Friend, are you still carrying the shame Jesus bore on the cross?

Many believers receive salvation but still struggle to walk in freedom. Shame whispers lies. Guilt attempts to keep you bound. But beloved, the moment you are born again, Jesus declared: “You are free indeed.”

🔥In this powerful episode of Seed for the Soul, Latoya Mathews shares her journey of breaking free from shame and stepping into the fullness of God’s grace. Join us for Naked and Unashamed: Healing and Freedom in Christ Jesus—available now!

Author Bio:

Latoya Mathews is a woman of faith, devoted wife, loving mother, accomplished author, transformational speaker, successful entrepreneur, certified life coach, inspiring retreat host, and ordained elder. Driven by her own healing journey after experiencing abortion, she has dedicated herself to serving women of faith who have endured similar trauma. Since 2020, she has guided countless women in unraveling the shame, guilt, regret, and rejection associated with abortion and other life traumas, empowering them to achieve profound transformation, lasting freedom, positive change, renewed self-worth, restored identity, and abundant joy.

Inside the episode🎙️:

🌷Freedom in Christ is part of your inheritance. You don’t have to earn it—it’s already yours (John 8:36).

🌷Jesus is our sin offering. He took our shame and guilt. Stop making payments on something He has paid for! (Galatians 3:13).

🌷God knew your mistakes before He chose you. You are not disqualified (Ephesians 1:4). You are chosen!

🌷Take off the “grave clothes” of guilt and rejection (John 11:44). Step into your destiny!

🌷The enemy wants to keep you trapped. “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).

🌷Healing comes when we remove the veil and behold Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

🌷Your obedience unlocks someone else’s healing.

🌷You don’t have to carry this alone. Surround yourself with a safe community and sit at Jesus’ feet (Galatians 6:2).

If you’ve struggled with shame, guilt, or feeling unworthy, this episode is for you!

✨ Listen now and step into the freedom that is yours in Christ.

📢 Which point resonates most with you? Drop it in the comments👇🏾, Latoya, and I would love to hear from you!

Connect with Latoya Mathews:

Latoya's Website:

https://www.latoyamathews.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaAKmbRpw7J1_QfyYpYKqSTeTJdWRU19HVQsojA3H4MDLwgmHFxeDC_L-U_aem_uefzXGRUHbK2lRHZx0oLOQ

Get the latest word from Latoya on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thelatoyamathews/

Join Latoya Live on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@thelatoyamathews

Purchase Unveiled Freedom: My Journey to Removing the Burden of Shame After Abortion.

https://a.co/d/c8PeaRS

Friend, what if the most ordinary days held the deepest encounters with God?

I’m thrilled to share the latest Seed for the Soul episode with special guest Kayleon Dortch-Elliott! We dive into the tension between faith, humanity, and eternity as she unpacks the heart behind her book, To Everything: Seeing the Sacred in Ordinary Seasons and Common Days.

Together, we explore how faith is shaped in life’s margins—through waiting, suffering, and unexpected change. We discuss embracing our humanity to encounter God more fully, deepening our dependence on Him in waiting, and trusting Him amid uncertainty. If you’ve ever struggled to find the sacred in everyday moments, this episode is for you!

About Kayelon:

Kayleon is the author of To Everything and It is Well. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and children. With degrees in psychology and theology, her mission is to meet Christians in the margins of faith and everyday life. Through her words, she strives to underline a faith that was never meant to be abstract. Alongside her writing, she has had the pleasure of speaking as a keynote, panelist, podcast guest, minister, and more. She is the proud CEO of Write on the Margin Publishing and Content Partner for YouVersion. If you like inspiring yet thought-provoking messages on Christian faith and spirituality, you'll love her work. You can learn more about Kayleon and sign up for the Notes in the Margin Newsletter.

Inside the episode🎙️

• ♥️ Discover the inspiration behind her journey & how faith shapes our everyday lives in unexpected ways.

• 💡 Kayleon shares powerful insights on navigating paradoxical seasons and finding God’s presence in the margins.

• 🙏🏾 Explore how embracing uncertainty can lead to deeper trust and a richer connection with God.

• 📖 Learn about the unique structure of To Everything—a book you can open in any season of life for fresh encouragement.

• 🌟 Hear Kayleon’s personal reflections on humanity, faith, and the freedom found in not having all the answers.

• 💬 Practical takeaways on seeing the sacred in the ordinary, trusting God through change, and documenting His movements in your life.

• 🎧 Tune in now for inspiration and encouragement on your faith journey. Don’t miss this soul-nourishing episode!

Meet Kayleon in the Margins here👇🏾

Kayleon's Website:

https://www.kayleondortchelliott.com/home

Kayleon on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kaydelliott?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Get To Everything: Seeing The Sacred In Ordinary Seasons and Common Days.

https://a.co/d/4RuyRnR

Read Kayleon's YouVersion Plans:

https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/55016

What would it feel like to finally let go of what’s weighing you down and fully trust God with your next step?

This question—and so much more—is explored in episode eight of Seed For The Soul, Release & Rejoice: Trusting God’s Promises in the Messy Moments with my dear friend and sister, Jen Kosuda.

We live in an imperfect world with uncertain circumstances, broken people, and a real enemy. Yet, we have a perfect Savior who invites us to experience His presence, rest in His finished work, and bring heaven to earth by holding fast to His Word and the great and precious promises within it.

Jen and I share a heartfelt conversation about navigating life’s messy moments and learning to trust the Lord through it all fully. We hope this episode blesses and encourages you!

Inside the episode:

💫Release – The freedom and growth that comes from letting go and trusting God with our lives.

💫Rejoice – How to find joy and gratitude every season, even amid trials.

💫Rest – Embracing God’s invitation to spiritual rest and learning to stop striving in our own strength.

💫Promises – Discover the beauty of God’s promises that go beyond the word itself, rooted in His character and faithfulness.

💫Perspective – Seeing God in the mess and recognizing His presence even in the most challenging moments.

💫Faith – The power of speaking faith into situations, trusting God’s Word over what we see.

💫Truth – The importance of grounding ourselves in Scripture to combat false beliefs and walk in freedom.

💫Connection – The beauty of God-ordained relationships and how they sharpen and strengthen us in our faith journey.

About Jen.

Jennifer Kosuda, founder of The Art Of A Messy House, is a wife, mom, teacher, author and podcaster. She is a native of New Jersey, where she lives with her husband of 15 years, their four children, and a puppy. As a public school teacher since 2006, Jen is passionate about inspiring youth to walk in their God-given gifts. After decades of battling anxiety of different forms, by God’s grace, she overcame it. At that moment, she promised to never stop sharing about God’s goodness and Truth, giving Him all the glory.

The Art Of A Messy House books, blog, and podcast is her journey to do that because... life is beautiful, but it can get messy too. Still, God turns messes into messages and tests into testimonies, which is the heart of The Art Of A Messy House. It is where others will find stories of humility, kindness, Truth, and love as we walk in faith together through the everyday, relatable moments. Her mission is to empower and motivate families to fight with faith and grow spiritually by teaching Biblical principles. Looking back, Jen wishes God’s Word had filled her mind more than the worries. However, her wish has now become her work as her mission has become to teach people of all ages that they are loved, they are known, and they were created beautifully, on and for purpose.

Her passion is to empower others to walk in that beautifully distinct and God-given purpose right here, right now, while making Jesus known.

We are so glad you are here and hope you will be blessed!

Connect with Jen Kosuda and Be Blessed!

Learn more about Jen at her website:

The Art Of A Messy House

Watch Jen on YouTube

Practice the Pause with Jen on Social Media:

Jen's Instagram

Jen's TickTock

Tune into The Art Of The Messy House Podcast:

Listen Here

Podcast 🎙️Description

In this episode, we dive into the raw and transformative journey of faith, trust, and surrender. From grappling with the challenges of parenting through addiction to uncovering the hidden idols in her heart, Dawn shares how God called her into deeper obedience and trust. Through personal encounters, biblical study, and divine heart surgery, she learned to let go of control and embrace God’s sovereignty. This episode offers practical encouragement, biblical insights, and a reminder that no matter the trial, God has a plan for your life.

Author Bio:

Dawn Ward is a speaker, writer, and biblical life coach. She is the founder of The Faith to Flourish, a ministry offering support and encouragement to women with addicted loved ones. Dawn also equips women to live transformed lives through inspiring teaching, mentoring, and biblical resources. She is married to Steve and mom to three adult children. Her book, From Guilt to Grace: Hope and Healing for Christian Moms of Addicted Children, published September 2024, is now available.

In this episode, we dive deep into powerful aspects of faith, healing, and transformation that you won’t want to miss:

🌱Addiction & Idolatry: How even good intentions can turn into stumbling blocks.

🌱Discovering Lies & Uprooting Unbelief: How God exposes and dismantles the lies we believe about ourselves and others.

🌱God’s Grace in Our Weakness: Why Christ’s power is made perfect when we surrender.

🌱Spiritual Warfare: Practical ways to reclaim your home and stand firm in Christ’s authority.

🌱The Power of Labels: Replacing man-made labels with God’s truth about identity and worth.

🌱Intimacy with Christ: How trusting God transforms not only our trials but also our relationship with Him.

🌱Healing & Hope: Finding hope in God’s faithfulness when loved ones are struggling.

https://⁠ ⁠www.thefaithtoflourish.com⁠⁠

https://⁠www.Facebook.com/thefaithtoflourish⁠

https://⁠www.instagram.com/thefaithtoflourishblog⁠

Friends, I’m excited and honored to bring you episode six–part two of Seed for the Soul. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to episode six–part one, Sacred Spaces: Suffering, Redemption, Writing, and Legacy, I encourage you to go back and listen—it will bless you!

In this episode, the conversation continues with Author and Poet Kimberly Phinney. The content is sensitive and powerful. And I am in awe of the Lord’s presence and how He moved during our time together. Kimberly unveils her traumatic experience of miscarriage, walking us through her poem, We Are Not Quiet. As she gently pulls back layers of the poem, we discover that we can be naked and unashamed before God. In this space, we experience the kindness of Jesus, as blood becomes ink on the page—noting that even in death, in Him, there is life.

Here, we hold space for anyone walking through loss. It is an opportunity for us to sit with you and for you to be held by God's goodness and kindness through Kimberly’s journey. This balm for the brokenhearted demonstrates how, as we surrender our pain to Jesus, He gently grows our faith into a space where we can create and allow the light of His glory to be the overwhelming testimony.

It's authentic, visceral, guttural. Therefore, I ask that you tread lightly, depending on where you are in your healing process. Take your time walking with us.

The conversation is in no way meant to wound but to minister to the collective experience known as suffering and breathe hope by knowing you are not alone. Jesus is in the midst of your pain; nothing is hidden from Him. He is there and desires to heal you, giving you beauty for ashes. Thank you for listening.

Inside Ep. 6 Part 2: Sacred Spaces: Anatomy of a Poem

🥀 Kimberly Phinney: We Are Not Quiet

🌹Dissection & Discovery

🥀Hard, Honest Art

🥀Bold Thoughts, True Thoughts

🌹Find Your Voice & Dance With It

🌹The Craft: Meeting God on the Page

🥀Stanzas, Tension, & Juxtaposition

🌹Depth, Breath, Sound

🌹Borrowed Faith

🥀Beauty Birthed in Difficult Seasons

🌹Open to Wonder & Attuned to God

🌹Mercies & Miracles

🥀Education, Capacity, Pivoting

🌹Wholeness & Community

🌹Read, Live, Write

Connect with the lovely Kimberly Phinney:

⁠⁠https://www.thewayback2ourselves.com/⁠⁠

Meet Kimberly Phinney and the Beautiful Family of Faithful Creatives on Social Media:

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thewayback2ourselves?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==⁠⁠

Purchase Kimberly’s latest work, Of Wings & Dirt: A Collection of Poems.

⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/PhxSO⁠⁠

Listen to The Way Back Podcast:

⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5FBRd0wRdCRHYNdSye4yDH?si=7e66fc0ac745400d&nd=1&dlsi=7571bc745edf463b⁠

Check out Kimberly’s writing course:

How To Grow Your Writing Life

Dear friend, have you ever wondered how writers embody the craft? How do they share themselves publicly while holding space for us privately, able to keep that which is intimate—sacred?

This and much more are revealed in part one of a two-part Seed For The Soul series, where I have the privilege of sitting down with best-selling author Kimberly Phinney. In this episode, she shares how faithful creatives create and unfold the wonder and gift that arise from the ashes.

Kimberly walks us through her latest body of work, Of Wings & Dirt, inviting us into her journey of suffering. She reminds us why it is important not to sanitize our testimony because God is doing a more excellent work. Amid the human experience, Love does what is necessary to redeem and restore, which is powerful and transformative.

Author bio: Kimberly Phinney is a writer, professor, and counselor. She’s been published with Christianity Today, Ekstasis, The Dewdrop, Ruminate, and many more. She is the founder of www.TheWayBack2Ourselves.com, a thriving community for faithful creatives and leaders. Her poetry won the Audience Choice Award in the Bright Wings Poetry Contest with Ekstasis in 2024 and runner-up in Fathom Magazine’s Poetry Contest in 2023. A doctoral candidate in community care and counseling, Kimberly holds an M.Ed. in English and studied at Goddard’s Creative Writing MFA program. She was featured on Good Morning America and ABC News for a national award and teaching through critical illness. Her poetry collection, Of Wings and Dirt, was a best seller on the Amazon Charts in 2024.

Inside Ep. 6, Part 1: Sacred Spaces: Suffering, Redemption, Writing, and Legacy

🥀Intersection of Earth and Ethereal

🌹Gleanings from the Garden & the Gardener

🌹Writing Through Chronic Illness

🥀Bloodied Saints: The Human Experience

🥀of the Dirt, of the Spirit

🌹The Beauty Woven in Chapter & Verse

🌹The Intimate is Universal

🥀The Flip Side of A Good Gift: Suffering in Life and a Good God

🌹Sweetness Found in the Lived Legacy

🥀The High Calling: Embodying the work

🥀Sacred Flowers: A Beautiful Bouquet

🌹Capstone: Of Wings & Dirt

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭2‬.‭

“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.” Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭3‬.

“To grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭3‬.

Connect with the lovely Kimberly Phinney:

https://www.thewayback2ourselves.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thewayback2ourselves?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://shorturl.at/PhxSO

https://open.spotify.com/show/5FBRd0wRdCRHYNdSye4yDH?si=7e66fc0ac745400d&nd=1&dlsi=7571bc745edf463b

In this Seed for the Soul episode, we explore the profound call to "return to your first love" from Revelation 2. Host Andrea Brown delves into the meaning behind Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus, unpacking the importance of believing in God's love and resting in His finished work on the cross.

Through scripture and heartfelt reflections, we discover how true faith is not about striving but about responding to God's love with grace-filled obedience. Whether you're feeling weary in your walk or seeking a deeper connection with Jesus, this episode will remind you that His love is the foundation of everything we do.

Tune in for a transformative conversation that will inspire you to live and serve from a place of rest filled with the love of Christ.

Inside the Episode🎙️

༻ Revelation 2v1-5: Your works, Your labor, Your patience

༻ Fallen From Grace, Return to your first love, & Do the first works

༻Common Misinterpretation: Our love for Christ, wrought in the Old Covenant of Law & based on the First & Greatest Commandment.

༻The Finished Work: Jesus fulfilled the Law: Matthew 5:17-18. Romans 3:20 and Romans 8:3-4: Righteousness is fulfilled in us through Christ, not by us.

༻ Doing The First Works—Believe: The New Covenant of Grace: 1 John 4:9-10: Defined as God’s love for us.

༻ Connecting the Scriptures: Revelation 2:2 &

1 Thessalonians 1:3: Work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope

༻Servant vs. Sonship: Family Business

༻Legacy: Fulfill The Great Commission: They will know us by our ❤️

Link to Biblical Journal Prompts:

https://www.theonething1.org/_files/ugd/9007bd_8ca3ef3f1c334772a1268f9091540714.pdf

If you decide to give your life to Christ, please let me know at andrea@theonething1.org with the subject "I gave my life to Jesus Christ." I would love to come alongside you in your journey.