The Pace of Peace: Finding Calm in Body, Soul, and Home with Michelle Brumgard

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Faithful Fitness Podcast for my Dad. Coach
Alex Van Houghten helps you get stronger and mind, body
and spirit. He believes that your body's a temple, so
taking good care of it is an actual worship.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
I should know.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
I live with him every week. He brings truth from
the Bible too of some science and stories that will
set your heart on fire. May God bless you to
become everything He made you to be, just one percent
better every single day.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hey there, Coach Alex fan out in here Faithful Fitness Podcast.
Our mission is to help you make the most out
of the body God's given you. And today I need
to ask you a question. Are you feeling overwhelmed or
are you perfectly at peace? Did you know that Christ
said he would leave us peace and that he came

(00:52):
so he might have life abundantly not be overwhelmed. That's
what we're going to be talking about in today's episode
with Miss Broumguard. We're gonna be talking about the pace
of peace and how we as Christians have access to
a piece that the world doesn't have. But it's gonna
take some discipline to get there.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
I hope you're ready. Let's dive in.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
What's up, guys. This is coach Alex van Houden on
the Faithful Fitness podcast. Our mission is to help you
to make the most out of the body God's given
you and I'm joined by Miss Michelle Broumguard Happy Thursday.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Michelle, how are you doing today?

Speaker 4 (01:30):
I'm doing good. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
And thank you for being here.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Michelle is the host of the Pace of Peace podcast.
She's a health coach, she's mom of two. And before
we get into the conversation we're going to have today
about peace and in relationship to our health and fitness journey,
I gotta ask, you have one that just graduated, and
you've you've got one in the high school age. How's
it feel to look at one of your children and say, Wow,

(01:57):
I have an adult.

Speaker 4 (02:01):
It's a little surreal, to be honest, because I home
educated her since second grade, and my son has always
been home educated. And as she graduated early learning to
navigate an adult in your house, it's like starting all over.
And at the same time, I look at her continually,

(02:22):
both of our kids, because our oldest is Leah, our daughter,
she's almost nineteen, and then we have our son who
is almost fifteen, so he's a freshman. But I look
at them and I'm like, man, the faithfulness of God
and his mercy is evident on display through both of them.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Wow, what a what a huge blessing.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
My boys are ten and six, and so I often
pray about the men they're becoming, But that man only
exists in the vision of their father. There's still there's
still you know, reffling to each other feathers and fighting
swords in the in the hallway and giving their mam

(03:04):
a hard time sometimes and breaking arms and that sort
of thing. So it's it's so wild to think about
them as adults someday. But I also know that this
time passes so quickly. Uh, and we try to make
the most out of out of every moment. Sounds like
you did the same through home education.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
Yeah, it's been it's been wild to this process. Like
I still like, right now she's getting groceries for me.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
What, like you've arrived, okay, yes, And she's like, I.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
Thought I was just getting a couple of groceries. This
is like whole grocery hall, mom, And I'm like, yeah,
it'll be good practice for you though, I mean, she's
got a credit card that's ours, So it's not like
she's paying the bill.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah right, right, But isn't that Isn't that the truth? Though?

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Like you go to the store to get a few
things and then there's all this other stuff like, oh, well,
we need that too, and I mean, either I get
it now or have to come back later.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Which is such a drag.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Welcome to adulting, Leah, No, I feel that.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
I'm so glad that that we get the opportunity to
have this conversation today because one of your one of
your core ministry positions and one of the core things
that you want to get out in the world. It's
the subject of the book you have coming out in January,
it's the subject of your podcast, and that is the
pace of peace. And I've got to tell you, in

(04:27):
the health world, there's not a lot of people talking
about peace.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
So first first I have to ask Michelle.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
How did peace as a topic of importance for health
and fitness and for your spiritual practice and for your household.
How did peace become something so important and powerful for
you that that's going to I mean, you wrote about
it and you're committed to publishing a podcast weekly on
the subject. How did that become a thing for you?

Speaker 4 (04:59):
Well, I set out maybe maybe three years ago to
write a book on something completely different, okay, And the
writing coach I work with says, you're the first product
of your book. You're the first person to be you know,
transformed in the writing of your book. And I am
an avid journaler. I love to journal, and in doing

(05:24):
some research for what I thought I was going to
write about, I just felt in the intimacy of prayer.
It just in reviewing looking for something else, I suddenly
noticed this theme throughout my journals of because that's where
I leave like the vulnerable things right, like the moms.
I'm not saying guys don't do this, but there's so

(05:45):
many burdens we carry as moms, specifically that we never
tell anybody, and the journal is the one place that
I pour it out. And I noticed this theme of like, Wow,
how many years have I I've been praying for peace? Wow,
whether it was peace in my body because I struggled

(06:07):
with my body for many years, or if it was
peace in my marriage because my husband and I have
a rough beginning to our marriage. We're soon approaching twenty years.
But those first couple of years were a little little
tense or peace in between kids, like when you've got
kids home all day, like nothing is going to test

(06:27):
your piece more than two kids and trying. Like my
my dear daughter, she knows I'll talk about this, but
man teaching her math when it came easy to me
and not to her created a lot of learning opportunities
for me to practice patients but also to get at peace.
And unfortunately I didn't really learn it a whole lot

(06:48):
in the process of teaching her. It was it's more
of like an after thing that my son's getting the fruit.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
Our poor oldests that we had to cut our teeth on.
But having a.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
Girl and a boy, I feel like I've too oldest
in a lot of ways.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Because it's so different. I bet yeah.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
But ultimately my passion from peace came from that revelation
of like, wait, this is something I've prayed for my
entire life and I just didn't recognize it. And then
I saw this theme of how God has been teaching
me peace all along. I just didn't recognize it. But
I've always seen Jesus as my best friend. Holy spirit

(07:28):
is the ultimate like guidance, counselor and whisper in my ear,
and then the Father being the one who never shames me,
guilts me, and loves me unconditionally. And with that revelation
of desiring peace, I'm like, wait, my best friend has
been peace all along, and it's just been this. It

(07:48):
was revelatory and then immediately this passion like just came
came forward of like I want the whole world to
know that this journey of life I've been on seeking
peace that I now have clarity on, Like that's what
I was seeking for. Yeah, but that peace is only
found in Christ.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
Amen.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Amen, there's a there are very very powerful passage in
the Gospels where Christ. I believe it's in John when
he says to his disciples my peace. I give to
you my peace I leave with you. I don't give
as the world gives. And he talks about a peace
that surpasses understanding. And so I think that I think
it's worthwhile for this conversation for us to kind of

(08:29):
say what peace is not and then if we if
we can try to try to wrap our heads around
what peace actually is. Because when I say a peaceful household,
I think of I think of when my children go
to stay with the gig and my wife and I

(08:50):
have a few moments of peace and quiet, right and
and like, that's not that's not what we're talking about here,
because there is calm, there is quiet, there is solitude,
there is there is restfulness that that exists in pockets
in our life. But if I'm a mom or a dad,
and and I'm I'm doing things in my career, things

(09:11):
in business, I might be seeking for for something that's
not quite peace from.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
A scriptural perspective.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
So so in your mind, what is peace not? What
is this thing you were praying for that you thought
you were asking for and and weren't getting maybe or
or maybe getting in little glimpses and whatnot. And in
your understanding, and I imagine it's it's something you unpacked.
And in writing your book, that's that's what a good
book does, is you kind of wrestle through with this

(09:41):
this thing that you learned that you want other people
to be able to grab onto and maybe shorten the
learning curve for everybody else too.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
That's why I wrote my book and the Faithful Fitness
devotional And and what did you learn that peace is not? What?
What is peace.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
M Well, I would say the peace that I was
seeking that I as far as like felt in my body.
You know, I don't, at least for me my experience
a lot of times is and it's still true, like
for any of your listeners. Don't think like I've magically
arrived that I'm this super peaceful woman and I never

(10:18):
lose my pool or I never feel anxious or depressed.
Like that's not truth.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, same here.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
So just to be clear, however, God's given me practices,
He's brought me revelation that I quickly reset and I
realized the piece I was seeking in full transparency, was
peace that early on in my teens in early twenties
that I hoped a pill would give me. You know,

(10:45):
and there's nothing wrong with anti anxiety medicine or anti
depression medicine, but I was hoping to have peace being
a quick fix. Yes, Like if I get this solution,
I'll have peace. If I get to this weight in
my body, I'll have peace, you know, if I accomplish

(11:06):
this fitness goal, I'll have peace. Or if this is
a real, very real one. I actually talk about it
in my book at one point, if my kids would
just take a nap. At the same time, I could
have some peace, no joke, right, And a lot of
that has to do with nervous system regulation. That's a

(11:27):
lot of it because I grew up experiencing some trauma
throughout my early life, and I realize a lot of
the desire for peace had to do with nervous system regulation. However,
that's still of the world. Like when I am losing
my peace, I've lost sight of Christ. Because when I've

(11:50):
realized I've experienced the supernatural, unexplainable. Piece is when I've
gotten a phone call that should destroy my day and
I'm able to stand firm and to breathe, and I'm
able to speak with calm and confidence and in the moment,
able to renew my mind on what is true. Or

(12:14):
in the midst of seeing kids fight and my flash,
you know, we talk about our weak side, like I
want to grab a hold of them, right, or you know,
say like straighten up, stop being so mean to each other,
like come on and be adults.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
You know.

Speaker 4 (12:29):
Whatever it is peace that's found in Christ that surpasses
understanding is being able to look at them be quiet.
First of all, that's some wisdom as you your kids
get older sometimes like they're learning how conflict management. But
a piece that surpasses understanding is looking at that someone
having a disagreement and just sitting back and praying and

(12:54):
not letting someone else's emotion or anger or something impact mine.
Mm hmm, because I'm able to go vertical in that
moment and be like.

Speaker 2 (13:08):
I.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
You'll you've if you've listened to my podcast Pauls and
Pray episodes are my favorite, where I just invite people
to pause and to pray and just to be in
His presence. Like biblical piece is that chaos can be
swirling around you and you seek the one who is peace,
and you stay solid, you stay unshaken. You don't let

(13:33):
the things of the world sway what you're about to
say or how you react. You're a first responder instead
of a reactor. As I have a mentor once.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Say yeah I could, I could see that it's actually
as you were speaking. Gives me this, this picture of
Christ throughout the Gospels where people are constantly astounded and
astonished and amazed by by him because there's there's obviously
Jesus was on a different playing field wisdom wise, knowledge wise,

(14:06):
and his ability to teach, and is that his ability
to to just be as a presence in the world.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
He was on a different playing field.

Speaker 3 (14:15):
But if you if you read the Gospels and in
the same way you might read I don't know the
Lord of the Rings with Jera or Tolkien, I don't
know if you appreciate the Lord of the Rings. Not
that they're in the they're not the same thing. One's
literature and one one's actual scripture.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
But but but if.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
You if you read scripture and you try to smell
the sea salt air while Jesus is walking beside Galilee,
and you picture the disciples and what they have to say,
and how they're kind of missing things and stuff, you
can easily imagine that Jesus is the kind of man
that when he walks into a room, everybody notices, and

(14:53):
it was more peaceful after he walked into the room
than it was when he wasn't there. And and so there's
this there's this presence of peace that constantly follows him
throughout the Gospel. In fact, the Bible calls him the
Prince of Peace. And so that's that's a that's not
just a trade of his it's it's it's a it's

(15:15):
a mode of.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
Being for him.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
And and understanding that about about Jesus, you you also
have to kind of appreciate what he was walking through.
You know, at any given time he had he had
his his twelve disciples arguing about who's going to be
the greatest or you know, they have all these questions.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
I don't know, you have two kids. I have two
kids as well. Sometimes I experience in children's ministry where I'm.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
Responsible for forty kids, and and I'm always getting pecked
on the arm, like mister Alex, mister Alex, mister Alex,
mister Alex, and and so and so there's the there's
these times where I'm separated in a bunch of different
directions keeping the peace, making sure, you know, little Susie
shares her toys with little Jimmy, and and and the
fourth graders aren't yelling at the first graders for being

(16:01):
bad at kickball and that sort of thing, and and
in all of these things, though, the chaos that I
experience in that setting is not not even quite on
the same level as what Jesus was experiencing with the
Roman guards keeping the Jews subjugated and the religious leaders
spreading lies about him, and then you know, you know,

(16:21):
somebody's always pecking him on the show, Hey.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
Will you heal my friend? Hey, I'm sick? Will you
cast this demon on my child?

Speaker 3 (16:27):
And and in all those moments, what I believe about
Christ is that he maintained.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
His peace throughout the Gospel and was well. He was
perfect in that. I'm not perfect in that, but he
was perfect in that.

Speaker 3 (16:45):
And definitely doesn't mean everything was always calm around him exactly,
but he was never overwhelmed by what was happening all
around him. And I want to talk about this idea
of overwhelm. You just you just out a podcast I
think last week on I don't think it's overcoming overwhelm.

(17:06):
It's something like when you are overwhelmed, here's four simple
steps to address this overwhelm.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
And you you.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
You based it on Philippians four eight. Whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are true depends on the translation you like
to like to speak about. But but, and I would
point anybody listening to this podcast, I would point them
to your podcast. Your podcast is primarily toward women, and
the it always makes me feel weird by the way,
like this podcast is for women. Well, I'm going to

(17:36):
listen to about three episodes so I understand what you're
doing in the world.

Speaker 2 (17:40):
They're so good though, they're so so useful, so helpful.

Speaker 3 (17:46):
You you led ladies through an exercise of how to
prayer fully prioritize that chaotic list of things that are
going on in your mind, and that is that is well,
it's very practical, it's very biblical, and it's very useful.

(18:07):
So I was going to ask you, when you think
of peace in my mind, that the dark backside of
that is overwhelmed, Like in my mind, these are these
are contrasting antonyms or opposites. If you ask my little
little six year old, what's the opposite of short, he'd
say tall. If you ask him what the opposite of

(18:28):
black is, he'd say white. If I had to say
what the opposite of pieces, I would say it's overwhelmed.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
That might be too simple, but it's a thing for sure.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
Can you tell me more about overwhelm that you've experienced
as a as a mom and that you when you
prayerfully pursue peace. What kind of overwhelm?

Speaker 2 (18:50):
How do you define that?

Speaker 3 (18:51):
What kind of overwhelming you helping ladies overcome in your
podcast work.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Yeah, as far as a mom over is definitely the
never ending to do list, which is why I just
recorded that podcast last week because I'm like, it's not
going to stop. The to do list is continually and
I know for a lot of moms. The other key
place of overwhelm is the famous question what's for dinner?

(19:21):
Let's take it a step further. What's for dinner? That
comes for a lot of moms is well, what should
I eat? What should I give my kids to eat?
What can we afford?

Speaker 2 (19:33):
Well?

Speaker 4 (19:34):
Is that enough? Is that too much? Well? Do I
force them? Or do I not force them? Like, there
is a list that reels through our minds around that
one question of what's for dinner? And it quickly can
spiral into overwhelm, very quickly in a matter of minutes,
especially if you haven't planned, which is why I like

(19:56):
to teach simple, practical things that I've learned to prioritize
what's the most important, keeping it simple. But overwhelmed can
also be a schedule. Maybe your kids have this isn't me.
I really guarded early on that my kids were not overscheduled.

(20:17):
Something I'm pretty passionate about But I'm not going to
judge another parent on their choices to parent ever, because
I don't know your kids right like you, God entrusted
those kids to you, so I believe God's giving you
the wisdom and discernment and how to parent those kids. However,
for us, we typically don't like to have a lot

(20:37):
in our schedule. But however, overwhelmed can look like, oh
my goodness, I have to run a kid here, and
then I've got to run a kid there, and.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
Do they have this?

Speaker 4 (20:46):
Do they have that? So overwhelmed can look like I
really would like eight hours of sleep, right, Like that
can be overwhelmed. Yeah, I can go on and one
about overwhelm and how it comes for the mom because
there's also the overwhelm, you know. With the pace of piece,

(21:06):
I'm focusing on body, soul, and home because we face overwhelmed.
There's a barrage of messages coming against us as women
and men that can be overwhelming, but also our soul,
which is our mind, will and emotions. But we're also
responsible for our home. Just listing those three things feels overwhelming.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Tell me right? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (21:31):
So yeah, But for me, like I just found this
continual overwhelm about how to care for my body and
then also how to care for my kids in a
way that is honoring to God because one of my

(21:51):
especially in more recent years in this fitness health world,
is Lord, help me not to glorify you and not
my self.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Right, mm hmm.

Speaker 4 (22:03):
So that's a tension point of overwhelm of life, just
all the choices, right, there's so much information in there
of like what is wrong, what is right? And ultimately
it comes back to like what has the Lord told me?

Speaker 2 (22:17):
Mm hmm, and what's in the word well said? And
did that answer your question? Yeah? Well, you know.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
It's talking about overwhelm, is overwhelming all by a self?
Because so there's there's actually a male female difference here
and this is this is wrapped up in the neuroscience.

Speaker 2 (22:34):
You might appreciate knowing this or you might already know it.

Speaker 3 (22:36):
And that is that the male corpus colosum, that's the
that's the part of the brain that unites the two hemispheres,
the one that's exposed a language and the other one
that's more imagistic in it's in its language. Uh, the
male corpus colosum is not very dense. The two parts
of my brain don't talk to each other as well
as the female corpus close. I'm on average, right, the

(22:58):
female corpus close very dense. That means there's a lot
of highways, a lot of a lot of connection between
both sides of the brain. And so men and women
both feel overwhelmed, but men generally have a hard time
articulating what's overwhelming to them, whereas women. If you say,
what's got you so overwhelmed? The list never stops, It's

(23:19):
gonna it's just gonna keep going, like what do you
gotta do today?

Speaker 2 (23:22):
Oh? What? Like it's a better question, what don't I
have to do?

Speaker 3 (23:25):
That would probably be a shorter list because because in
the in the female brain, and I'm not saying every
woman's like this personality wise, but just.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
In the structural way that our brains work.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
In the female brain, it's it's a lot easier to
generate a list of things that are overwhelming to you
without even trying. And that sucker follows you around everywhere.
And you actually spoke about this on on your podcast.
You said, Hey, I want to invite you to sit
down and write down all the stuff that just for

(23:57):
these next couple minutes. I want you to write down
all all the stuff that you feel like you have
to get done.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Right, and that's very powerful.

Speaker 3 (24:06):
And then you invited and this I think this is
this is a biblical idea. You based it on Philippians
for it, but I also think it Christ speaks to
this on the Sermon on the Mount, you invited your
your listeners to prayerfully look at the list and to
ask God to show them the three most important things,
the three things that I'm going to focus on today

(24:29):
because all this stuff, sure it's important, needs to get done. Yep,
Like that's why it's on your brain. You're not you're
not saying it's not important. You are saying you're one
person with only so much energy, so much mental will power.
You don't even know some of the things that are
going to happen to you today. So so with that
in mind, that humble perspective, that peaceful perspective in mind,

(24:52):
what are those three things that that you can focus
on and that and that you can actually affect today
and the other stuff. It's not that it's not important,
it just might not get done today.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
And that is okay. Jesus said it this way. Seek ye.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
First, the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all
of these things he's talking about, what we're going to eat,
and what we're gonna wear, and and all the other
stuff we worry about. All these things will be added
to you because there's the there's the one thing I
need to do today is walk in lockstep with my

(25:26):
father and then and then all the other stuff that
I feel like are important to me. I can just say, Hey, God,
is this really important to your heart right now? Is
this something we really need.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
To get done?

Speaker 3 (25:40):
If if not, then I'm just happy to be next
to you. That's for me. That's that I believe that's
the core of peace. And you like to say something
very specific, I'll let you speak to it. But but
peace isn't necessarily a feeling. What is What is peace?

Speaker 2 (25:55):
To you?

Speaker 4 (25:56):
Yeah, it's the mission of everything I'm doing right now
because I was seeking the emotion. So I like to
say that peace isn't only the emotion we desire or
the feeling we desire. Ultimately, it's the person we follow,
who is Christ himself or the Prince of peace, as
you mentioned.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
Amen. Amen.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
And what assurance, by the way, what assurance if I'm
walking with Christ this big list of things that needs
to get done in my mind. It's not like it's
not going to happen. But ugh, it's not overwhelming anymore.
That's the thing, right, it's not overwhelming anymore. You use

(26:39):
the example of laundry, and you said you don't like
using this example because for many people, laundry is overwhelming,
but for you.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
It's what did you say, it's I like doing laundry.
I like doing laundry. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (26:52):
I like the systematic aspect of it and the sorting,
and I find it actually calming. And I know that's
really uncommon among women. I learned that early on.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yeah, well, well for many women.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
And I don't want to speak for all women here,
but I know for my wife, for instance, if I
have a list of things I need to be up
to in laundry feels like extra, and there's other stuff
I feel like I need to be up to, then
then it does feel stressful. It's like I'm doing this
thing that's keeping me from doing the things.

Speaker 2 (27:24):
That really matter.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
But this is the Proverbs thirty one thing, like, who
can find a virtuous woman? Her value is beyond rubies?
Skip down a few verses her children are clothed in
Linen's man. Keeping your kids clothes is kind of important.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
Man. They mess it up and they tear their stuff.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
This is a this is a priority, just like cooking
dinner is a priority, so so so powerful and important
that that that gets done in the house. And I
want to you know, redeem and encourage that work. Like
and I say, this is a who folds laundry and
cooks in my house too. It's an important job to

(28:05):
make sure everybody has clean clothes to wear, and it's
an important job to make sure that our food is
made with love. And if there are other things that
feel super important, it's it's worthwhile to prayerfully check myself
how how important can something possibly be beyond feeding us.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
As a family.

Speaker 3 (28:25):
I know, I'm not I'm not dissing anybody else's priority us. Hey,
we've got we've got soccer to coach, and I've got
drum lessons to teach, and I've got a business to run.
All those things, all those things are powerful and important.
But as a family and in the home, as as
you've you've spoken about here, when we as a family
can can buy example and prayerfully get that priority list, right,

(28:52):
so we can remove a lot of that overwhelm, remove
a lot of that stress, remove a lot of that anxiety,
especially from the day to day, week to week things
that you know make up life something powerful and well
peaceful I hope happens, which I imagine is why you've
called it the pace of peace. Can you tell me
more about this whole pacing idea.

Speaker 4 (29:13):
Well, I'll give you a sneak peek. Pace is actually
I love acronyms, and pace is an acronym, so is peace.
But pace, first of all a girl up on a
dairy farm. And yes, I'm a trained fitness instructor. However,
when I went through the instructor training with revelation illness

(29:37):
of ministry that I am connected with, I was a
health coach looking for a way of teaching nutrition that
was less of the world, which my training was more
of as a health coach. But anyhow, I used to
have this saying that I don't run or unless the
cows get out. My native name is walker, so I

(30:02):
would always be like, see, I was even named a walker,
you know, from birth, so I always like to use
that as my like cop out for moving my body.
You know, what thing do we talk about in the
fitness world with pace more than probably anywhere is walking
and running or for myself, my husband and I really

(30:23):
enjoy hiking again though, like we were training. We hiked
the Grand Canyon with Revelational on us six years ago
and a big part of training, just like for a
marathon or anything else, is tracking your pace. Right, But
ultimately when we release our pace to the Lord, what

(30:45):
do we do? We pray and continue earnestly done. And
that's the acronym the Lord gave me for pace, because
to know me is to know that I am a
person who prays. My closest friends know that I just

(31:06):
it's it's part of who I am. Right, Like you say,
train hard, but pray harder, and I was like, I
love that because yeah, ultimately it's our connection with the
Lord and prayer, simpler conversation. But as I'm you know,
walking because I love a good walk. That's like one
of my favorite ways of movement. Pace or any any

(31:29):
goal really even your to do list your day, when
you're pacing life, the pace of peace is when you
pray and continue earnestly. So that's not saying pace is
twenty miles per hour or one mile per hour, because
how you live your life and how I live my

(31:49):
life could look very different because we're wired differently, you know,
just like someone who's walking. You know, when my husband
and I first dated, because of the nature of my
work at the time, when you know, back in the
day of malls, we don't have many malls anymore around us,
at least, you know, I was the faster walker. He'd
be like, where are you running to? And it was

(32:12):
just the nature of my work at the time, so
I had a faster pace. And now the role has
shifted because I have been at home for the last
almost twenty years as my primary work and ministry, so
I'm not in that pace of corporate world anymore. And

(32:32):
he's running large jobs and walking a lot more. And
now I'm like, it's funny how our paces have shifted.
You know, I had to learn to slow down. But
that's just in relation to walking in the physical but
it's also the same as spiritually. Yes, you know, your
walk with the Lord looks different than mine. So I

(32:55):
keep coming back to pace is the acronym prey and continuer,
you know, he Bruce twelve. You know, we each have
a race to run. Pace yourself. That's one of my
favorite things to tell people. I mean, a good trainer
you probably have said this to someone if they were
training for a five their first five k, like, just

(33:15):
pace yourself, pace yourself, you know, Like the ultimate goal
is to finish, and we want to finish well, like
I would imagine, just like myself. You want to hear
well done, good and faithful servant.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
M hm.

Speaker 4 (33:31):
Well, ultimately, how do we finish? We can we continue
to pray mm hmm, continue to seek God first in
all things. So that's where pace comes from. So when
you're praying and continuing earnestly every day, seeking God first,
and we've already established he's the Prince of peace, you're

(33:51):
going to have the pace of piece.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
I love. That's that's how it'll comes together. That's a
great acronym.

Speaker 3 (33:57):
And I like, I like the earnestly part, you know,
because because yeah, you gotta there's there's this thing, you know,
and from from a masculine perspective, there's this thing about about.

Speaker 2 (34:11):
Women and and being the weaker vessel blah blah blah.

Speaker 3 (34:15):
And and I'm not saying that's that's anti biblical. But
I have trained women in majority for most of my career,
and what I have found is that men have their
strength and women have their strength, and the strength is
a little bit different. I think of of men's strength
as being able to help us move forward up the hill,

(34:38):
and I generally think of women's strength as being the
strength that keeps us from falling down the hill backwards.
And both are so necessary and so powerful and important,
and and I've met so many super strong women in
my life. The prey and continue all by itself sounds like, oh,

(34:58):
that's prey and yeah.

Speaker 2 (35:00):
Don't get me wrong. Praying can be peaceful and soft
and gentle, but.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
Sometimes there's an earnestness necessary to getting through life. Sometimes
there's earnestness necessary to complete the task that God's given you.
And while Jesus was the prince of peace, there is
some grit in that.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
There is some endurance. And that makes me think of
Galatians six'. Nine let us not grow.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
Weary in doing the good That god's given us to,
do for in the end we will reap the harvest
if we do not give. Up there's some, earnestness in
some indomitability in that peace for. Sure and, also And
i'd love to hear what you think about, THIS i
believe that peace necessarily requires. Defending IF i choose, peace

(35:51):
IF i choose not to be overwhelmed today by my large,
list AND i choose to be close to the heart
of The, father there's going to be times in my
day where something's going to challenge that something's going to
try to pull me off. Sides and and sometimes it
might be, me because you, KNOW i don't need to
give the devil too much. Credit and sometimes it might
be friends and family or unexpected. Happenings sometimes it might

(36:15):
be a trial That god has given me so THAT
i can grow in. Him and then sometimes there's just
good old fashioned fiery darts from the enemy trying to
ruin ruin this peace right and so so in in your,
mind what are one of the WELL i don't want
to stay in your. MIND i actually want at this

(36:35):
point TO uh to point my listeners to a free
resource that you've invited us to grab a hold, of
and that is five proverbs we can pray while being.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Overwhelmed can you can you talk about that a little?
Bit the links in the show.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
NOTES i, WANT i want anybody who's made it this
far in our conversation to go grab. It, uh it's
it's free to them to check. Out but but tell
me more about this defensive peace in this.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
Tool.

Speaker 4 (37:02):
Yeah so it's this is WHERE i am like one
of my prayers is to be able to just know
scripture off the top of my. Head that is something
that is not a strength of mine and be LIKE
i can talk about a concept And i'd be, like
it's in The, bible but you need to give me
a minute to like reference. It and that's part of

(37:25):
where this resource was birthed, from because off the top
of my, Head i'm not one to be able to
quickly quote. Scripture it is a Prayer i'm continually asking
The lord to do as someone who's overcoming brain fog
for several, YEARS i think that's part of. It but
that's part of where the resource came, from because it's

(37:47):
something that can easily be printed out and put in
a place that where maybe it's a commonplace you recognize.
Overwhelmed i'm a big fan for women put it in
the bathroom or put a sticky note on. MIRROR i
continually am saying, that LIKE i have scriptures on My
if you ever want to know What i'm struggling, with
you can just look at my bathroom mirror and you're

(38:07):
gonna get a, theme probably within the scriptures that are on.
There but the idea, DEFENSIVELY i love a good cleansing
breath because no matter where you, are you can pause
and take a deep. Breath and that's something that the

(38:28):
world will tell, you. Right but what we can do
as believers is partner it with. Scripture so that's where
that tool comes in of praying the word mm.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
Hmm so in, THERE i.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
Give scriptures with a prayer because sometimes when you're in
the midst of, overwhelm you don't know what to, pray.
Right So i'm, like, here here's some written prayers for
you that you can, say come into, agreement you, know read.
It BECAUSE i never want someone to just pray something
because you're coming into agreement with it without reading at.
First that's just a personal. Conviction SO i invite, you,

(39:05):
like read the prayer and then read it, aloud make
it your. Own be, empowered because it is defensive to
pray the scripture. BACK i often leave My bible open
in my bedroom SO i can quickly just go in
there and give myself a quick time out and just
read the scripture and pray it back to The. LORD

(39:28):
i think there's nothing that he loves more is our
imperfection of being, like, Okay, lord here's your. WORD i
know it is. True you know you are The prince
of hees here you, know m h.

Speaker 2 (39:43):
Renew my.

Speaker 4 (39:43):
MIND i mean sometimes this is not holy. WHATSOEVER i
don't but maybe you can let me know if you've done.
This BUT i KNOW i, have AND i know other
women that have because we've talked about. It you have
en up The bible because you're in, overwhelm you're. Frustrated
you pick up The bible and you just drop it
it and you're, Like, lord give me something have you

(40:04):
done THAT.

Speaker 2 (40:06):
I? HAVE i have.

Speaker 3 (40:07):
Before Thankfully psalms is in the middle of The, bible
so you usually end up, With.

Speaker 4 (40:12):
Yeah the psalms are proverbs, usually And i'm, like thank, You.
Lord and the REASON i did proverbs as defensive is
because proverbs is, wisdom And i'm, LIKE i want to
start with. Wisdom so they're just really simple, prayers but,
yeah they're earnestly is definitely, defensive and The the THING

(40:37):
i loved about that word that is defensive, too is
WHEN i think, earnestly it's don't give.

Speaker 2 (40:43):
Up mm, hmm, yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yep we have a lot of options when when we
when we Follow, christ we have a lot of options
about exactly what that, means or exactly What he's equipped to,
you what gifts he's given you to.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
Do but one thing we all have in common is
we don't get to give.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
Up that's the that's the that is what You you
keep walking with him one one step in front of the.
OTHER i don't worry too much about. Tomorrow today has
enough worries of its. Own one foot in front of the,
other AND i FIND i do find that to be
very encouraging and very, challenging while at the same time

(41:25):
being so incredibly. REASSURING i only have to worry about
this next step ahead of. Me that's and AND i
THINK i think Of paul actually as we're talking, here
with with this this amazing gift and calling on his
life to spread The gospel to the, gentiles like he's

(41:47):
he's got this, thing you, know and and he's willing
to do, it and he's excited to do, it and
he's motivated and inspired to do, it you.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
Know but but like he's one.

Speaker 3 (41:57):
Guy he doesn't have, YouTube you, know, like, yeah go
spread this to the known world like.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Okay but but as deeply as there's a sense of
urgency in his, mission it is you read throughout acts
or you read through any of his epistles written in
The New. Testament never once is he Telling christians to hurry,
up LIKE i.

Speaker 3 (42:21):
CAN'T i can't think of one, verse AND i challenge
any any of my listeners to find one for, me
like speed.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
Up let's.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
Go uh he. He he talks about running a. Race
he doesn't talk about beating everybody. Else he talks about
running a. Race he talks about having a sense of
urgency because because surely come, Quickly Lord, Jesus like he
talks about, that but it's, not it's, not oh my,
gosh you have to do all of this stuff right,

(42:48):
now get it. Done he, says to get close To
god's heart and then to keep following one one step
at a time every. Day and that's and that's how
we as the church big see, church that's how we
as followers Of. Christ that's that's PLAN, a and there's
no PLAN. B like that's how that's How christ's will

(43:09):
will be done here on earth as it is in,
heaven is if every single one of us have a
personal relationship with him and walk with, him follow, him
grow with, him and do the good work that he
set us here to, do and support each other while
we're at.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
It there's, well there's just not a.

Speaker 3 (43:25):
Rush there's, urgency but but there's not a rush to
get it all done right.

Speaker 2 (43:30):
Now AND i THINK i think for me that's a
that's a deep core of as we've been talking about,
here just the.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
The pace of. Peace so thank you for your. Acronym
thank you for your book coming out In. January thank
you for your. PODCAST i think that it's going to
help so many as as, well women primarily seeking for practical,
tools and, heck just the the permission from another mom
to to do, this to do this thing at the

(44:00):
pace of, peace rather than to run around phrenetically and.
OVERWHELMED i wanted to give you an opportunity to leave
our listeners with a couple final thoughts BEFORE i pray
over you and your ministry and close our conversation down
here in your mind in, Heart, michelle what do you
want to make sure that listeners hear from you before
we close this.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
Podcast, YEAH i.

Speaker 4 (44:23):
Think the big thing THAT i pray that your listeners
here BECAUSE i know you, know more than likely your
listeners are wanting to change their. Body because faithful fitness
is that even with your, body, mind, body, soul your
home is That god not in a hurry about that,
either you. Know so if you're a woman who is

(44:44):
striving for a certain, size, again The prince of, peace you,
know just pray and continue earnestly hear, him seek him
that you can trust him with your, body just like
you can trust him with your. Kids so, ultimately like

(45:05):
peace is found in. Him anytime that you find yourself
starting to strive or fall into shame and guilt, cycles
whether you know that, spectrum whatever it. Is that one
of my favorite, sayings and it's one of the podcast
titles That i'll do. Monthly it's Just pauls and. Pray

(45:27):
Just pauls and. Pray and you can do that anywhere
in a car line lifting a weight that feels too.
Heavy even in THAT i would challenge even in those
moments of where you do get a pair of pants
that are a size, smaller or you lift a heavier,
weight or you make a really good, meal pause and
pray and. Gratitude look for the evidence of. Healing that's

(45:50):
another THING i like to, say look for the evidence
Of god in your. Life that there is evidence of
peace every. Day if you look for, it you'll find
it because it's ultimately not the emotion we, follow the
emotion we, seek it's the person we.

Speaker 2 (46:05):
Follow, well Said, michelle thank you so much for this.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
Conversation would you mind praying with me SO i can
pray over you and your. Ministry, YEAH i would love
to thank, You Father, God thank you so much for this.
Day thank you for the opportunity to spend time with my.
SISTER i Pray lord that you'll Bless michelle and her good.
Work thank you for the calling you've placed on her
life and for helping her to see that peace as

(46:29):
an emotion is not the same thing as peace in
the person Of Jesus.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
GOD i pray that peace over her and her. HOUSEHOLD
i pray that peace over our listeners. Today It's.

Speaker 3 (46:42):
GOD i pray a blessing over her podcast and her.
BOOK i pray that we would know. Peace as you
said you left with, us AND i pray that we
would know it in a different way than the world has,
it so that those who don't know you will look
at your people and, go.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
HUH i want?

Speaker 3 (47:02):
That how DO i get? It and we can tell
them about. You we love, You lord And jesus'.

Speaker 4 (47:08):
Name, Amen, amen thank you so much for having.

Speaker 3 (47:12):
Me, yeah one hundred, Percent, michelle thank, You and to the,
listeners you guys know What i'm going to say. Next
this has been Coach Alex Vann houghton on The Faithful fitness.
Podcast until next, time train, hard but pray.

Speaker 1 (47:23):
Harder, hey if this episode helped, you jare it with
someone who needs to hear, it and don't forget to
subscribe and leave us a raving review so more people
can Find Faithful. Fitness oh and my dad's new devotional
is almost out. Now you can grab a copy for

(47:46):
yourself and then join our free community At Better daily
by clicking on the links in the show notes. Below
we all have a cross To, carrie but it's lighter
when we do it, together so check out both links
in the show. Notes don't be a big.

Speaker 4 (48:02):
More, bob just do.

Speaker 1 (48:04):
It until next, time don't, forget train hard and pray even,
harder

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