But no, I
think I was grateful, or at the very least just like, okay, whatever.
But now more than ever, I'm grateful because then I
(15:06):
that instilled in me the boundaries as well that I
look for. I remember in my dancing school then wanting
to play a really bad again. I don't want to
mention the name of the artist to give them any credit,
but I just could feel how this was not of
the Lord, this song that they wanted to play for
and I said, no, I'm not dancing to it, and
the dance teacher was like, you know, saying to me,
(15:27):
and I remember I was like twelve thirteen, and they said,
you need to apologize to all the people that are
you're letting down. We could win competition. So that wasn't
even professional acting world. That was just you know, the
dancing school. But those kinds of things of saying no,
I'm standing my ground. The more you do it, the
more it shapes you and the more you're conviction. So
(15:47):
that's that's what's great. And kids watch, kids watch what
we do, yeah, and then they follow suit. So absolutely
that's great.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And I loved what you said about deciding where your
line is before, like before the situation comes up where
you have to decide, because when you have that like
forbidden fruit in front of you, if you don't already
have the line there. It could be so easy, I imagine,
to compromise and make up reasons why, oh yeah, I
(16:16):
haven't set my line. I guess it could be just
right on the other side of that thing, you know,
because it's not that bad. But if you have your
convictions set and your lines, and you kind of think
forward to opportunities or things that could present themselves that
might be compromising, you can kind of plan for that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
I think that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yes, And you know it's something that Satan and I
is really tricky with is because there is such great
Christian content out there. I think that he wants to
attack it. And I think even with Christian content, you
have to be if you're asked to do something, you
have to still have your guard up for a second.
You can't just say, oh, this is Christian, I'll do it.
(16:55):
I learned that because I remember thinking, oh, this is Christian.
Sometimes unfortunately, they're just capitalizing on the term Christian because
they know they're going to get an audience. There are,
of course great Christian there's great Christian content out there,
but you have to look for it. Then there's other
things that they may not have the same line as
you do. They may not be as mature in the faith.
(17:17):
So you've got to really say, even if the project
says Christian, let's look and really go through and make
sure you know that it's something with the right focus,
because just because it has that label, you can't just
take that for granted. Too.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That's really good advice.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And I imagine that even if the content is totally Christian,
it's still you're involved with people that are humans, and
they may or may not be people with the best intentions,
or even if they have good intentions, maybe they have
bad methods and you do have to be discerning. Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
that is all such good advice. Well, I would love
(17:53):
to talk about your book. So your book is called
A Life Worth Living in Christ ninety eight, Life, Clarity,
Purpose and Hope.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yes, yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
So tell us.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
About this book and kind of how it came about
and who it's for and what you hope people come
away with.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, my goodness. So I've always in the back of
my head thought it'd be cool to write a book,
but I didn't think I had the patience for it,
because it's one thing to write a song. It's short,
a lot shorter than a book. And I love to
write and I've always journaled, but I was like, to
write a book, that's too much. So I just kind
(18:33):
of wrote it off. But people within the year, which
I just recently wrote it, so whenever that was the
time frame right before I wrote it, God kept dropping
people to say, hey, you should write a book, you
should write a book. And I just kept hearing it,
and I knew it was God because I know sometimes
you have to watch it that too. You can't just say, oh,
this person said, God told them, you know that you
(18:55):
need to do this. It was God confirming in me.
It was really him tugging at my heart. I was
going through a difficult season of health crisis and two
miscarriages all at the same time, and I think that
probably fueled the fire. It was a very cathartic experience
for me to write, and I just said, I'm going
to just do this. And I thought. I thought, I
(19:16):
was like, well, if I do it as a devotional book,
it won't be that's I can handle that. Well, it's
ninety days and it ends up being three hundred pages now.
But it was It was so easy because I just
felt like I was letting God flow through me. I
actually wrote it on my phone. I wrote it on
my phone on the notes section. I would sit there
(19:36):
and just type and type and type, and so I had.
After I wrote the whole thing, I had my husband.
I was like, make sure there's no errors in here.
God bless him for doing that for me. And I
just felt like it was when he was just downloading
all of that into me. At the same time, I
was seeing people write on Facebook in different places is
life worth living? I don't feel I feel like giving up?
(19:59):
And I thought people are. So there were three things
that stuck out. I said, if I feel and I
know God, but I'm feeling lost, stuck, and discouraged. That's
what I'm feeling right now, Like I just feel so
lost and I know Jesus, but how much more do
people who don't know him feel that way? And God said,
I'm going to give you clarity, purpose and hope. So
(20:19):
that's kind of how it all came together. And there's
nine sections in there that are all different things that
whether you're a Christian and you've been a Christian all
your life, I feel like it's a different take that
you know, we've all had Christian books that they I
don't say this, say they say the same thing because
I don't mean it like that, because we need to
be reminded of things. But I feel like God gave
(20:40):
me new concept for this season. And then if you're
not a Christian, I was worried that is it going
to you know, resonate with people. And there's so many
people who said, I'm really learning about God through this book.
So guys, girls, it's for everybody, That's what And I
hope you know that life is living in Christ when
(21:01):
you're done reading it. That's what I hope to get
out of it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oh, that's a message that's so important.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And like you said, we know Jesus and we're still
faced with helplessness sometimes as Christians. And so can you
kind of take us back to that difficult time. I
love that we can be talking now and see God's
redemption and his kind of restoration through your pregnancy and congratulations.
(21:27):
I'm so excited for you, but that doesn't take away
the loss and that was such a dark, difficult time
for you. Can you take us back to that time
and just kind of what was your prayer journey through
that time of difficulty. So you started off, you had
a faith before as a foundation, before you were going
(21:48):
into this difficult time. How did you process these things
as they were happening, and like, how did your prayer
life change as a result? For instance, did you were
you mad at God? Were there times you were tired
of praying over and over for seeing you know, and
being disappointed? Or did you get to a point where
you couldn't pray? What were the things happening at that point?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh so much? And I want to say this too.
I know that your listeners may have you know, there's
so many different tragedies and I look at someone else's
strategy and that's why we can't compare. It's what you're
going through. It matters, you know, because I'm not taking
away from someone. I'm sure there are people who have
way worse, you know, things that they go through, and
(22:32):
so I'm not saying like, oh, oh it is me,
look what I went through. But I knew God was
going to not waste the pain. I knew that same feeling,
that same place of being lost could be used. And
I've talked to people and they've said that the book
has to help them, and they've told me what they've
gone through, and I'm just like, oh, my goodness, I
can never go through that without God. Of course, so
(22:52):
that's the thing. It knew he would not waste the pain.
But I will say, yeah, it got to be real.
I mean, I have always had a really deep prayer life,
even when I was really really little, Like I just knew.
I knew I was a prayer warrior that I would
just really get in touch with the throne room of God.
And there were times in life that I would just
(23:13):
see miracles like I've been so fast, and then I
would see them happen a little slower some of them,
but I always saw his hand. And in this instance,
for the first time in my life, I started saying,
what is this. I guess this is a maturing of
my faith where I'm having to trust you when I
don't even see your hand in this. And so it
(23:35):
started off with the just bizarre health crisis thing that
was enough to make me like, God, Hello, are you there.
But then when the miscarriages happened, and then after the
second one and they did all his testing, and then
they came back and said, we have no answers for you.
After extensive testing there's just no reason we don't know.
(23:58):
And and so that was all more frustrating because it
was like, okay, you know, it was just being in
that place of just saying, God, why all of this
at once? Why not can you fix one of the problem.
And He did fix one of them, and I have
seen major steps towards oh my gosh, so much better
(24:18):
with my physical health situation. But I still am in
that place of saying, God, please completely he feel me.
But there was a time period where I went through this,
I'm mad at you God. I don't feel like I'm
gonna be praying as much as I should. And I
hate to admit that, but I have to be honest.
I didn't go through that. And it's not that I
stopped believing in God. It was just that it was
(24:41):
almost like I'm sticking my heels in until you do something.
Then I'll lean into you. Until I realized I can't
live like that for very long. None of us can.
Those times in life are the times we have to
dig in because it's our only choice. You can only
do that for so long until you say, okay, God,
I just you and just cry out to him. He
(25:01):
wants to hear you cry out to him, and in
that pain, he just lifts you to a place that
I can't really describe. It's a closeness with him. It's
so I think I developed a spiritual maturity in my
prayer life of like the even if even if you
don't do this, I still love you, I still praise you,
but I still believe you, even as long as it takes,
(25:23):
I still believe that you were have the best plan.
And I feel like that was a big thing because
at the other parts of my life I had seen
those miracles, and for this it was like, Okay, no
matter what, you are on the throne. So yeah, it
really as I was writing it was going through that
journey for sure.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, well, I'm so glad that you are honest, because
I mean, I know I've been there, and it's it
is it feels kind of like hard to admit that.
It's like, oh, I've been a Christian for this long,
I shouldn't get to this place, but we do. And
so to give people permission to say, you know what,
we all get there, we all get to the place
of not being happy with God and maybe even feeling
(26:07):
like we're like Okay, I'm going to withhold a little
bit of relationship from you because I just can't right now.
And to realize that he can handle that. He loves
us and he knows, and I mean Jesus has walked
it all and he's walking it with us even as
we speak, and so of course God knows and he
can handle that. So thank you for that permission, you know,
(26:30):
and just to be able to say, I think it's
better to acknowledge that and to go to God with
that and say I can't pray as intimately and closely
because I'm kind of upset, like I don't understand and
there is there is pain here. I think it's better
to do that than to go through the motions and pretend. Yeah,
that creates distance, It creates you know, it gives the
(26:53):
enemy a foothold when you're not holding onto God with anger.
Instead you pull back. I mean, that leaves a void
for the enemy to just block you off and separate you.
So anyway, thank you for that honesty.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Absolutely, And I know we're going all over the place,
and I don't want to get off topic from the book,
but I will say this. When I wrote the song
faith Can Move Mountains, That was one of the things
that God showed me is that I always was afraid
of that verse that says a double minded man is
unstabled in all his ways and doubt. And I always
was afraid of, Oh Lord, I doubt it, so you're
(27:28):
not going to come through like that was just a
thought that went through my head. And God spoke to
me and said, you know, look, you're human. You're He
doesn't mean that when he says, yes, his word is solid,
we have to go buy his word. But you're human.
You're going to have those moments of temptation of doubt.
(27:49):
But God doesn't doesn't punish you for that. He honors
you for your faith, and that faith being the mustard seed.
That's what you need. So that too, as you said
it being real, being real with God telling him your
emotions and say I am struggling because he wants you
and he loves you, and he wants that realness and
he's not going to punish you for that. I think
(28:11):
we have that in our minds sometimes of having to
kind of keep that you know from him, and it's
instead you need to just pour it out his feet.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
That is so good, so he does not punish you
for your doubt, he rewards you for your faith. I
almost wonder. I mean, it takes a mustard seed of faith.
Sometimes that's all we have. But it takes a mustard
seed of faith to go to God and say, I'm
angry with you, but I believe in you. I believe
you're there you know, or or if you're in a place.
I can imagine there's someone listening who's been in a
(28:54):
place where they've wondered, is God even real?
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Like I can't hear.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Him, But to even go to him and say, I
don't know if you're real, but if you are, speak
to me, that's something like. That is a kernel. It
hasn't bloomed, it hasn't been watered. It's it's hard and dry,
but it's something. So I just feel like any movement
(29:17):
toward God is that mustard seed. But the implication of
that seed is that it has potential and that when
God takes it that he can just like make it
grow into a gigantic tree. I don't I don't know
how mustard plants grow.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Is it a tree?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I don't know. I was wondering. I know, I'm I'm
mustard plants.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I don't know, but it'll grow.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, whatever it does, all we know is it's what
is it? It's like smaller than your fingernail or something.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Yeah, Like I mean, I don't know. I've used it
in salad dressing.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I don't know that's a good idea, But I think
that's you know, it's just amazing to think of how
how small that that faith is. It's like that we
have that. It's like, okay, I can do that, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It takes faith to come to Him, even imperfectly.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
So yes, I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So I really love this. From this excerpt in your book,
from day three, it says, sometimes it seems the clock
has run out, so we lose hope and turn the
page to a more attainable reality. But God is the
lord of the eleventh hour. I think that is so good.
And you relate it to the story that came to
my mind at first was like Abram and Sarah when
(30:28):
they didn't trust in God's promise and they involved Hagar
in providing the air of you know, God's you know,
the promised child, which obviously did not work out well.
But you relate it to this lesser known story, and
I would love for you to tell us about this,
because I was like, I don't know if I I
mean it rang a bell maybe, but I don't even
(30:49):
know if I've heard this story. So this is in
Second Kings about the Shinnamite woman and her promised son.
So remind us of that story and can you relate
it to that that kind of commentary on on waiting
on the Lord?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Absolutely? So the interesting part is she too. I assumed
she was old. It said her husband was old. It
only mentioned her husband was old. But I assume we're
supposed to believe that she was an older woman as well.
And they welcomed Elisha, the prophet Elishah. I always get
them confused Elijah. So anyway, and they had it said
(31:24):
that they were wealthy. It actually made the point to
say that they were wealthy, and they had a place
in their home for him, and he said to them,
what can I do for you? Because you have done
this for a man of God. And I think it's
interesting because it's just right there there's I mean, the
whole story has so much to impact. They didn't have
a deficit in their finances, They had all this going on,
(31:47):
yet they lacked something they could not do anything about
they needed they and those times, of course to have
a son, and heir specifically a son was important. So
they did not have a son. They did not see
how that was even post and he said that God
will do this for you. By this time next year,
you will hold your son in your arms. And she said, don't.
I'm paraphrasing here, but she was like, don't toy with me, Like,
(32:10):
don't don't do that to me. Don't do that to
my emotions. And how many of us, you know, when
someone has said something or briefed life's into us, we
were like, don't go there, because I've already written that off.
I don't want to be disappointed. But then you're like, okay,
but I have to believe in order for it to happen.
So anyway, the son is born, which is a miracle.
But then what happens is one day, when he's a
(32:34):
young boy, he says his head hurts and he dies,
and it says he dies, and it's important that he
says he dies, and he doesn't say he was in
a coma, he went asleep. He said he dies. That's
what it says in the Bible. So but instead of
just what she does with that information is amazing. I
think to myself, God Lord helped me to be like
(32:56):
this woman. She puts the sun in the room where
Elijah what's gonna stay, shuts the door, gets on a donkey,
and goes towards Elijah. She doesn't waste a moment. Her
husband said, Hey, what's going on? She says, all is well.
She keeps going on the road. People come up to her,
how is your son? They say, She doesn't say an
(33:16):
all is well. She keeps saying that, And I always
think about saying that when things are looking like they're
falling apart. But you know, God is on the throne
and you've got to get to God. You don't waste
time with the negativity and the nonsense and the voices.
You just say, all is well, and you keep going
towards God. She gets to Elisha. Long story short, She
gets to Elisha and then then she breaks down and
(33:38):
tells him what's happening. Hey, you said that you would
give God would give me the son. I mean, you know,
she's got to be thinking God, and sometimes we feel
this way. Right, Let's be real, God, are you cruel
like you promise me a son? You give me this
miracle and then you just immediately take it away like this,
like what does that makes any sense to you? You know,
(34:01):
it doesn't make any sense to me. So Elishah goes
to the house, gets on top of the boy, breathes life,
prays over the boy. He sneak The boy sneezes seven
times and wakes up. He is raised him in the dead.
And I just think of like we have things in
our life, dreams that we write off because they look dead.
(34:22):
I mean, this dream was this boy was dead and
God raised it to life. And if he can do that,
what can he do for you and I in our lives?
And it always has to I think it's interesting. It's
almost like God wants to remind you that he's in
control of the miracle because it's like this same miracle
with this boy. And so if God's done something for you,
(34:44):
don't second guess it. If he's done a miracle in
some area and you think that something's falling apart, keep
believing him because if he did it, then he's going
to do it again. And you have to just know
that it may look like the end of your timeline,
but his timeline is not our own and so you know,
there's a lot to unpacked. There are a lot of things.
(35:05):
But that's the story of that, which is just it's
a remarkable all is well, All is well? You know
that's great.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
That reminds me of Horatio Spafford and it is well
with my soul when he's like basically traveling the same
route where and they get to the place where I think,
wasn't it was it his children and his wife or
was it just his several children or something had died
in a storm, But he just says it is well.
(35:33):
And it's almost like I don't want to say fake
it till you make it, because that's not what we're
advocating for. But speak it before you've internalized it. Speak
truth of what is before your emotions and your spirit
and caught up with what is true.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And it does make a difference. I'm sure that is
so good. When you were writing that, you were in the.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Midst of a parallel loss and situation of God, you
gave me this gift. I thought, I was, you know,
had a future with this child and these two children,
And how did you process that?
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Well, it's really interesting because I we when we had
the first miscarriage. I mean that just for any woman
who's gone through that, it rocked my world as far
as just thinking so emotionally. I just it was such
a place of pain that I can't describe. And I
know for the women who've gone through that, just this
(36:32):
it just a place of loss that I can't describe
it because it was a child you love that you
never got to hold the intangible, you know, it's different
the way to mourn something like that. It was just
there's so many layers to it. And then I was
already kind of feeling that way. Then we go through
(36:53):
immediately the second one, and that's when I was just like, Okay,
so this whole thing about having children, this dream is
kind of I just don't know what's going to change,
especially after the testing and all of that. And God
bless my husband, he was like, no, God has it
for us. I think it is. It is more. It's
(37:16):
difficult for both the man and the woman, but for
the women too. You know, it's just a different it's
just a different kind of pain feeling. But I was
not ready to give up, and I wrote that book
and I just sort of like, Okay, I know God
that you have a plan, and I looked at it
adoption because I know people who have adopted, and that's
if God had wanted that for my life, that it's
(37:39):
you know, I was open to that, but I really
felt like it didn't want me to give up on
this dream in my heart of hearts. So anyway, the
book came out after having those two miscarriages, and I
found out I was pregnant at one of the book launches.
Well not at the book launch, but I found out
right around that time. So with the other to miscarriage
(38:00):
is we never even went to the doctor's appointment, like,
we didn't even get that far with this one. I
was so excited because we've gotten to the first doctor's appointment.
See on the sonogram, and I'm thinking everything's fine, and
the doctor comes in with this little girl and said,
you know, this is not looking good. That's what she
(38:20):
said to me, which was not good bedside manner. But anyway,
I said, what do you what do you mean? She said,
if this was a six week embryo, it's fine, but
it's an eight week embryo. And within the next couple
of days, I think, you know, I said, is there
any chance so you talk about thinking that something is
like debt and your emotions going from here to there.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
I had.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
She said, come back next week and we'll see if
it's progressed. We'll let you know if it hasn't. Whatever.
So that whole entire week I went from a place
of I didn't want to be disappointed. So I started saying, Okay,
it's over. I'm just whatever. And then God was like,
why there are you just writing this? And I said,
because I don't want to be disappointed. I don't want
(39:02):
to be in that place. And something just shifted in
me and I just started putting worship music on and
just believing. And when we went into the obichi Waian,
right before we went in, we blasted praise music. We
blasted the song Miracle carried Job's version of miracle. And
I believe in you, A believer, you the God of miracles.
(39:22):
I was like a belief I believe. And we went
into that doctor and they said, everything looks perfect. It's nice,
they told it, and I said, oh my gosh. I said,
Jesus did that. And the one lady's like, well, it
was probably a miscalculation. I said, no, Jesus did that,
and I was just so excited. So anyway, we're twenty
five weeks into this. Every time we go back, I
(39:45):
think of that. I cannot stop thinking about what God
did for us, because I thought this was over and
it's just been a huge testimony every step of the way.
Everything looks good on all of the ultrasounds and everything.
I said. We twenty five now, and I praise God
because it was just like wow, Lord, So I'm just
(40:07):
so grateful. I got off in a tangent, but I
was she was just incredible what God did.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Absolutely, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
That is so that's so powerful and just I just
love how God met you and kind of prompted you
to have hope and to praise and to give him glory.
And I love that you told him, yeah, Jesus did it.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
I love that I.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Was going in all office, even people who didn't know
what happened. I was like, Jesus did a miracle. So
that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Oh, I'm so I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Thank you, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Well, we are.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
I want to talk more about your music and your process.
I mean, I'm glad, but so we're I want to
have you back. So we can talk more about your
music and your process, but you have When did your
album Faith Can Move Mountains come out? How recently that
it came out twenty twenty four, Okay, so it's been
a little while now, it's been out for a while.
I love your music because it is so prayer and
(41:08):
worship and just like, I don't know, I just I
love it. I listened to to some of your album
and I love it. I feel like it's very worshipful.
And what made you choose that title? You kind of
went into that before about is that you know about
the moving mountains? And but like what kind of made
you choose that title?
Speaker 1 (41:28):
And absolutely well before I forget I actually also because
we were talking about the miscarriages, I did write a
song that has blessed a lot of women who were grieving,
called through that called to my unborn baby, I'll never
forget you, And I think it helps a lot of women,
even if they've had miscarriages like years ago, to process
maybe they never processed it or allowed themselves to process it,
(41:51):
and it's helped a lot of women. So I do
want to mention that because I always forget to mention that.
But that song came out after that. But faith can
move mountains. Yeah, I was in that place of saying, God,
I'm it was in the start of the health challenge
that I was going through. That's in the start of
all of that, and I was having just a conversation
(42:12):
with God and as I mentioned before, saying God, I'm doubting,
and he said, no, I'm going to honor your faith.
And I thought of that verse and I think it's
Matthew seventeen twenty. I hope I'm paintering about if you
look at the mustard seed, if you have that much faith,
you can move the mountain. And it just I don't know,
you hear things your whole life, and then you think
(42:35):
one day that's really incredible, like you, is that really true.
I mean it is because it's God's truth. But it's
just incredible to think, well, if that can move the mountain,
and you think of all the mountains in your life,
because there's so many things that sometimes you just need
that breakthrough and you're just like, where is that breakthrough?
And sometimes the greatest breakthrough is the spiritual, the belief
(42:58):
barrier and all of those things. And so every word
of that I think came from a place of just
my my trust back to God. Of like, I believe
you're going to move this mountain and every mountain from
here and whatever that looks like, and even when things
don't look the circumstances, I believe you're going to help
(43:19):
me to rise above the mountain. So in whatever capacity
God answers that prayer and however long it takes, that
you can live in that space. And that's kind of
like the same with the book too, like because we're
going to have things in life that happen, and you know,
nothing's going to be perfect because we live in a
fallen world, but getting to that spot with God. And
(43:40):
so that song faith gab of Mountains is the title
of the album and the title song that I wrote.
And then the other songs and there are great one
of some of my favorite worship songs as well on there.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
I saw that. So there's some of yours and then
some of.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
My favorite worship songs.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
So I missed your I missed your single to My
Unborn Baby. I'll never forget you. So if people want
to know that, that's not part of that album, so
make sure to search for Kristin Records and it'll pop
up as one of the songs. I can't wait to
hear that one. That's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I hear that and that would make it does make
me cry when I listen to it. So just preparing
people in a good way. I think it's a good
healing for a lot of people. So yeah, that's that's
one of my favorites too.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Well, we will link to that as well.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Well.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
Where can our listeners.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Find your music, your radio show, your book, find you
passed episodes on Nickelodeon. No, We'll start looking for all
the things, but no, where can our listeners connect with
you online and on social media.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
That's great about being a kid actor in that era.
There's not like you know, some of the YouTube stuff
that was not like a thing back then.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
It's harder to find, but it's a I think the
best place to go, because of course you could go
to iTunes, you could go to Amazon a that, but
the best places go. It's my webs site that my
husband actually did for me, God bless him in his
spare time, kristinickords dot com. And I'm sure you can
either type it or so they can see the spelling
(45:09):
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
We'll link to it.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Yeah, you can get the music on there everything, you know,
YouTube videos, all that stuff on there.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Great.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
All right, well, how can we close in prayer for
you today, Kristin?
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Well, thank you so much. I love by the way
your program and you're focused on prayer. I think that's
not emphasized enough. So that's when I pray to God
continues to bless your ministry and I really appreciate that.
Pray for safe delivery and everything. Of course with the
baby girl to be just perfectly healthy, and can pray
(45:44):
for complete healing health for me. And then thirdly, just
pray that everything I do that God would continue to
bring people to him through all the projects. Just bring many,
many people into His kingdom.
Speaker 3 (45:58):
Okay, absolutely we will do that. Kristin.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
Thank you for your time and just for just for
the courage to use your pain to bring hope to people.
That's not easy, and I'm just so thankful that God
has been able to show you kind of like the redemption,
the gift, and you know, just pray, pray that God
will use it to reach countless people.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Amen. Amen, I receive that and I believe it. So
thank you so much. And same for your wonderful ministry too.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
Thank you all.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Ri Let's pray God, I just thank you so much
for Kristin. Thank you for not wasting any of our pain,
and I thank you for giving her the vision and
the wisdom to know even in the midst of that
dark time, that you were with her and that you
were at work. And I just pray that for the
person listening who is just so paralyzed in their pain
(46:55):
that they just don't even know where to turn, that
they don't have the energy to even reach out to you,
we just pray that you would surround her with your love,
with your presence, that you would place people in her
life to point her to you to pray over her
when she doesn't have the words to pray herself, and
that you would just plant that mustard seed of faith
(47:16):
in her heart, that you would supply her with that
and increase her faith and sustain her until the time
in which she can actually see you and breathe again.
Or to just pray that you would be blessing Kristen's work,
just all of the different hats she wears, all of
the ways that you've allowed her to just express herself
creatively in ways that bring glory to you. We just
(47:39):
pray that all of those things would be like a
magnet that would just draw in people, whether they're Christians
that need encouragement or unbelievers that need hope, that need
a lifeline. That salvations would happen because of her work
and ministry, that just resurrected faith would happen in people
(47:59):
who've lost time hope, and just that strengthening and encouraging
believers would happen.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
And we pray that you would.
Speaker 2 (48:07):
Just smash all roadblocks to getting her words and her
heart and her work out to people who desperately need it.
And we just pray your blessing over Kristin and her
husband and her baby. We pray that you would just
continue to allow her to grow and to develop and
(48:27):
be healthy, and that at a very young age, that
you would allow her to come to a saving faith
in Jesus, and that she would just be surrounded by
the love of Christ. That she would be just a
warrior for your kingdom, and that you would just be
blessing Christin as she gets ready for her delivery, and
(48:47):
that it would be safe and that it would be
quick and easy and pay us and God that you
would just shower blessings on her. We pray for complete
and total healing for Kristen in Jesus Name, and we
believe it and we stand in faith for that answered
prayer in Jesus Name.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (49:11):
We'd like to take.
Speaker 2 (49:12):
Just a quick second to thank the team at Life
Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. If
you go to lifeaudio dot com, you will find dozens
of other faith centered podcasts in their network.
Speaker 3 (49:23):
They've got shows about.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Prayer, Bible study, parenting, and so much more. That's lifeaudio
dot com.
Life Audio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hi there, and welcome to the Praying Christian Women Podcast.
I'm Jamie Hampton and I'm so excited to be here
today with Kristin Rickards. Kristen is a musician, a radio host, model,
and author of A Life Worth Living in Christ ninety
Days to Clarity, Purpose and Hope.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Kristin, there's so much to.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Talk about, like I feel like we need multiple interviews
to cover it all, but thank you for being here
for this one to talk about your story and just
to share the hope, just the ways that God has
worked in your life.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm so glad to connect with you, Jamie, and You've
gotten the right person. I am a talker, so when
you said can we talk for an hour? I said yes,
I can talk for hours.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
That makes my job so easy. It's like, take it
and go, Kristen.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You want to talk about apple Pie, We'll talk about that.
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'm going to start making notes of all the different
podcast episodes we're going to have to have together, because yeah,
I mean, we have never had someone on the podcast
that wore so many hats. I don't think because I
feel like we could talk to you about each of
these hats.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
That you wear at length.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
And so I think we're going to probably focus a
lot on your book right now, but I'd love to
have you back to ask some other questions about things.
But yeah, so before we get into it, though, before
we get into you and your story, we like to
ask all of our guests, what is your favorite prayer closet?
Where do you like to go to meet with God?
It could be a literal closet, It could be a
(01:31):
prayer chair, it could be somewhere wild and crazy and
wacky that we've never heard.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I love that question. No one has ever asked that question,
and that's such an obvious, great question because it's so important,
and you're right, it could it. For me, it is
a physical place, and that place has changed, but sometimes
it is if I'm on the go, it's the car
or you know, a hotel room. Growing up, of course,
it was my bedroom, and now that I got married
(01:59):
and moved to another house, it's in another place. Obviously,
it's in the guest room of my house, which is
being converted to a nursery because I'm pregnant with my
baby girl with congratulations, But wherever it is, the common
theme is it's got to be a place where I
can have a window where I can look out at
God's creation, because I feel like that's how I start
(02:21):
of just of course, no phone, no just no distractions
and just be able to look out the window and
hear God speak through nature and then then start talking
to him start because I feel like He's got so
much to say, and I always think you can hear him.
A talker, I want to say everything first, but I
try to be still and just hear what He has
(02:43):
to say first, and that is so important to have
that space. You're so right. So I love my prayer room.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, so we hear this over and over again. People
will talk about nature being like a component of their
prayer time a lot of times, not always, but I
find the same thing. It's like just being in God's creation.
And you know, like the saying touch grass, I mean
(03:13):
we need to touch grass sometimes. I literally I remember
being in a really tough time. My mom had dementia.
She's passed away many years ago now, but she had
dementia very young, and it was just the first time
in my life that I had debilitating grief, and I
remember this feeling of just I thought I felt like
(03:37):
I was needed to get out of my skin or something,
and I just thought, I have to take my shoes
off and walk in the grass. And there was something
about like being connected to the grass that just made
me feel like, Okay, God, I'm like I'm closer to
you now somehow. And I can't explain it, but that's
how I feel when I'm in my garden. When i'm
and even when I'm indoors, I like to be looking
(03:59):
outside some mountains in the distance from where we live,
and so I do. I like to have a little
like prayer window area, like a window seat in our room,
and I can look out and kind of see the mountain.
There's just something about that that makes us, I think,
feel more connected to him absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And I because I live in New Jersey and our
our climate is very it's a varying climate.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It is extremes.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
You know, when it's nice out doing those prayer walks
and all of that is so great to be in nature.
But if it's freezing, I'm not much of a I'm
not a camper, I'm not a hiker, So just looking
out a window is it works for me. But I
do feel with you there. I had a grandmother who
had and I know it's not the same as having
a mother who has dementia, but she lived with us
(04:45):
from the time I was five till I was ten,
And unless you've walked that journey, it's it's tough. And
again it's different. Grandmother is a different role. But I
saw it was tough on my dad and on my parents,
And you know that's the thing. God holds your hand
through that, and I'm sure we have a lot of
listeners who are in that position as well. So God,
God definitely walks through that journey and carries you through
(05:07):
that journey as well.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Absolutely well. Which came first? So which came first? Being
a model, being a radio host, being a singer, songwriter,
or being a writer an author? Like, what are of
those things? What was your journey and what were the
stepping stones?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Okay, so let me try to condense it, because I'll
tell you my life story. But basically I would say
that my whole life, my whole family is very musical,
where like the Partridge family or there I love it.
So I was born into music. I from my earliest
(05:43):
memories as a baby, just music. And I'm doing the
same thing for my little one, just constantly floting, of course,
to worship music. When I say music, the worshiping God
and that environment and music because I believe it's so
important and so And then when I was actually as
as young as three years old, my sister, who was
a couple of years older than me, begged my parents
(06:05):
to go in an audition for a Broadway show and
she got the Broadway show as Annie, and she did
Annie and Salent music. And I was a three four
year old surrounded by that, and I was like, when
can I start? When can I? I always wanted to
have that performance bug they call it, so at age
five I started. I did my first film, a major
(06:25):
motion picture and Nickelodeon stuff and did all the acting stuff.
And I was so fortunate to have parents. And I
know we'll probably touch on this later, but I will
say that as advocates, we were in good, wholesome things.
We were not you know, they kept that because as
a five year old you can't make those decisions. But
then came the time when I was about I guess
(06:45):
early teens, where things started being questionable and we just
felt not called there anymore. So my sister and I.
We had our own variety show. When we traveled the country.
We got to perform at the White House and for
the Men, and had all great experiences. During that time.
I was also a Miss New Jersey teenager, so I
had all those experiences. Fast forward, because I'm condensing all
(07:08):
this to when I got married. I met my husband
seven years ago and I got married five it'll be
five years in May. And he has really been the
wind beneath my wings as far as seeing me take
off as a solo artist, solo career songwriting, I've always
I've written songs. Even when I was a little girl.
I would write in journal. That was my way to
(07:29):
express to the Lord, whether it was happy things or frustrations,
whatever it was. Songs came out of that and they
still do to this day. And so I felt the
path the calling to do, you know, to be a
worship leader and do Christian music and write Christian music.
And then the book came after that most recently, and
the modeling all throughout. But you know, it's funny because
(07:51):
I was kind of thinking, because I grew up doing
kind of more secular things, wholesome but secular, I said, God,
can I influence. Still do you want me in this
Christian market so to speak? And God really spoke to
me and said, look, you don't need to water anything down.
You need to just proclaim. People are hungry for my truth.
(08:13):
You proclaim my words. You write songs that blatantly say
everything about me, and people will be drawn to that.
And I've seen Christians and non Christians drawn to my
music and my books, and that is what just sets
my soul on fire to know that it's, you know,
bringing more people to Him. So I've tried to condense
(08:33):
that as much as I could, even though that was mouthful.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
That's so good you.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I feel like you had to have practiced that because
that's so much No, so we can add actress. I
didn't realize that was part of it too, So yeah,
that is. I love what you said there because I
think as Christians we can compartmentalize to the point of
excluding things that can still be considered worship. For since
(09:00):
a job in a secular space where we could say, oh,
well that's not worship, that's not Christian. To be a
good Christian, I have to do this. And what God
told you was you don't have to be labeled as
something create authentically without a filter, not trying to curb
it so that it'll fit into a non Christian naure,
(09:22):
you know. But just create authentically and I will bless
it and people will be blessed by it. I just
think that's beautiful. That's such a like a freeing way
to look at being creatives is creating authentically.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, because as you know, it can really paralyze you
to think, to start thinking when you do wear a
lot of hats, and Jamie, I'm sure you do too,
and all of our listeners. If you're a mom, if
you're a wife, if you're everything, you're wearing a lot
of hats. So it's that can paralyze you to think
when you overthink things and instead you just do everything
(09:57):
unto the Lord and then he'll put it where it's
supposed to be. So absolutely, that's great.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I love that. Well, you kind of touched on this
a little.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
So what is it like being in and I initially
said in the modeling world as a Christian woman, but
also in the you know, television world, in the broadway world.
You know, what is it like being in artistic spaces
that are pretty you know, not overtly Christian What is
that like?
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Have have there been times when you've.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Had to stand up against some of the norms that
that are maybe go against your faith? Is it awkward ever,
or do you find it comes naturally?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
It's funny because it's well, I shouldn't say it's funny,
but it's you know, we have really seen the tide
go just so far. I think about when I was
a kid acting in these things, there was still some
element of I would say, respect for Christian values, and
so there was not Yes, there was things out there
(11:00):
that were just bad projects that my manager at the
time I won't even I don't even want to mention
the name of them, but you would know they're very
famous things that came out. They wanted me to be
the lead for. I would have been famous and all
this stuff, and my parents said no. They didn't even
have to think twice. And I'm so grateful they put
that precedent and instilled that in me, because what is
(11:23):
it to gain the world and lose your soul. But
there was more opportunities than to be as I said,
my sister was in the sound of music. The stuff
that I was involved with were very, very wholesome, very
uplifting kind of content and you could find people in pockets.
Now that's why we started to kind of do our
own thing, because we saw that tide start to shift.
(11:44):
I will say the great news about today is that
there's more Christian projects out there. I'm actually working on
being a producer. They want to use my song on
a Christian film, and I love that that that's in
the main market that didn't really exist when I was
a kid, that at least in this capacity. So there's
still those opportunities. If you're a person who feels called
(12:06):
to the entertainment industry, you just have to know you're
lying like and have it non compromising, like if you
just kind of don't if you vaguely know, that's not
good enough because you'll be drug way over. You've got
to have those values in place, so you know, yeah,
is there you know, persecution and all those things that
(12:27):
people say. And I always hate to use that word
because I always think of like the people in the
Bible or the Christians around the world that are persecuted
for their faith. To me, that's if someone's just not
nice to you, that's I don't know, it's not obviously
the same level of persecution, although we tend to call
it that, but you know, yes, there are those things,
(12:48):
but if you know what you're doing it for and
you keep your eyes on the prize, it's all worth it.
And there is there are people you can connect with
that are on the same level and value as you.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, I've read a couple of books recently about Christians
in different kinds of industries that aren't Christian, and I
think the key to what I see in their ability
to maintain their faith is making connections with other Christians
and that kind of helps them be grounded. I'm curious
when your parents set those boundaries, were you mad, Like
(13:33):
were you upset at the time, Like did you feel
like you were missing out or like they were holding
you back? Or were you grateful at the time. I
know you said looking back, you're grateful.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
I was grateful at the time, because I don't think
that I even you know, I knew, I guess because
of my age, because I started so early, I didn't
really have the concept. Maybe if I had been a
little older, I might have had the temptation to be
like you know, every person has that fleshly, I want
to be famous, I want to be seen. We all
(14:04):
want to be noticed. It might have been because of
my age that when Goldie Hawn or whoever was right there,
I was like, okay, good for you, you know, like
I just didn't you know what together this is a
famous person, so they really shielded. I don't know that
they ever even It's not that they like lied to
me or kept something from me, but I think they
just probably declined something and they told me later and
(14:25):
it was not made a big deal out of it
wasn't so to me. It was like, okay, we're not
doing that. It wasn't like it wasn't till later that
I found out, oh that was that movie that I
was supposed to be an end then at my gratitude. Really,
then I was really grateful because I do know people
unfortunately who've gone down that path, and you see unfortunately
(14:46):
through the years and you think, oh my goodness, it's
just so destructive and even from even from a secular perspective,
it's not even good for their mental health. Of course
we know the spiritual part behind that. But no, I
think I was grateful, or at the very least just like, okay, whatever.
But now more than ever, I'm grateful because then I
(15:06):
that instilled in me the boundaries as well that I
look for. I remember in my dancing school then wanting
to play a really bad again. I don't want to
mention the name of the artist to give them any credit,
but I just could feel how this was not of
the Lord, this song that they wanted to play for
and I said, no, I'm not dancing to it, and
the dance teacher was like, you know, saying to me,
(15:27):
and I remember I was like twelve thirteen, and they said,
you need to apologize to all the people that are
you're letting down. We could win competition. So that wasn't
even professional acting world. That was just you know, the
dancing school. But those kinds of things of saying no,
I'm standing my ground. The more you do it, the
more it shapes you and the more you're conviction. So
(15:47):
that's that's what's great. And kids watch, kids watch what
we do, yeah, and then they follow suit. So absolutely
that's great.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And I loved what you said about deciding where your
line is before, like before the situation comes up where
you have to decide, because when you have that like
forbidden fruit in front of you, if you don't already
have the line there. It could be so easy, I imagine,
to compromise and make up reasons why, oh yeah, I
(16:16):
haven't set my line. I guess it could be just
right on the other side of that thing, you know,
because it's not that bad. But if you have your
convictions set and your lines, and you kind of think
forward to opportunities or things that could present themselves that
might be compromising, you can kind of plan for that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
I think that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yes, And you know it's something that Satan and I
is really tricky with is because there is such great
Christian content out there. I think that he wants to
attack it. And I think even with Christian content, you
have to be if you're asked to do something, you
have to still have your guard up for a second.
You can't just say, oh, this is Christian, I'll do it.
(16:55):
I learned that because I remember thinking, oh, this is Christian.
Sometimes unfortunately, they're just capitalizing on the term Christian because
they know they're going to get an audience. There are,
of course great Christian there's great Christian content out there,
but you have to look for it. Then there's other
things that they may not have the same line as
you do. They may not be as mature in the faith.
(17:17):
So you've got to really say, even if the project
says Christian, let's look and really go through and make
sure you know that it's something with the right focus,
because just because it has that label, you can't just
take that for granted. Too.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That's really good advice.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And I imagine that even if the content is totally Christian,
it's still you're involved with people that are humans, and
they may or may not be people with the best intentions,
or even if they have good intentions, maybe they have
bad methods and you do have to be discerning. Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
that is all such good advice. Well, I would love
(17:53):
to talk about your book. So your book is called
A Life Worth Living in Christ ninety eight, Life, Clarity,
Purpose and Hope.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yes, yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
So tell us.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
About this book and kind of how it came about
and who it's for and what you hope people come
away with.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, my goodness. So I've always in the back of
my head thought it'd be cool to write a book,
but I didn't think I had the patience for it,
because it's one thing to write a song. It's short,
a lot shorter than a book. And I love to
write and I've always journaled, but I was like, to
write a book, that's too much. So I just kind
(18:33):
of wrote it off. But people within the year, which
I just recently wrote it, so whenever that was the
time frame right before I wrote it, God kept dropping
people to say, hey, you should write a book, you
should write a book. And I just kept hearing it,
and I knew it was God because I know sometimes
you have to watch it that too. You can't just say, oh,
this person said, God told them, you know that you
(18:55):
need to do this. It was God confirming in me.
It was really him tugging at my heart. I was
going through a difficult season of health crisis and two
miscarriages all at the same time, and I think that
probably fueled the fire. It was a very cathartic experience
for me to write, and I just said, I'm going
to just do this. And I thought. I thought, I
(19:16):
was like, well, if I do it as a devotional book,
it won't be that's I can handle that. Well, it's
ninety days and it ends up being three hundred pages now.
But it was It was so easy because I just
felt like I was letting God flow through me. I
actually wrote it on my phone. I wrote it on
my phone on the notes section. I would sit there
(19:36):
and just type and type and type, and so I had.
After I wrote the whole thing, I had my husband.
I was like, make sure there's no errors in here.
God bless him for doing that for me. And I
just felt like it was when he was just downloading
all of that into me. At the same time, I
was seeing people write on Facebook in different places is
life worth living? I don't feel I feel like giving up?
(19:59):
And I thought people are. So there were three things
that stuck out. I said, if I feel and I
know God, but I'm feeling lost, stuck, and discouraged. That's
what I'm feeling right now, Like I just feel so
lost and I know Jesus, but how much more do
people who don't know him feel that way? And God said,
I'm going to give you clarity, purpose and hope. So
(20:19):
that's kind of how it all came together. And there's
nine sections in there that are all different things that
whether you're a Christian and you've been a Christian all
your life, I feel like it's a different take that
you know, we've all had Christian books that they I
don't say this, say they say the same thing because
I don't mean it like that, because we need to
be reminded of things. But I feel like God gave
(20:40):
me new concept for this season. And then if you're
not a Christian, I was worried that is it going
to you know, resonate with people. And there's so many
people who said, I'm really learning about God through this book.
So guys, girls, it's for everybody, That's what And I
hope you know that life is living in Christ when
(21:01):
you're done reading it. That's what I hope to get
out of it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oh, that's a message that's so important.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And like you said, we know Jesus and we're still
faced with helplessness sometimes as Christians. And so can you
kind of take us back to that difficult time. I
love that we can be talking now and see God's
redemption and his kind of restoration through your pregnancy and congratulations.
(21:27):
I'm so excited for you, but that doesn't take away
the loss and that was such a dark, difficult time
for you. Can you take us back to that time
and just kind of what was your prayer journey through
that time of difficulty. So you started off, you had
a faith before as a foundation, before you were going
(21:48):
into this difficult time. How did you process these things
as they were happening, and like, how did your prayer
life change as a result? For instance, did you were
you mad at God? Were there times you were tired
of praying over and over for seeing you know, and
being disappointed? Or did you get to a point where
you couldn't pray? What were the things happening at that point?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh so much? And I want to say this too.
I know that your listeners may have you know, there's
so many different tragedies and I look at someone else's
strategy and that's why we can't compare. It's what you're
going through. It matters, you know, because I'm not taking
away from someone. I'm sure there are people who have
way worse, you know, things that they go through, and
(22:32):
so I'm not saying like, oh, oh it is me,
look what I went through. But I knew God was
going to not waste the pain. I knew that same feeling,
that same place of being lost could be used. And
I've talked to people and they've said that the book
has to help them, and they've told me what they've
gone through, and I'm just like, oh, my goodness, I
can never go through that without God. Of course, so
(22:52):
that's the thing. It knew he would not waste the pain.
But I will say, yeah, it got to be real.
I mean, I have always had a really deep prayer life,
even when I was really really little, Like I just knew.
I knew I was a prayer warrior that I would
just really get in touch with the throne room of God.
And there were times in life that I would just
(23:13):
see miracles like I've been so fast, and then I
would see them happen a little slower some of them,
but I always saw his hand. And in this instance,
for the first time in my life, I started saying,
what is this. I guess this is a maturing of
my faith where I'm having to trust you when I
don't even see your hand in this. And so it
(23:35):
started off with the just bizarre health crisis thing that
was enough to make me like, God, Hello, are you there.
But then when the miscarriages happened, and then after the
second one and they did all his testing, and then
they came back and said, we have no answers for you.
After extensive testing there's just no reason we don't know.
(23:58):
And and so that was all more frustrating because it
was like, okay, you know, it was just being in
that place of just saying, God, why all of this
at once? Why not can you fix one of the problem.
And He did fix one of them, and I have
seen major steps towards oh my gosh, so much better
(24:18):
with my physical health situation. But I still am in
that place of saying, God, please completely he feel me.
But there was a time period where I went through this,
I'm mad at you God. I don't feel like I'm
gonna be praying as much as I should. And I
hate to admit that, but I have to be honest.
I didn't go through that. And it's not that I
stopped believing in God. It was just that it was
(24:41):
almost like I'm sticking my heels in until you do something.
Then I'll lean into you. Until I realized I can't
live like that for very long. None of us can.
Those times in life are the times we have to
dig in because it's our only choice. You can only
do that for so long until you say, okay, God,
I just you and just cry out to him. He
(25:01):
wants to hear you cry out to him, and in
that pain, he just lifts you to a place that
I can't really describe. It's a closeness with him. It's
so I think I developed a spiritual maturity in my
prayer life of like the even if even if you
don't do this, I still love you, I still praise you,
but I still believe you, even as long as it takes,
(25:23):
I still believe that you were have the best plan.
And I feel like that was a big thing because
at the other parts of my life I had seen
those miracles, and for this it was like, Okay, no
matter what, you are on the throne. So yeah, it
really as I was writing it was going through that
journey for sure.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, well, I'm so glad that you are honest, because
I mean, I know I've been there, and it's it
is it feels kind of like hard to admit that.
It's like, oh, I've been a Christian for this long,
I shouldn't get to this place, but we do. And
so to give people permission to say, you know what,
we all get there, we all get to the place
of not being happy with God and maybe even feeling
(26:07):
like we're like Okay, I'm going to withhold a little
bit of relationship from you because I just can't right now.
And to realize that he can handle that. He loves
us and he knows, and I mean Jesus has walked
it all and he's walking it with us even as
we speak, and so of course God knows and he
can handle that. So thank you for that permission, you know,
(26:30):
and just to be able to say, I think it's
better to acknowledge that and to go to God with
that and say I can't pray as intimately and closely
because I'm kind of upset, like I don't understand and
there is there is pain here. I think it's better
to do that than to go through the motions and pretend. Yeah,
that creates distance, It creates you know, it gives the
(26:53):
enemy a foothold when you're not holding onto God with anger.
Instead you pull back. I mean, that leaves a void
for the enemy to just block you off and separate you.
So anyway, thank you for that honesty.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Absolutely, And I know we're going all over the place,
and I don't want to get off topic from the book,
but I will say this. When I wrote the song
faith Can Move Mountains, That was one of the things
that God showed me is that I always was afraid
of that verse that says a double minded man is
unstabled in all his ways and doubt. And I always
was afraid of, Oh Lord, I doubt it, so you're
(27:28):
not going to come through like that was just a
thought that went through my head. And God spoke to
me and said, you know, look, you're human. You're He
doesn't mean that when he says, yes, his word is solid,
we have to go buy his word. But you're human.
You're going to have those moments of temptation of doubt.
(27:49):
But God doesn't doesn't punish you for that. He honors
you for your faith, and that faith being the mustard seed.
That's what you need. So that too, as you said
it being real, being real with God telling him your
emotions and say I am struggling because he wants you
and he loves you, and he wants that realness and
he's not going to punish you for that. I think
(28:11):
we have that in our minds sometimes of having to
kind of keep that you know from him, and it's
instead you need to just pour it out his feet.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
That is so good, so he does not punish you
for your doubt, he rewards you for your faith. I
almost wonder. I mean, it takes a mustard seed of faith.
Sometimes that's all we have. But it takes a mustard
seed of faith to go to God and say, I'm
angry with you, but I believe in you. I believe
you're there you know, or or if you're in a place.
I can imagine there's someone listening who's been in a
(28:54):
place where they've wondered, is God even real?
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Like I can't hear.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Him, But to even go to him and say, I
don't know if you're real, but if you are, speak
to me, that's something like. That is a kernel. It
hasn't bloomed, it hasn't been watered. It's it's hard and dry,
but it's something. So I just feel like any movement
(29:17):
toward God is that mustard seed. But the implication of
that seed is that it has potential and that when
God takes it that he can just like make it
grow into a gigantic tree. I don't I don't know
how mustard plants grow.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Is it a tree?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I don't know. I was wondering. I know, I'm I'm
mustard plants.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I don't know, but it'll grow.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, whatever it does, all we know is it's what
is it? It's like smaller than your fingernail or something.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Yeah, Like I mean, I don't know. I've used it
in salad dressing.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I don't know that's a good idea, But I think
that's you know, it's just amazing to think of how
how small that that faith is. It's like that we
have that. It's like, okay, I can do that, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
It takes faith to come to Him, even imperfectly.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
So yes, I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
So I really love this. From this excerpt in your book,
from day three, it says, sometimes it seems the clock
has run out, so we lose hope and turn the
page to a more attainable reality. But God is the
lord of the eleventh hour. I think that is so good.
And you relate it to the story that came to
my mind at first was like Abram and Sarah when
(30:28):
they didn't trust in God's promise and they involved Hagar
in providing the air of you know, God's you know,
the promised child, which obviously did not work out well.
But you relate it to this lesser known story, and
I would love for you to tell us about this,
because I was like, I don't know if I I
mean it rang a bell maybe, but I don't even
(30:49):
know if I've heard this story. So this is in
Second Kings about the Shinnamite woman and her promised son.
So remind us of that story and can you relate
it to that that kind of commentary on on waiting
on the Lord?
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Absolutely? So the interesting part is she too. I assumed
she was old. It said her husband was old. It
only mentioned her husband was old. But I assume we're
supposed to believe that she was an older woman as well.
And they welcomed Elisha, the prophet Elishah. I always get
them confused Elijah. So anyway, and they had it said
(31:24):
that they were wealthy. It actually made the point to
say that they were wealthy, and they had a place
in their home for him, and he said to them,
what can I do for you? Because you have done
this for a man of God. And I think it's
interesting because it's just right there there's I mean, the
whole story has so much to impact. They didn't have
a deficit in their finances, They had all this going on,
(31:47):
yet they lacked something they could not do anything about
they needed they and those times, of course to have
a son, and heir specifically a son was important. So
they did not have a son. They did not see
how that was even post and he said that God
will do this for you. By this time next year,
you will hold your son in your arms. And she said, don't.
I'm paraphrasing here, but she was like, don't toy with me, Like,
(32:10):
don't don't do that to me. Don't do that to
my emotions. And how many of us, you know, when
someone has said something or briefed life's into us, we
were like, don't go there, because I've already written that off.
I don't want to be disappointed. But then you're like, okay,
but I have to believe in order for it to happen.
So anyway, the son is born, which is a miracle.
But then what happens is one day, when he's a
(32:34):
young boy, he says his head hurts and he dies,
and it says he dies, and it's important that he
says he dies, and he doesn't say he was in
a coma, he went asleep. He said he dies. That's
what it says in the Bible. So but instead of
just what she does with that information is amazing. I
think to myself, God Lord helped me to be like
(32:56):
this woman. She puts the sun in the room where
Elijah what's gonna stay, shuts the door, gets on a donkey,
and goes towards Elijah. She doesn't waste a moment. Her
husband said, Hey, what's going on? She says, all is well.
She keeps going on the road. People come up to her,
how is your son? They say, She doesn't say an
(33:16):
all is well. She keeps saying that, And I always
think about saying that when things are looking like they're
falling apart. But you know, God is on the throne
and you've got to get to God. You don't waste
time with the negativity and the nonsense and the voices.
You just say, all is well, and you keep going
towards God. She gets to Elisha. Long story short, She
gets to Elisha and then then she breaks down and
(33:38):
tells him what's happening. Hey, you said that you would
give God would give me the son. I mean, you know,
she's got to be thinking God, and sometimes we feel
this way. Right, Let's be real, God, are you cruel
like you promise me a son? You give me this
miracle and then you just immediately take it away like this,
like what does that makes any sense to you? You know,
(34:01):
it doesn't make any sense to me. So Elishah goes
to the house, gets on top of the boy, breathes life,
prays over the boy. He sneak The boy sneezes seven
times and wakes up. He is raised him in the dead.
And I just think of like we have things in
our life, dreams that we write off because they look dead.
(34:22):
I mean, this dream was this boy was dead and
God raised it to life. And if he can do that,
what can he do for you and I in our lives?
And it always has to I think it's interesting. It's
almost like God wants to remind you that he's in
control of the miracle because it's like this same miracle
with this boy. And so if God's done something for you,
(34:44):
don't second guess it. If he's done a miracle in
some area and you think that something's falling apart, keep
believing him because if he did it, then he's going
to do it again. And you have to just know
that it may look like the end of your timeline,
but his timeline is not our own and so you know,
there's a lot to unpacked. There are a lot of things.
(35:05):
But that's the story of that, which is just it's
a remarkable all is well, All is well? You know
that's great.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
That reminds me of Horatio Spafford and it is well
with my soul when he's like basically traveling the same
route where and they get to the place where I think,
wasn't it was it his children and his wife or
was it just his several children or something had died
in a storm, But he just says it is well.
(35:33):
And it's almost like I don't want to say fake
it till you make it, because that's not what we're
advocating for. But speak it before you've internalized it. Speak
truth of what is before your emotions and your spirit
and caught up with what is true.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And it does make a difference. I'm sure that is
so good. When you were writing that, you were in the.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Midst of a parallel loss and situation of God, you
gave me this gift. I thought, I was, you know,
had a future with this child and these two children,
And how did you process that?
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Well, it's really interesting because I we when we had
the first miscarriage. I mean that just for any woman
who's gone through that, it rocked my world as far
as just thinking so emotionally. I just it was such
a place of pain that I can't describe. And I
know for the women who've gone through that, just this
(36:32):
it just a place of loss that I can't describe
it because it was a child you love that you
never got to hold the intangible, you know, it's different
the way to mourn something like that. It was just
there's so many layers to it. And then I was
already kind of feeling that way. Then we go through
(36:53):
immediately the second one, and that's when I was just like, Okay,
so this whole thing about having children, this dream is
kind of I just don't know what's going to change,
especially after the testing and all of that. And God
bless my husband, he was like, no, God has it
for us. I think it is. It is more. It's
(37:16):
difficult for both the man and the woman, but for
the women too. You know, it's just a different it's
just a different kind of pain feeling. But I was
not ready to give up, and I wrote that book
and I just sort of like, Okay, I know God
that you have a plan, and I looked at it
adoption because I know people who have adopted, and that's
if God had wanted that for my life, that it's
(37:39):
you know, I was open to that, but I really
felt like it didn't want me to give up on
this dream in my heart of hearts. So anyway, the
book came out after having those two miscarriages, and I
found out I was pregnant at one of the book launches.
Well not at the book launch, but I found out
right around that time. So with the other to miscarriage
(38:00):
is we never even went to the doctor's appointment, like,
we didn't even get that far with this one. I
was so excited because we've gotten to the first doctor's appointment.
See on the sonogram, and I'm thinking everything's fine, and
the doctor comes in with this little girl and said,
you know, this is not looking good. That's what she
(38:20):
said to me, which was not good bedside manner. But anyway,
I said, what do you what do you mean? She said,
if this was a six week embryo, it's fine, but
it's an eight week embryo. And within the next couple
of days, I think, you know, I said, is there
any chance so you talk about thinking that something is
like debt and your emotions going from here to there.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
I had.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
She said, come back next week and we'll see if
it's progressed. We'll let you know if it hasn't. Whatever.
So that whole entire week I went from a place
of I didn't want to be disappointed. So I started saying, Okay,
it's over. I'm just whatever. And then God was like,
why there are you just writing this? And I said,
because I don't want to be disappointed. I don't want
(39:02):
to be in that place. And something just shifted in
me and I just started putting worship music on and
just believing. And when we went into the obichi Waian,
right before we went in, we blasted praise music. We
blasted the song Miracle carried Job's version of miracle. And
I believe in you, A believer, you the God of miracles.
(39:22):
I was like a belief I believe. And we went
into that doctor and they said, everything looks perfect. It's nice,
they told it, and I said, oh my gosh. I said,
Jesus did that. And the one lady's like, well, it
was probably a miscalculation. I said, no, Jesus did that,
and I was just so excited. So anyway, we're twenty
five weeks into this. Every time we go back, I
(39:45):
think of that. I cannot stop thinking about what God
did for us, because I thought this was over and
it's just been a huge testimony every step of the way.
Everything looks good on all of the ultrasounds and everything.
I said. We twenty five now, and I praise God
because it was just like wow, Lord, So I'm just
(40:07):
so grateful. I got off in a tangent, but I
was she was just incredible what God did.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Absolutely, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
That is so that's so powerful and just I just
love how God met you and kind of prompted you
to have hope and to praise and to give him glory.
And I love that you told him, yeah, Jesus did it.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
I love that I.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Was going in all office, even people who didn't know
what happened. I was like, Jesus did a miracle. So
that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Oh, I'm so I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Thank you, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Well, we are.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
I want to talk more about your music and your process.
I mean, I'm glad, but so we're I want to
have you back. So we can talk more about your
music and your process, but you have When did your
album Faith Can Move Mountains come out? How recently that
it came out twenty twenty four, Okay, so it's been
a little while now, it's been out for a while.
I love your music because it is so prayer and
(41:08):
worship and just like, I don't know, I just I
love it. I listened to to some of your album
and I love it. I feel like it's very worshipful.
And what made you choose that title? You kind of
went into that before about is that you know about
the moving mountains? And but like what kind of made
you choose that title?
Speaker 1 (41:28):
And absolutely well before I forget I actually also because
we were talking about the miscarriages, I did write a
song that has blessed a lot of women who were grieving,
called through that called to my unborn baby, I'll never
forget you, And I think it helps a lot of women,
even if they've had miscarriages like years ago, to process
maybe they never processed it or allowed themselves to process it,
(41:51):
and it's helped a lot of women. So I do
want to mention that because I always forget to mention that.
But that song came out after that. But faith can
move mountains. Yeah, I was in that place of saying, God,
I'm it was in the start of the health challenge
that I was going through. That's in the start of
all of that, and I was having just a conversation
(42:12):
with God and as I mentioned before, saying God, I'm doubting,
and he said, no, I'm going to honor your faith.
And I thought of that verse and I think it's
Matthew seventeen twenty. I hope I'm paintering about if you
look at the mustard seed, if you have that much faith,
you can move the mountain. And it just I don't know,
you hear things your whole life, and then you think
(42:35):
one day that's really incredible, like you, is that really true.
I mean it is because it's God's truth. But it's
just incredible to think, well, if that can move the mountain,
and you think of all the mountains in your life,
because there's so many things that sometimes you just need
that breakthrough and you're just like, where is that breakthrough?
And sometimes the greatest breakthrough is the spiritual, the belief
(42:58):
barrier and all of those things. And so every word
of that I think came from a place of just
my my trust back to God. Of like, I believe
you're going to move this mountain and every mountain from
here and whatever that looks like, and even when things
don't look the circumstances, I believe you're going to help
(43:19):
me to rise above the mountain. So in whatever capacity
God answers that prayer and however long it takes, that
you can live in that space. And that's kind of
like the same with the book too, like because we're
going to have things in life that happen, and you know,
nothing's going to be perfect because we live in a
fallen world, but getting to that spot with God. And
(43:40):
so that song faith gab of Mountains is the title
of the album and the title song that I wrote.
And then the other songs and there are great one
of some of my favorite worship songs as well on there.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
I saw that. So there's some of yours and then
some of.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
My favorite worship songs.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
So I missed your I missed your single to My
Unborn Baby. I'll never forget you. So if people want
to know that, that's not part of that album, so
make sure to search for Kristin Records and it'll pop
up as one of the songs. I can't wait to
hear that one. That's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I hear that and that would make it does make
me cry when I listen to it. So just preparing
people in a good way. I think it's a good
healing for a lot of people. So yeah, that's that's
one of my favorites too.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Well, we will link to that as well.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Well.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
Where can our listeners.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Find your music, your radio show, your book, find you
passed episodes on Nickelodeon. No, We'll start looking for all
the things, but no, where can our listeners connect with
you online and on social media.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
That's great about being a kid actor in that era.
There's not like you know, some of the YouTube stuff
that was not like a thing back then.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
It's harder to find, but it's a I think the
best place to go, because of course you could go
to iTunes, you could go to Amazon a that, but
the best places go. It's my webs site that my
husband actually did for me, God bless him in his
spare time, kristinickords dot com. And I'm sure you can
either type it or so they can see the spelling
(45:09):
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
We'll link to it.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Yeah, you can get the music on there everything, you know,
YouTube videos, all that stuff on there.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Great.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
All right, well, how can we close in prayer for
you today, Kristin?
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Well, thank you so much. I love by the way
your program and you're focused on prayer. I think that's
not emphasized enough. So that's when I pray to God
continues to bless your ministry and I really appreciate that.
Pray for safe delivery and everything. Of course with the
baby girl to be just perfectly healthy, and can pray
(45:44):
for complete healing health for me. And then thirdly, just
pray that everything I do that God would continue to
bring people to him through all the projects. Just bring many,
many people into His kingdom.
Speaker 3 (45:58):
Okay, absolutely we will do that. Kristin.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
Thank you for your time and just for just for
the courage to use your pain to bring hope to people.
That's not easy, and I'm just so thankful that God
has been able to show you kind of like the redemption,
the gift, and you know, just pray, pray that God
will use it to reach countless people.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Amen. Amen, I receive that and I believe it. So
thank you so much. And same for your wonderful ministry too.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
Thank you all.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Ri Let's pray God, I just thank you so much
for Kristin. Thank you for not wasting any of our pain,
and I thank you for giving her the vision and
the wisdom to know even in the midst of that
dark time, that you were with her and that you
were at work. And I just pray that for the
person listening who is just so paralyzed in their pain
(46:55):
that they just don't even know where to turn, that
they don't have the energy to even reach out to you,
we just pray that you would surround her with your love,
with your presence, that you would place people in her
life to point her to you to pray over her
when she doesn't have the words to pray herself, and
that you would just plant that mustard seed of faith
(47:16):
in her heart, that you would supply her with that
and increase her faith and sustain her until the time
in which she can actually see you and breathe again.
Or to just pray that you would be blessing Kristen's work,
just all of the different hats she wears, all of
the ways that you've allowed her to just express herself
creatively in ways that bring glory to you. We just
(47:39):
pray that all of those things would be like a
magnet that would just draw in people, whether they're Christians
that need encouragement or unbelievers that need hope, that need
a lifeline. That salvations would happen because of her work
and ministry, that just resurrected faith would happen in people
(47:59):
who've lost time hope, and just that strengthening and encouraging
believers would happen.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
And we pray that you would.
Speaker 2 (48:07):
Just smash all roadblocks to getting her words and her
heart and her work out to people who desperately need it.
And we just pray your blessing over Kristin and her
husband and her baby. We pray that you would just
continue to allow her to grow and to develop and
(48:27):
be healthy, and that at a very young age, that
you would allow her to come to a saving faith
in Jesus, and that she would just be surrounded by
the love of Christ. That she would be just a
warrior for your kingdom, and that you would just be
blessing Christin as she gets ready for her delivery, and
(48:47):
that it would be safe and that it would be
quick and easy and pay us and God that you
would just shower blessings on her. We pray for complete
and total healing for Kristen in Jesus Name, and we
believe it and we stand in faith for that answered
prayer in Jesus Name.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (49:11):
We'd like to take.
Speaker 2 (49:12):
Just a quick second to thank the team at Life
Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. If
you go to lifeaudio dot com, you will find dozens
of other faith centered podcasts in their network.
Speaker 3 (49:23):
They've got shows about.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Prayer, Bible study, parenting, and so much more. That's lifeaudio
dot com.
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