May 29, 2025 • 29 mins
The storms of life change us. Perry shares, “Knowing that Perry and Shawna is coming to an end is a storm in my life. But I know God does his best work in the storm! One of our bestie listeners, Stephanie, joins us this conversation about how storms wean us from the world and push Jesus deeper into our hearts.
Imagine that river of life flowing from Jesus’ wounded side. A river that flows into the infinite ocean of God’s unfailing love. When you give your life over to Jesus you are plunged into this ocean. It’s a conversation about what it means to be in Christ. Stephanie joins the conversation as well!
Then Dan Seaborn of Winning at Home joins us. He shows us what to do with our anxiety. Especially when we’re anxiously trying to prove to God that we really love him. And what Dan says to Perry makes Perry want to give Dan a big hug!
In 2023 Perry released his song “Crashed Into Grace.” It did really well. He was praised by “really important people.” And it went to his head. What he had set out to do for God became all about him! It’s all about how to reset into boasting in Jesus, not in ourselves.
Perry had a dream about his dad. In it, his grown up self was talking with a young version of his dad, maybe when he was about 20. He spoke encouragement into his dad’s life about his dad’s future. What was a dream like that all about?
Then Perry stood in Mamertine Prison in Rome where Paul was likely held before he was executed by Rome. It’s a moment now etched in his memory as it seemed Paul was speaking to him life altering words.
And last, Stephanie prays an amazing prayer for Perry, Shawna, Ben, and Dodd as they move on to a new chapter in life as the sun sets on Perry and Shawna Mornings.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:03):
It's the Perry and Shawna podcast on the real life
journey with you, reminding you that you are ABBA's beloved
child and that Jesus has called you into his massive
mission to heal the world.
S2 (00:17):
The storms of life change us. They just do. That's
why one of my favorite films is twister. The first twister.
I like the second one, but the first one is epic.
When Joe's a little girl, an F5 tornado hits her
farm and her dad dies. The tornado creates a father
wound in her heart and she becomes obsessed with tornadoes.
(00:41):
She becomes a tornado chaser not for the thrill, but
to find out how they work so that people have
more time to get to safety so that not one
more little girl will have to lose her dad like
she did. Her obsession wrecks her marriage. But it's not
just her fault her husband Bill is clueless of the
(01:01):
real pain in Joe's heart. So the story picks up
with her husband, Bill, coming to get the divorce papers.
But it's a day a massive tornado system is sweeping
through Oklahoma, and Bill, who used to be the lead
on the tornado chasing team, joins them one last day
and the storms do their work.
S3 (01:22):
Joe, things go wrong. You can't explain it. You can't
predict it. Killing yourself won't bring your dad back. Sorry.
He died, but it was a long time ago. Gotta
move on. Stop living in the past and look at
what you got right in front of you. What are
you saying, me, Joe?
S4 (01:44):
Oh. The romance.
S2 (01:46):
The storms that day do change. Bill and Joe. They
realize how broken they are. They realize what's been coming
between them. They realize they still love each other. They
realize they were made for each other. It's really a
story of the death of a relationship and the resurrection
(02:09):
of a relationship. That's why I just love the film
so much. Stephanie, our good friend, one of our most
friendly listeners, really part of this team with us. And
you've had a chance to sit under the teaching of
Ray Vanderlaan, and he has some really cool insights about
storms that God has written on your heart through Ray Vanderlaan.
S5 (02:33):
He said that every time there was a storm that
Jesus came to them or was in the boat with them,
and also that the boat didn't land where they intended
to go. But the boat landed at the place that
Jesus had for them to do ministry next.
S2 (02:52):
So the storms in Jesus ministry for his guys changed
everything for them.
S5 (02:59):
It did.
S2 (03:00):
It changed where they thought they were going to go.
S5 (03:04):
It did. But he had plans for them. He had
good plans for them. They just didn't know it and
they couldn't see it. But they were with him so
they could trust him.
S2 (03:11):
So would you say it was a better plan than
what they had?
S5 (03:17):
I'm sure it was, yeah.
S2 (03:19):
Wow. That hits home. That hits home. Because that's real life.
Storms hit us and throw us off course to a
place we didn't think we'd end up. But when Jesus
is in the storm, then it's a better place. Cool.
I was made for God to know him and love
him forever. But I have needed the storms to show
(03:42):
me that because I settle for less. As C.S. Lewis says,
we are half hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and
sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We're
like an ignorant child who wants to go on making
mud pies in a slum, because she cannot imagine what
(04:03):
is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
We are far too easily pleased.
S5 (04:10):
I have something to match as that. So we were
at Dunton Park in Holland, having a picnic, and some
people were there, and they were so excited that they
were at the lake and at the beach and at
Lake Michigan. It's Dutton Park, which is great, but it's
not Lake Michigan. And so I had the opportunity to
tell them, keep going down Ottawa Beach Road. You want
to go all the way to Lake Michigan, all the
(04:30):
way to the beach with the sand, and not just
stay at Dutton Park because there's something so much better
than what is right here. You're going to love it.
S2 (04:37):
Yeah, we settle for less. That story right there shows
how we settle when God has something way better for us.
Jesus has sent me into storms to show me what
I'm looking to for ultimate joy. That's not him. Jesus
has sent me into storms to show me that I'm
far too easily pleased. He has sent me into storms
(05:02):
to strip away my counterfeit gods, and to show me
that he is my ultimate joy. So Jesus, forgive me
for looking for ultimate joy in mudpies in money, sex, power, fame, likes, career,
Christian radio, family, ministry. I deserve justice for such unfaithfulness.
(05:25):
But instead, Jesus, you were thrown into the storm of
God's justice in my place to show me how much
you love me in us. And Lord, to be loved
that much is ultimate joy. So create in us afresh
a clean heart that finds our ultimate joy in you today.
(05:51):
You are in Christ, and Christ is in you. I
was in my brother in law's boat a long way
off shore of Holland State Park. It was probably May.
The water temp was about 50, maybe lower, and I
wanted to jump in. Why? I don't know. I wanted
(06:12):
to jump in. I knew it would be freezing, but
I just had this feeling. It would be awesome. Stephanie,
our friend, is with us. And Stephanie, you're a swimmer.
Have you ever jumped into freezing cold water?
S5 (06:26):
Every morning at 6 a.m.? When you jump on the water,
it's cold for the first 25 at least.
S2 (06:31):
Does it? How does it feel when you first hit
that coldness?
S5 (06:35):
You just get going. Yeah, you just get going. And
it feels very normal.
S2 (06:39):
It wakes you up. Yeah? Yeah. Ben, you've jumped into
freezing cold water, I have.
S6 (06:44):
It's, uh. It takes your breath away.
S2 (06:46):
Is it a bad experience?
S6 (06:49):
Uh, I think it feels bad for maybe half a second,
but then everything goes numb and then it's fine.
S2 (06:56):
So my my cousin used to live up at Cedar
Campus in the Upper Peninsula. Ministry of InterVarsity. And they
had a sauna there. And in the winter they'd go
in the sauna and, you know, people would visit there
for times of refreshment and renewal in the Lord. So
they'd go in the sauna, and then they'd go out
(07:18):
of the sauna, off the dock, into the freezing cold water.
And supposedly this is good for you. So that's something
I've never gotten to do, supposedly.
S6 (07:27):
Good. Yeah, I'm not sure about it.
S2 (07:29):
But I would. I would love to do that. So anyway,
this water is maybe 50 degrees. I took the leap
and as soon as I plunged under. Yeah, it was
like that shock, that initial shock. Every part of my body, though,
it seemed like every part of my body came to life.
I was immersed, I felt immersed in life. And I
(07:52):
think this gets at, if even a little bit, what
it's like to be in Christ. And this is a
truth that just really come alive to me in the last,
I'd say, 3 or 4 months. Imagine the blood and
water flowing from Jesus wounded side. It becomes this river
(08:13):
of life, a river of life that flows into the
ocean of God's unfailing love. When you give yourself to Jesus,
you're plunged into this ocean. In Christ, you're completely immersed
in the flawless obedience of Jesus, and you're breathing it
in all. The virtue of Jesus surrounds you and is
(08:35):
in you. You're also immersed in the freedom of total forgiveness.
The judgment for your sins came down on Jesus never
to come down again, on him or on you because
you're in Christ. There's no judgment day waiting for you
because you're completely enveloped in forgiveness, and you're breathing it
(08:56):
in like air and you're plunged in the resurrection life
of Jesus. You're submerged in the same power that raised
Jesus from the dead, and it's pulsing in your veins,
giving you limitless power to live a new life. So
here's what I'm thinking. How could we ever be separated
(09:17):
from God's love, from his forgiveness, goodness, and favor? How
could we ever be separated from the power to live
a new life? How could we ever be separated from
him when we are in him and He is in us?
I ask you, Stephanie.
S5 (09:35):
We can't just read Romans eight the end of it,
like 31 to the end.
S2 (09:40):
Yep. Romans 838 and 39. Ben, I ask you, how
can we ever be separated from God's love when all
these things are true?
S6 (09:47):
We cannot.
S2 (09:48):
There you go. Good answer. These guys are just great, answerers.
They're great prayers and they're great answers. You are in
Christ Jesus. Listen to this. First Corinthians 130. You are
in Christ Jesus who has become our righteousness, holiness, and
eternal redemption. And Colossians 127 Christ in you, the hope
(10:09):
of glory. Think of the thing in your life right now,
in your life today that is causing you concern and anxiety.
Think about that. Okay, you probably got something on your
mind today. Dan Seaborn of winning at home. What can
(10:29):
you say to me and our friend listening right now
about how to deal with that struggle? It might be
an illness. It might be a relationship struggle. It might
be finances. There are a plethora of things that could
be unsettling my day. How do we take Jesus steps
into that?
S7 (10:48):
That's good. The first thing I'd say is, don't be
so anxious about the fact that you have these kind
of thoughts. You know, we can almost be like, oh no,
I'm going to have that. It's okay. You're normal. You're
a human being. Our phones at winning at home stay
busy from people who are dealing with exactly what you're
probably feeling today. So don't think you're alone. One of
(11:11):
the things the enemy loves to do is make us think. Well,
I don't want to share this. I don't want to
talk about it. I don't want to say anything. I'm
the only one dealing with this. No you're not. No
you're not. Probably the person driving next to you in
the car right now is dealing with the same thing.
And so I think first, accepting the fact that I
am human, I'm not in heaven yet. And it's okay
for me to sometimes have these inner struggles and turmoil.
(11:34):
I think too often we beat ourselves up for that.
That was one of the things I felt was revealed
to me in my time on the beach. This year
was just like, it's okay for you to feel that way, Dan.
S2 (11:44):
Yeah. You know, it's like as Christians, we are really
self included. We are really uncomfortable being human. Why is that?
Why do we feel like we've got to be all
put together as Christians?
S7 (11:57):
Part of it, I think, is because we almost grew
up in the church. With that being told us all
the time.
S2 (12:03):
Yes.
S7 (12:03):
You got to not be human. You got to be
Christ like, I'm trying, you know? But I'm not there yet.
S2 (12:09):
This is what I saw as a teenager. You know,
I was trying to follow Jesus and just failing every
single day. And nobody ever shared. I don't remember anyone
ever sharing a, you know, a a robust Jesus follower.
Never saw anyone or heard anybody say, you know what?
I'm struggling. I'm having. I'm being tempted. I'm struggling with lust.
(12:32):
I'm angry. I'm grieving. I never saw it. I never
heard it right.
S7 (12:38):
So it naturally creates anxiety in us. Audience. It does.
It just. It's like it's always there. The big step
I think we can take with that is after we
acknowledge that I'm normal, I'm human, etc.. Um, first, before
you hand it to anyone else, hand it to the Lord.
It's easy to think I got to talk to somebody
about it. And that's wise. That's good. That's what our
(12:59):
counseling team does. But I tell our counselors, we ultimately
aren't the final healers. We can give people good clinical guidance,
but ultimately, Christ is the one who brings the healing.
So start there. Just say Christ, I'm anxious today. You've
told me in your word to come to you. I
come to you again this morning and might need to
come to you again in about five minutes. But I'm
(13:21):
coming to you first because you've promised me you will
never leave me. You are Jehovah Rapha. You are the healer.
You know my heart, you know my mind. And I
think it's really important for us to remember. God sees
the heart. God sees today that Perry, you. You would
do anything you could do to honor the Lord with
your life. You would, I know you, I know you
(13:43):
a small bit. And I know your heart. Just straight
up loves the Lord. He sees that. He knows that.
And sometimes I think we want to try to convince God.
I really do love you. He's like, look, I got it.
You love me. It'd be like if your kid came
and said to you every day, every two minutes, I
love you. I know you told me that a couple
of minutes ago. I got it. And he sees our heart.
S2 (14:04):
You're gonna make me come over there and give you
a hug.
S7 (14:06):
Well. It's good. That's what it's about. I hope somebody
listening will stop fighting for this so much. It's there.
It's for the taking. We. We in the church, those
of us who have been in church for a while,
we are really good at beating ourselves up. We're gifted
at it, but we're not good at loving ourselves with
a Christ like love. And that'd be a big step
(14:27):
for somebody to take and realize, yeah, I deal with that,
but it's okay. God is with me and is going
to walk with me today.
S2 (14:34):
Yeah. And just to, I guess, piggyback on that, maybe
this this is a footnote. To be kind. To be
kind to ourselves. Jesus is so kind toward us and
we're so hard on ourselves. Talk about the love of
God in Christ that we don't deserve it. But he
loves us.
S7 (14:52):
Yeah, well, I'm thinking when you said what you said,
my mind went to Ephesians where it talks about a
husband loving his wife like Christ loves the church. After all,
no one ever hated their own body, etc.. Wow. Well,
sometimes we actually do. We hate the way we think.
We hate the way we behave. We hate the way
we're anxious. And Christ's word is teaching us. No, no, no.
You need to understand. I love you the way you are.
(15:15):
I want you to grow in me. I want you
to confess your sins. And once you've done that, he's
faithful and just forgive us of our sins. Now we
can move forward in our relationship with him. So I
do think today, a great step for many of us
would be to actually accept what we know the Lord
has said to us and then begin to go, okay,
how can I today determine that no matter what happens,
(15:37):
no matter what texts I get, what call I get,
I'm going to be fine. Yeah, I am, because I'm
moving into more of a steady, solid piece.
S2 (15:52):
I don't know about you, but once in a while
I have a God dream. It's rare, but I have
a God dream. So we were in. We were in
Venice and I had a dream. I know it was
from the Lord. And my. My mom, who's now with Jesus,
was in the dream. And I came out of that
dream crying. And I went into the bathroom. I was
(16:13):
still crying, but my dad was in the dream as well.
And the really strange thing about the dad part of
my dream is that my dad still with us and
he's one of my best friends. But I dreamt that
he was a young man and that he was fretting
about his future. Just wondering, do I have a future? Sure.
(16:35):
And I said to him, as the grown up me
right now, I said to him, dad, God is going
to do amazing things through your life. And of course,
God has done amazing things through my dad's life. I
don't know why I had that dream telling my dad
what he could expect. I know this right now, that
(16:59):
maybe you're in that place where you're wondering, do I
have a hope and a future? And here it is.
You're going to do great things for God. He has
so many good things in store. And because of the
resurrection and the new heavens and the new earth, the
best is yet to come. Ultimate joy is ours. When
(17:25):
Jesus is our greatest treasure. When Jesus is our greatest boast.
In 2023, I released my song crashed Into Grace. I
didn't know what to expect, but it did really well
right out the gate. I got so much praise thanks
to God, even from quote unquote really important people. I
(17:48):
shared it with my friend, a former music producer in
Nashville and a Grammy Award winning engineer, Andy Hunt, and
I remember looking at his post on YouTube about my
song Perry. Wow, this is amazing. And I realized that
I had been longing for that kind of insider praise
(18:12):
for my whole life. You know, from people on the
inside in Nashville who are the really cool people. And
it puffed up my heart, and I suddenly realized that
something that I had set out to do for God,
I had made about me. Ah, I hate it when
that happens. It had become my boast instead of Jesus.
(18:35):
And I know that it's just emptiness when we make
anything but Jesus, our boast. But the Lord shows us
the way to joy. And Paul lays it out in
first Corinthians 130 and 31. It is because of God
that you are in Christ Jesus, immersed in Christ Jesus,
(18:59):
who has become for us wisdom from God. That is
our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. As it is written, let
the one who boasts boast in the Lord. First Corinthians
130 and 31. Paul's telling us that God has chosen
us not because we're so good, but because he's so good,
(19:22):
and God has shown us his goodness in Jesus Christ.
Paul says that Jesus has become for us wisdom from God.
In other words, God sent Jesus to show us how
to walk with God in the cool of the day.
How to be in a face to face relationship with him.
How can a great sinner like me be in a
(19:42):
friendship with a holy, holy, holy God? Through Jesus, the
friend of sinners he has become? Paul says, our righteousness, holiness,
and redemption. So he's our righteousness. In Jesus, we are
set right with God because of his performance. Set right.
(20:04):
He's our holiness. Jesus has purified us from our filth
and set us apart as his beloved son, his beloved daughter.
He sings over us. And Jesus is our redemption. He's
freed us from becoming swallowed up by our selfishness and
greed and arrogance. And one day he'll bring us into
(20:26):
his presence without fault and great joy. Just check out
Jude verse 24. And then Paul quotes Jeremiah 924, let
the one who boasts boast in the Lord. Of course,
knowing God, walking with him in the cool of the day,
being light in our world, living forever with God is
(20:50):
all of God and from God. How can I boast
in myself when everything good in me comes from God
and when everything bad in me? He's taken care of.
He's washed it away. For you too. I must keep
coming back to the gospel. To keep Christ as my
(21:11):
treasure and my boast. So, as Tim Keller says, this
is Tim Keller's way of coming back to the gospel.
It's mine too. The gospel tells us that we are
more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe.
Yet at the same time, we are more loved and
accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. And
(21:34):
it gets even better if you are in Christ, immersed
in Christ, plunged into Christ, you are a new creation.
The old is gone, the new has come. You are
in plunged in the resurrected life of Jesus, and there's
a power pulsing in your veins, enabling you and me
(21:55):
to make Christ our only boast. And when Christ alone
is our only boast, that's the sweet spot right there.
Because that's where there's fullness of joy. So each day today,
we just reset into you. Jesus, you're our boast. The
(22:23):
way of Jesus is not climbing the ladder of success.
It's going down to a cross. Teresa and I were
in Rome for our trip of a lifetime, and we
went to Mamertine Prison. Mamertine prison is likely where Paul
and Peter were held before they were executed by Rome.
(22:46):
And when I walked down into that prison, I mean,
it's a dark, dank, claustrophobic dungeon. And it was like
Paul was speaking to me and saying, this is our glory, Perry,
as the people of God, this is our glory to
not only share in Christ's sufferings, but to share in
(23:07):
his death, because we know that God's going to raise
us from the dead. And in a culture that says
race for the top, that prison spoke to me. Paul
said to me through that prison, it's not a race
to the top. I did that. Been there, done that.
(23:28):
It's empty. Take up the cross and follow Jesus. That's
what Paul was saying to me from that prison cell.
It's the Jesus way. Hey, it's Perry and Ben with you.
And special guest star Stephanie Walters is with us as well.
(23:54):
Stephanie is such a great friend of Perry and Shawna mornings.
Just a really close friend with Shawna because you guys
get together for coffee and such. We do. And that's
going to continue. And you've just been an amazing. You
and Kevin have been amazing supporters of Moody Radio. And
(24:14):
so we're just grateful for you and your friendship and
the Starbucks coffee and and the almond bars and all
the stuff you brought through the years. And if you
don't know, I hope you know, because I don't like
to be the one to to bring the sad news.
Perry and Shawn on mornings is landing, I like to
(24:35):
say landing coming in for landing. That means that Perry
and Sean are going to take off into something else.
But yeah, the show is coming to an end. Our
leadership has prayed, has sought counsel, and they just believe
the Lord is leading Moody to go to a national
(24:55):
morning show. Cast and crew. All that said, I know
that if you love Perry and Shauna mornings, this is sad.
So my son, the therapist and the wise Jedi would say,
and my daughter would say, don't stuff those feelings. You know,
you have to feel those feelings, right? And I know, Stephanie,
you're you're feeling it.
S5 (25:17):
I am feeling it.
S2 (25:18):
So anyway, we got this text this morning from Stephanie
and Stephanie said, can I come in and pray? And
I thought, wow, Stephanie is a great Christian. Great follower
of Jesus. She loves the Lord. I'm sure she knows
how to pray. So why not have her come in
(25:39):
and pray? Seeing as how all of that is true,
it's even on her resume. Prayer warrior. Anyway, so yes,
you can pray and go ahead and do that because
we are honored.
S5 (25:56):
Thanks, Perry. Father God, you are so, so, so good
to us. Your goodness follows us all the days of
our lives. But this last eight days has been really hard.
As we learned that Perry and Shawna Mornings is coming
to an end tomorrow, you have collected our many tears
about this sad news. Thank you for holding us in
(26:18):
your loving hands while we grieve the loss of this
treasure called Perry and Mornings. Father, you have used Perry
and Shawna in their guests to love us well and
make us more like you. Thank you for the laughter,
the speakers, the authors, the prayers, the texting, and the
friendship you have given to us for the past six
and a half years. It has been such a special,
(26:39):
sweet season of life. Lord, we don't understand, but we
trust your timing. Fill all of us with your grace
to trust you more and more in adverse circumstances. We
trust you that you will make all things right as
we surrender to you. We trust that you have a
good plan for each one of us when we can't
see it. Lord, I lift up Perry. Shawna, Ben Dodd,
(27:03):
and others who are walking this difficult road right now.
Hold their hands and lead them where you want them
to go. Carry them through this hard season. Prince of peace.
Fill them with your peace that passes all understanding. Thank
you for the plans. You have to prosper. Perry. Shawna,
Ben and Todd. Going forward, we pray for Perry and
(27:25):
Theresa as they become grandparents. We ask you, Jesus, for
two healthy moms and two healthy babies in due time.
We pray for Shawna in her new position with Moody.
Please fill her with your strength, your courage, wisdom, grace
and peace in her transition time. We pray for Ben
(27:45):
and the plans you have for him in the future.
May Ben's hope be in you all day long. Thank
you for God's leadership over the past year. May dad's
eyes be ever on you and what you have next
for him. Jesus. Today is Ascension Day, the day we
remember you going up to heaven. Today you are sitting
on the throne wearing your robe that says King of
(28:05):
Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank you for dying for
each one of us once for all, so we could
be made holy and be with you forever. Jesus, you
are so faithful. You are faithful through the hard things.
You will return one day and make all things new.
We look forward to that day. Thank you for being
(28:27):
with each of us each moment that we walk on
this earth. Thank you for sending Your Spirit to fill
us with your love and power to do your work
on the earth until you return or you call us home.
May your kingdom come and your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. For your honor and
your glory in the beautiful, wonderful, powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
S1 (28:55):
Thanks for letting Barry and Shawna walk the real life
journey with you. The content from the podcast comes from
their live show. Barry and Shawna. Mornings on 89.3 Moody Radio,
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Reach out to us by texting 800
968 8930 and please subscribe.
It's the Perry and Shawna podcast on the real life
journey with you, reminding you that you are ABBA's beloved
child and that Jesus has called you into his massive
mission to heal the world.
S2 (00:17):
The storms of life change us. They just do. That's
why one of my favorite films is twister. The first twister.
I like the second one, but the first one is epic.
When Joe's a little girl, an F5 tornado hits her
farm and her dad dies. The tornado creates a father
wound in her heart and she becomes obsessed with tornadoes.
(00:41):
She becomes a tornado chaser not for the thrill, but
to find out how they work so that people have
more time to get to safety so that not one
more little girl will have to lose her dad like
she did. Her obsession wrecks her marriage. But it's not
just her fault her husband Bill is clueless of the
(01:01):
real pain in Joe's heart. So the story picks up
with her husband, Bill, coming to get the divorce papers.
But it's a day a massive tornado system is sweeping
through Oklahoma, and Bill, who used to be the lead
on the tornado chasing team, joins them one last day
and the storms do their work.
S3 (01:22):
Joe, things go wrong. You can't explain it. You can't
predict it. Killing yourself won't bring your dad back. Sorry.
He died, but it was a long time ago. Gotta
move on. Stop living in the past and look at
what you got right in front of you. What are
you saying, me, Joe?
S4 (01:44):
Oh. The romance.
S2 (01:46):
The storms that day do change. Bill and Joe. They
realize how broken they are. They realize what's been coming
between them. They realize they still love each other. They
realize they were made for each other. It's really a
story of the death of a relationship and the resurrection
(02:09):
of a relationship. That's why I just love the film
so much. Stephanie, our good friend, one of our most
friendly listeners, really part of this team with us. And
you've had a chance to sit under the teaching of
Ray Vanderlaan, and he has some really cool insights about
storms that God has written on your heart through Ray Vanderlaan.
S5 (02:33):
He said that every time there was a storm that
Jesus came to them or was in the boat with them,
and also that the boat didn't land where they intended
to go. But the boat landed at the place that
Jesus had for them to do ministry next.
S2 (02:52):
So the storms in Jesus ministry for his guys changed
everything for them.
S5 (02:59):
It did.
S2 (03:00):
It changed where they thought they were going to go.
S5 (03:04):
It did. But he had plans for them. He had
good plans for them. They just didn't know it and
they couldn't see it. But they were with him so
they could trust him.
S2 (03:11):
So would you say it was a better plan than
what they had?
S5 (03:17):
I'm sure it was, yeah.
S2 (03:19):
Wow. That hits home. That hits home. Because that's real life.
Storms hit us and throw us off course to a
place we didn't think we'd end up. But when Jesus
is in the storm, then it's a better place. Cool.
I was made for God to know him and love
him forever. But I have needed the storms to show
(03:42):
me that because I settle for less. As C.S. Lewis says,
we are half hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and
sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We're
like an ignorant child who wants to go on making
mud pies in a slum, because she cannot imagine what
(04:03):
is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
We are far too easily pleased.
S5 (04:10):
I have something to match as that. So we were
at Dunton Park in Holland, having a picnic, and some
people were there, and they were so excited that they
were at the lake and at the beach and at
Lake Michigan. It's Dutton Park, which is great, but it's
not Lake Michigan. And so I had the opportunity to
tell them, keep going down Ottawa Beach Road. You want
to go all the way to Lake Michigan, all the
(04:30):
way to the beach with the sand, and not just
stay at Dutton Park because there's something so much better
than what is right here. You're going to love it.
S2 (04:37):
Yeah, we settle for less. That story right there shows
how we settle when God has something way better for us.
Jesus has sent me into storms to show me what
I'm looking to for ultimate joy. That's not him. Jesus
has sent me into storms to show me that I'm
far too easily pleased. He has sent me into storms
(05:02):
to strip away my counterfeit gods, and to show me
that he is my ultimate joy. So Jesus, forgive me
for looking for ultimate joy in mudpies in money, sex, power, fame, likes, career,
Christian radio, family, ministry. I deserve justice for such unfaithfulness.
(05:25):
But instead, Jesus, you were thrown into the storm of
God's justice in my place to show me how much
you love me in us. And Lord, to be loved
that much is ultimate joy. So create in us afresh
a clean heart that finds our ultimate joy in you today.
(05:51):
You are in Christ, and Christ is in you. I
was in my brother in law's boat a long way
off shore of Holland State Park. It was probably May.
The water temp was about 50, maybe lower, and I
wanted to jump in. Why? I don't know. I wanted
(06:12):
to jump in. I knew it would be freezing, but
I just had this feeling. It would be awesome. Stephanie,
our friend, is with us. And Stephanie, you're a swimmer.
Have you ever jumped into freezing cold water?
S5 (06:26):
Every morning at 6 a.m.? When you jump on the water,
it's cold for the first 25 at least.
S2 (06:31):
Does it? How does it feel when you first hit
that coldness?
S5 (06:35):
You just get going. Yeah, you just get going. And
it feels very normal.
S2 (06:39):
It wakes you up. Yeah? Yeah. Ben, you've jumped into
freezing cold water, I have.
S6 (06:44):
It's, uh. It takes your breath away.
S2 (06:46):
Is it a bad experience?
S6 (06:49):
Uh, I think it feels bad for maybe half a second,
but then everything goes numb and then it's fine.
S2 (06:56):
So my my cousin used to live up at Cedar
Campus in the Upper Peninsula. Ministry of InterVarsity. And they
had a sauna there. And in the winter they'd go
in the sauna and, you know, people would visit there
for times of refreshment and renewal in the Lord. So
they'd go in the sauna, and then they'd go out
(07:18):
of the sauna, off the dock, into the freezing cold water.
And supposedly this is good for you. So that's something
I've never gotten to do, supposedly.
S6 (07:27):
Good. Yeah, I'm not sure about it.
S2 (07:29):
But I would. I would love to do that. So anyway,
this water is maybe 50 degrees. I took the leap
and as soon as I plunged under. Yeah, it was
like that shock, that initial shock. Every part of my body, though,
it seemed like every part of my body came to life.
I was immersed, I felt immersed in life. And I
(07:52):
think this gets at, if even a little bit, what
it's like to be in Christ. And this is a
truth that just really come alive to me in the last,
I'd say, 3 or 4 months. Imagine the blood and
water flowing from Jesus wounded side. It becomes this river
(08:13):
of life, a river of life that flows into the
ocean of God's unfailing love. When you give yourself to Jesus,
you're plunged into this ocean. In Christ, you're completely immersed
in the flawless obedience of Jesus, and you're breathing it
in all. The virtue of Jesus surrounds you and is
(08:35):
in you. You're also immersed in the freedom of total forgiveness.
The judgment for your sins came down on Jesus never
to come down again, on him or on you because
you're in Christ. There's no judgment day waiting for you
because you're completely enveloped in forgiveness, and you're breathing it
(08:56):
in like air and you're plunged in the resurrection life
of Jesus. You're submerged in the same power that raised
Jesus from the dead, and it's pulsing in your veins,
giving you limitless power to live a new life. So
here's what I'm thinking. How could we ever be separated
(09:17):
from God's love, from his forgiveness, goodness, and favor? How
could we ever be separated from the power to live
a new life? How could we ever be separated from
him when we are in him and He is in us?
I ask you, Stephanie.
S5 (09:35):
We can't just read Romans eight the end of it,
like 31 to the end.
S2 (09:40):
Yep. Romans 838 and 39. Ben, I ask you, how
can we ever be separated from God's love when all
these things are true?
S6 (09:47):
We cannot.
S2 (09:48):
There you go. Good answer. These guys are just great, answerers.
They're great prayers and they're great answers. You are in
Christ Jesus. Listen to this. First Corinthians 130. You are
in Christ Jesus who has become our righteousness, holiness, and
eternal redemption. And Colossians 127 Christ in you, the hope
(10:09):
of glory. Think of the thing in your life right now,
in your life today that is causing you concern and anxiety.
Think about that. Okay, you probably got something on your
mind today. Dan Seaborn of winning at home. What can
(10:29):
you say to me and our friend listening right now
about how to deal with that struggle? It might be
an illness. It might be a relationship struggle. It might
be finances. There are a plethora of things that could
be unsettling my day. How do we take Jesus steps
into that?
S7 (10:48):
That's good. The first thing I'd say is, don't be
so anxious about the fact that you have these kind
of thoughts. You know, we can almost be like, oh no,
I'm going to have that. It's okay. You're normal. You're
a human being. Our phones at winning at home stay
busy from people who are dealing with exactly what you're
probably feeling today. So don't think you're alone. One of
(11:11):
the things the enemy loves to do is make us think. Well,
I don't want to share this. I don't want to
talk about it. I don't want to say anything. I'm
the only one dealing with this. No you're not. No
you're not. Probably the person driving next to you in
the car right now is dealing with the same thing.
And so I think first, accepting the fact that I
am human, I'm not in heaven yet. And it's okay
for me to sometimes have these inner struggles and turmoil.
(11:34):
I think too often we beat ourselves up for that.
That was one of the things I felt was revealed
to me in my time on the beach. This year
was just like, it's okay for you to feel that way, Dan.
S2 (11:44):
Yeah. You know, it's like as Christians, we are really
self included. We are really uncomfortable being human. Why is that?
Why do we feel like we've got to be all
put together as Christians?
S7 (11:57):
Part of it, I think, is because we almost grew
up in the church. With that being told us all
the time.
S2 (12:03):
Yes.
S7 (12:03):
You got to not be human. You got to be
Christ like, I'm trying, you know? But I'm not there yet.
S2 (12:09):
This is what I saw as a teenager. You know,
I was trying to follow Jesus and just failing every
single day. And nobody ever shared. I don't remember anyone
ever sharing a, you know, a a robust Jesus follower.
Never saw anyone or heard anybody say, you know what?
I'm struggling. I'm having. I'm being tempted. I'm struggling with lust.
(12:32):
I'm angry. I'm grieving. I never saw it. I never
heard it right.
S7 (12:38):
So it naturally creates anxiety in us. Audience. It does.
It just. It's like it's always there. The big step
I think we can take with that is after we
acknowledge that I'm normal, I'm human, etc.. Um, first, before
you hand it to anyone else, hand it to the Lord.
It's easy to think I got to talk to somebody
about it. And that's wise. That's good. That's what our
(12:59):
counseling team does. But I tell our counselors, we ultimately
aren't the final healers. We can give people good clinical guidance,
but ultimately, Christ is the one who brings the healing.
So start there. Just say Christ, I'm anxious today. You've
told me in your word to come to you. I
come to you again this morning and might need to
come to you again in about five minutes. But I'm
(13:21):
coming to you first because you've promised me you will
never leave me. You are Jehovah Rapha. You are the healer.
You know my heart, you know my mind. And I
think it's really important for us to remember. God sees
the heart. God sees today that Perry, you. You would
do anything you could do to honor the Lord with
your life. You would, I know you, I know you
(13:43):
a small bit. And I know your heart. Just straight
up loves the Lord. He sees that. He knows that.
And sometimes I think we want to try to convince God.
I really do love you. He's like, look, I got it.
You love me. It'd be like if your kid came
and said to you every day, every two minutes, I
love you. I know you told me that a couple
of minutes ago. I got it. And he sees our heart.
S2 (14:04):
You're gonna make me come over there and give you
a hug.
S7 (14:06):
Well. It's good. That's what it's about. I hope somebody
listening will stop fighting for this so much. It's there.
It's for the taking. We. We in the church, those
of us who have been in church for a while,
we are really good at beating ourselves up. We're gifted
at it, but we're not good at loving ourselves with
a Christ like love. And that'd be a big step
(14:27):
for somebody to take and realize, yeah, I deal with that,
but it's okay. God is with me and is going
to walk with me today.
S2 (14:34):
Yeah. And just to, I guess, piggyback on that, maybe
this this is a footnote. To be kind. To be
kind to ourselves. Jesus is so kind toward us and
we're so hard on ourselves. Talk about the love of
God in Christ that we don't deserve it. But he
loves us.
S7 (14:52):
Yeah, well, I'm thinking when you said what you said,
my mind went to Ephesians where it talks about a
husband loving his wife like Christ loves the church. After all,
no one ever hated their own body, etc.. Wow. Well,
sometimes we actually do. We hate the way we think.
We hate the way we behave. We hate the way
we're anxious. And Christ's word is teaching us. No, no, no.
You need to understand. I love you the way you are.
(15:15):
I want you to grow in me. I want you
to confess your sins. And once you've done that, he's
faithful and just forgive us of our sins. Now we
can move forward in our relationship with him. So I
do think today, a great step for many of us
would be to actually accept what we know the Lord
has said to us and then begin to go, okay,
how can I today determine that no matter what happens,
(15:37):
no matter what texts I get, what call I get,
I'm going to be fine. Yeah, I am, because I'm
moving into more of a steady, solid piece.
S2 (15:52):
I don't know about you, but once in a while
I have a God dream. It's rare, but I have
a God dream. So we were in. We were in
Venice and I had a dream. I know it was
from the Lord. And my. My mom, who's now with Jesus,
was in the dream. And I came out of that
dream crying. And I went into the bathroom. I was
(16:13):
still crying, but my dad was in the dream as well.
And the really strange thing about the dad part of
my dream is that my dad still with us and
he's one of my best friends. But I dreamt that
he was a young man and that he was fretting
about his future. Just wondering, do I have a future? Sure.
(16:35):
And I said to him, as the grown up me
right now, I said to him, dad, God is going
to do amazing things through your life. And of course,
God has done amazing things through my dad's life. I
don't know why I had that dream telling my dad
what he could expect. I know this right now, that
(16:59):
maybe you're in that place where you're wondering, do I
have a hope and a future? And here it is.
You're going to do great things for God. He has
so many good things in store. And because of the
resurrection and the new heavens and the new earth, the
best is yet to come. Ultimate joy is ours. When
(17:25):
Jesus is our greatest treasure. When Jesus is our greatest boast.
In 2023, I released my song crashed Into Grace. I
didn't know what to expect, but it did really well
right out the gate. I got so much praise thanks
to God, even from quote unquote really important people. I
(17:48):
shared it with my friend, a former music producer in
Nashville and a Grammy Award winning engineer, Andy Hunt, and
I remember looking at his post on YouTube about my
song Perry. Wow, this is amazing. And I realized that
I had been longing for that kind of insider praise
(18:12):
for my whole life. You know, from people on the
inside in Nashville who are the really cool people. And
it puffed up my heart, and I suddenly realized that
something that I had set out to do for God,
I had made about me. Ah, I hate it when
that happens. It had become my boast instead of Jesus.
(18:35):
And I know that it's just emptiness when we make
anything but Jesus, our boast. But the Lord shows us
the way to joy. And Paul lays it out in
first Corinthians 130 and 31. It is because of God
that you are in Christ Jesus, immersed in Christ Jesus,
(18:59):
who has become for us wisdom from God. That is
our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. As it is written, let
the one who boasts boast in the Lord. First Corinthians
130 and 31. Paul's telling us that God has chosen
us not because we're so good, but because he's so good,
(19:22):
and God has shown us his goodness in Jesus Christ.
Paul says that Jesus has become for us wisdom from God.
In other words, God sent Jesus to show us how
to walk with God in the cool of the day.
How to be in a face to face relationship with him.
How can a great sinner like me be in a
(19:42):
friendship with a holy, holy, holy God? Through Jesus, the
friend of sinners he has become? Paul says, our righteousness, holiness,
and redemption. So he's our righteousness. In Jesus, we are
set right with God because of his performance. Set right.
(20:04):
He's our holiness. Jesus has purified us from our filth
and set us apart as his beloved son, his beloved daughter.
He sings over us. And Jesus is our redemption. He's
freed us from becoming swallowed up by our selfishness and
greed and arrogance. And one day he'll bring us into
(20:26):
his presence without fault and great joy. Just check out
Jude verse 24. And then Paul quotes Jeremiah 924, let
the one who boasts boast in the Lord. Of course,
knowing God, walking with him in the cool of the day,
being light in our world, living forever with God is
(20:50):
all of God and from God. How can I boast
in myself when everything good in me comes from God
and when everything bad in me? He's taken care of.
He's washed it away. For you too. I must keep
coming back to the gospel. To keep Christ as my
(21:11):
treasure and my boast. So, as Tim Keller says, this
is Tim Keller's way of coming back to the gospel.
It's mine too. The gospel tells us that we are
more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe.
Yet at the same time, we are more loved and
accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. And
(21:34):
it gets even better if you are in Christ, immersed
in Christ, plunged into Christ, you are a new creation.
The old is gone, the new has come. You are
in plunged in the resurrected life of Jesus, and there's
a power pulsing in your veins, enabling you and me
(21:55):
to make Christ our only boast. And when Christ alone
is our only boast, that's the sweet spot right there.
Because that's where there's fullness of joy. So each day today,
we just reset into you. Jesus, you're our boast. The
(22:23):
way of Jesus is not climbing the ladder of success.
It's going down to a cross. Teresa and I were
in Rome for our trip of a lifetime, and we
went to Mamertine Prison. Mamertine prison is likely where Paul
and Peter were held before they were executed by Rome.
(22:46):
And when I walked down into that prison, I mean,
it's a dark, dank, claustrophobic dungeon. And it was like
Paul was speaking to me and saying, this is our glory, Perry,
as the people of God, this is our glory to
not only share in Christ's sufferings, but to share in
(23:07):
his death, because we know that God's going to raise
us from the dead. And in a culture that says
race for the top, that prison spoke to me. Paul
said to me through that prison, it's not a race
to the top. I did that. Been there, done that.
(23:28):
It's empty. Take up the cross and follow Jesus. That's
what Paul was saying to me from that prison cell.
It's the Jesus way. Hey, it's Perry and Ben with you.
And special guest star Stephanie Walters is with us as well.
(23:54):
Stephanie is such a great friend of Perry and Shawna mornings.
Just a really close friend with Shawna because you guys
get together for coffee and such. We do. And that's
going to continue. And you've just been an amazing. You
and Kevin have been amazing supporters of Moody Radio. And
(24:14):
so we're just grateful for you and your friendship and
the Starbucks coffee and and the almond bars and all
the stuff you brought through the years. And if you
don't know, I hope you know, because I don't like
to be the one to to bring the sad news.
Perry and Shawn on mornings is landing, I like to
(24:35):
say landing coming in for landing. That means that Perry
and Sean are going to take off into something else.
But yeah, the show is coming to an end. Our
leadership has prayed, has sought counsel, and they just believe
the Lord is leading Moody to go to a national
(24:55):
morning show. Cast and crew. All that said, I know
that if you love Perry and Shauna mornings, this is sad.
So my son, the therapist and the wise Jedi would say,
and my daughter would say, don't stuff those feelings. You know,
you have to feel those feelings, right? And I know, Stephanie,
you're you're feeling it.
S5 (25:17):
I am feeling it.
S2 (25:18):
So anyway, we got this text this morning from Stephanie
and Stephanie said, can I come in and pray? And
I thought, wow, Stephanie is a great Christian. Great follower
of Jesus. She loves the Lord. I'm sure she knows
how to pray. So why not have her come in
(25:39):
and pray? Seeing as how all of that is true,
it's even on her resume. Prayer warrior. Anyway, so yes,
you can pray and go ahead and do that because
we are honored.
S5 (25:56):
Thanks, Perry. Father God, you are so, so, so good
to us. Your goodness follows us all the days of
our lives. But this last eight days has been really hard.
As we learned that Perry and Shawna Mornings is coming
to an end tomorrow, you have collected our many tears
about this sad news. Thank you for holding us in
(26:18):
your loving hands while we grieve the loss of this
treasure called Perry and Mornings. Father, you have used Perry
and Shawna in their guests to love us well and
make us more like you. Thank you for the laughter,
the speakers, the authors, the prayers, the texting, and the
friendship you have given to us for the past six
and a half years. It has been such a special,
(26:39):
sweet season of life. Lord, we don't understand, but we
trust your timing. Fill all of us with your grace
to trust you more and more in adverse circumstances. We
trust you that you will make all things right as
we surrender to you. We trust that you have a
good plan for each one of us when we can't
see it. Lord, I lift up Perry. Shawna, Ben Dodd,
(27:03):
and others who are walking this difficult road right now.
Hold their hands and lead them where you want them
to go. Carry them through this hard season. Prince of peace.
Fill them with your peace that passes all understanding. Thank
you for the plans. You have to prosper. Perry. Shawna,
Ben and Todd. Going forward, we pray for Perry and
(27:25):
Theresa as they become grandparents. We ask you, Jesus, for
two healthy moms and two healthy babies in due time.
We pray for Shawna in her new position with Moody.
Please fill her with your strength, your courage, wisdom, grace
and peace in her transition time. We pray for Ben
(27:45):
and the plans you have for him in the future.
May Ben's hope be in you all day long. Thank
you for God's leadership over the past year. May dad's
eyes be ever on you and what you have next
for him. Jesus. Today is Ascension Day, the day we
remember you going up to heaven. Today you are sitting
on the throne wearing your robe that says King of
(28:05):
Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank you for dying for
each one of us once for all, so we could
be made holy and be with you forever. Jesus, you
are so faithful. You are faithful through the hard things.
You will return one day and make all things new.
We look forward to that day. Thank you for being
(28:27):
with each of us each moment that we walk on
this earth. Thank you for sending Your Spirit to fill
us with your love and power to do your work
on the earth until you return or you call us home.
May your kingdom come and your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. For your honor and
your glory in the beautiful, wonderful, powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
S1 (28:55):
Thanks for letting Barry and Shawna walk the real life
journey with you. The content from the podcast comes from
their live show. Barry and Shawna. Mornings on 89.3 Moody Radio,
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Reach out to us by texting 800
968 8930 and please subscribe.
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