Bible Study Evangelista Show

The point in "healing the inner child" is illustrated and affirmed by an ancient psychological/mythological idea that the way to full maturity is to find what you lost as a child and regain it. The recovery of the child revivifies the adult by teaching the adult how to play, trust, and wonder without judgment again, but with the added maturity and knowledge of being an adult who knows how to organize and protect oneself in the world. The inner child finally gets to express him/herself from a place of safety rather than fear and danger. In this wrap-up episode, I offer a case study that might help put all the pieces together, and a reminder from St. Thérèse to stay "little," give Jesus your littleness and little sacrifices, and leave the rest to Him.      Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Barney C; Corinne C; Laurie D; and Lee Ann K, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is epic! You coming? LOVE the Word®

Listen, Pharisee, the reason you're lonely, the reason you don't feel "chosen," the reason God hasn't thrown you a party (Parable of the Prodigal), is because you're full of judgments that block communion within yourself and between you and the Father, so that you can't feel comfortable enough with Him to even ask for a party. And if he threw you one now, in the state of Pharisaism you're in, you'd just condemn yourself for wastefulness and not deserving it. As soon as we turn back to our inner child, as soon as we extend some sympathy, boundaries, and forgiveness - for ourselves and others - the Pharisee steps in to judge: "How dare you let yourself or them get away with that!" Pharisaism is the wound of the world, because while the "sinful" have obvious evidence of their need for healing love, the Pharisee has his shit together, and therefore cannot see the dark, dead judgments inside himself that prevent healing communion.   Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Clement O; Connie V

All of our spiritual and emotional issues stem from an unconscious unwillingness to acknowledge the darkness in ourselves. In order to resist conscious "seeing" and acknowledging and doing something about the ugly truths in ourselves, we project them onto others, we distract ourselves, and in doing so, we disown parts of ourselves and those parts begin their tyranny. When enough of us do this, our world becomes as disordered as we are inside. It's through conflicts and suffering that enough emotion can break through, consciously, to alert us of what we are not seeing. Eden shows us that if we see and acknowledge it - whatever the darkness is - we can take it to the Holy Spirit to help us heal and order it properly. If Adam and Eve had done this, rather than allowing themselves to be distracted by what was easier and more attractive in the moment, they would have had the knowledge of good and evil without the suffering, because the evil was with them in the Garden the whole time; they just didn't notice or ack

Somehow I suspect you've either recently been in a conflict where you were corrected or have seen a need or opportunity to offer correction to another. If not, perhaps it's just around the corner. How about some guidelines from Jesus about that? Because we are God's children, and He warns us sternly against "despising the little ones." After radical detachment, we have to "turn back" to rescue the lost sheep of our inner child, and the lost sheep in our original and church families when they are also our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Melanie D; Bruce R; Veronica W; Melinda M; Loren G; Tessa W; Lindsay B; Ann C; Carol S; Christina C; Vicki G; Anita C; Christin L; Emily P; Anne B; and Kevin G, for for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is super deep! You coming? LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book bas

Using Matthew 18 as a touch point for discussion of the inner child is what we call using a "spiritual sense" of Scripture. It's fascinating to me that Jesus emphasized His teaching in 18 and part of 19 by placing children before Him (remember that chapter and verse numbers were not in the original writings, but added for our convenience). Like flesh and blood parables, children bookend His teaching on boundaries, and we learn that not only are healthy boundaries necessary to faith in dealing with one another in the family of God, but they're also necessary in human and faith development, too.  Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Melanie D; Bruce R; Veronica W; Melinda M; Loren G; Tessa W; Lindsay B; Ann C; Carol S; Christina C; Vicki G; Anita C; Christin L; Emily P; Anne B; and Kevin G, for for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our next Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is January 22 at 6:30 PM CST! You coming? LOVE the Word® is a Bible stu

Separation anxiety is when someone fears being apart from or losing a person or other attachment figure, a place, or even an animal. Adults can experience separation anxiety, although it is more common in children. Learning necessary, healthy detachment from parents, relatives, friends, and trauma bonds provokes "separation anxiety," does it not? Severe SA can manifest in physical symptoms, such as nausea and headaches. But separation anxiety is a normal part of both childhood development and adult relationship development. Although it can be unsettling, Jesus teaches separation is necessary for Christians - at least temporarily - in order to bring about the repentance and reconciliation of an offender. If the offender continues without repentance (changing direction), we must detach from ungodly "Christian" relationships, or else we fall into sin ourselves as enablers. Jesus shows us how.  Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Jaylen M; Rose G; and Monica M, for loving and lifting me

Don't all of your issues seem to be exacerbated by the holiday season? We're spending increased amounts of time with people and/or family who may have wounded us or still do. We may feel pressured and obligated by Great Expectations for how things "should" be. Perhaps we labor under the financial burden such expectations add; the sometimes extreme changes in environment, sleep, and schedules at work and with travel that can cause burnout; the many occasions for over-stimulation for us or our kids; the sheer amounts and types of food; stifling grief while feeling forced to put on the happy face; sibling rivalries; inferiority complexes; self-medication and addiction triggers; seasonal depression and lack of sunlight; questions and insinuations from others about "where you are" in life.  If all of that feels overwhelming to you, perhaps you can see why the holiday season causes your inner child to feel distressed and begin "acting out" in order to get your attention?  And why all the guilt for simply wanting to

Are you curious? What does your inner child's voice sound like? This episode, perhaps more than any other I've ever done, has the power to change your life. Ask Little Therese for that grace. When we protect and provide love and radical acceptance for our inner child, she glows and warms up inside. We have the inner freedom to breathe more easily and try new things. We know we can tolerate failure or mess ups. We can deal with minor amounts of guilt or shame without getting eaten up with fear. We don't get stuck desperately needing approval from others. Our inner child needs to find safety in the world so she can come out and play and be an active part of our life. It's the child parts that allow us to be creative and wondrous, as the psalmist says. So let's do it. First, we need a few guide bumpers and a grounding technique in case we encounter emotions that threaten to take over. Next, we need to breathe and relax into our inner prayer space. Then we visualize.      Thank you with all my heart to my newes

Healing the heart is about memory and emotion. Whatever and wherever our painful memories and emotions from the past are, they influence our present and future through our inner child. Learning to love the demanding, controlling little you that still screams for attention and protection in your present and future can be challenging, but it is possible, and Jesus teaches it is necessary.  "Unless you become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 18:3). Sometimes your hurt is too early to recall, only feel, as in womb experiences or pre-verbal, pre-self-aware implicit memory. Can we reach that deeply? St. Thérèse Lisieux shows us a way, The Little Way. We become little again.   Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Cynthia R, Cynthia C, Katy P, Joan R, and Jennifer S, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John is out of this world. You coming? LOVE the Word® is

For us the Bible is a single book, but it's really a Book of Books. The Bible is a library of books, from "biblios," meaning books. These books were written at different times that are sometimes separated by millennia; by different authors with various writing styles, proficiencies, and personalities; to different audiences. Is it any wonder that it can be hard to read and understand? This episode tackles the two Testaments, the genres of the Books, and the "who" of the Bible, so we have a basic understanding of how to approach each Book. But more than that, the consistency of the Bible is one of its miracles. Part of its consistency is the "who" of the Bible. Who heals through Scripture, and who is being healed? Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Rodney J; Katherine K; Deb F; Kathleen F; Kristy O; nancy K and Jowella M, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our new Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John has just begun! You com

No matter how well you know the Bible, Ignite will offer you something new, both as a hermeneutic and in its practical, personal approach to Scripture. The first chapter is Lectio Divina (meaning holy reading). It covers the ancient Christian practice of daily prayer with Scripture that we Baptist's called the "daily quiet time." We start with lectio divina in the book, because that's the usual way to learn to hear God speak in and through the Bible. Nothing heals like God's Word, because only love heals, and there is no way to heal fully without an intimate relationship with the Healer, Jesus Christ, in which He pours His love into you and your suffering. He does that, every single day, by speaking to you through the daily readings. The best way to begin healing is to hear God speak, experience His presence, and discern His will for your life through the daily readings of the Church. How? Modeled on the Annunciation, the LOVE the Word® method invites Our Lady to guide each of us in her own personal prayer

Discernment of spirits used to solely mean "diagnosing" whether someone was led by the Holy Spirit or the enemy. But it's more complicated than that, isn't it? The same person, even holy people, can be influenced by both the Holy Spirit and the enemy. Ignatius of Loyola compiled and systematized the Desert Fathers' tradition of discernment, so that now we understand "discernment of spirits" to mean deciding for oneself or another what must be attributed to the Holy Spirit, and what comes from one's own imagination or the suggestion of the enemy. Because St. Ignatius of Loyola's rules for discernment are so substantial, I have included a simplified version specific to discerning whether we are hearing from the Holy Spirit or not. (Copy, paste, print, and share!) Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Sarah S; Michael T*; Sheila I; and Roger L, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in a monthly Bible study on the Book of Romans! *Whoa, than

In this hour of all-but-universal darkness, we need a spiritual deepening that makes us really dare to live out the power of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Nothing less will save us or our world. This series is an invitation to step into the fire of the Burning Bush, a fire that burns without consuming, without scorching, without singeing; a fire that arrives on the wind, is fed by the wind, and rests upon the crown of each disciple, sending him out to light flames of love and light in our world. This fire and wind is the Holy Spirit. O souls, created for these grandeurs and called to them! What are you doing? How are you spending your time? . . . You are blind to so brilliant a light and deaf to such loud voices. -John of the Cross This series is not about the Charismatic Movement; it's not about tongues and miracles and healing. It's about a "still more excellent way" (1 Cor 13). Love, the POWER. The Mystery. First, we'll explore the mystery. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God is mystery. The Son is God

For this last, summary episode in the Angels series, I am offering the best concise 48-minute synopsis on angels and spiritual warfare I know of. Ha! The Bible shows us that the spiritual battle we are all engaged in is centered on fear versus faith. So please enjoy the first chapter of my book Fearless, without interruption. Technical note: the podcast hosting service I use has not been working for over a week; this is why you did not get this podcast last week. I couldn't get it fixed between Holy Week, Easter, and Monday when my silent retreat began. As a work-around (it's still not working), I added the audio through the native player on my site, so it looks different. I should have it fixed by the next series in a few weeks.  Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Morgan J; Monica H*; Savana A; Jessica S; and Elysia G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!*A special "thank you"! LOVE the Wor

This series probes what the Bible, the Catechism, Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and contemporary exorcists reveal about angels, their relationship to God, one another, and the human race. Episode 1 explores what it means to say angels are "spiritual and incorporeal beings" and the extraordinary powers and abilities they employ in their tasks.   Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Laura H; Alisa K; Robin N; Deborah B; Robin D; Carrie JH; Joanna C*; Silvia F; Dorothy G; Clara G; Jane M; Kim R; Christine Y; Genevieve M; Jamie R*; Marcie C; Jean A; MJO; Monica M; Gabriela M; Jill S; Kate H; Mary W; Michele Van W; and Norma C, for loving and lifting me! *A special “thank you” for your generosity! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen

New around here? Welcome! Woops! I just tripped myself trying to curtsy for you in my schlepping boots (seriously, the html keeps kicking out my left arrow, curtsy, right arrow). No problem. I’m more flaming Bible teacher than Southern belle anyway, hence the “evangelista” moniker. Yes, I made up a word, but it’s entirely applicable, since by definition an evangelist simply shares the good news of the Gospel from his own point of view. And honey I’m no “him,” but I always have a point of view, so I’m your evangelistaaaah. Speaking of good news, isn’t holiness more domestic than cosmic (right?) — in the trenches of dirty bathrooms, fighting children, irritable spouses, the struggle to stop raging or overeating, crazy schedules, and overwhelming workloads? We’re all sweating and dirty with the effort to love and lift all He’s given to us (John 17) – those people, duties, callings, and longings that break our hearts and make them sing, sometimes at the same time. But most times, we need to be loved and lifted ou

Gratitude is the only thing that has been found to actually increase your baseline happiness, called dispositional happiness. Other things, such as self-medication, will cause a temporary increase in happiness, but then you return to the baseline. But over time gratitude increases dispositional well-being, or happiness, permanently! Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jennifer M; Deborah W; and Maureen G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)  O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Which of the strategies for practicing gratitude do you feel most drawn to? Can you implement each one? Is it surprising that God made thanksgiving good for us? W

According to the Scriptures, complaining and thanksgiving are both multipliers. Complaining multiplies scarcity, fear, futility, and purposelessness; while thanksgiving multiplies a few loaves and fishes to feed all who are present, with plenty left over.   Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jannifer S, and Carolyn McK, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)  O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Have you thought about how thanksgiving for what "little" you might have could actually be the catalyst for receiving more from God as a gift? What has the Lord said to you about that through this episode?  V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts a

Once, when wallowing in suffering and complaining to God, "Why me?", He answered me with, "Why not you?" It was a sobering question that re-ordered my negative thinking toward thankfulness for all the terrible things I didn't have that I could. That was when I realized it can always be worse, a reality I remind myself of every time something "bad" happens.  The Jewish practice of praying the Eighteen Benedictions, or The Amidah, taught them that everything in life is ultimately a gift - undeserved and unmerited - from the great Benefactor, Who is gift Himself. Such a practice of constant thanksgiving centers one's life on eternity and prevents the faith-killing entitlement that leads to futility, purposelessness, negativity, and finally hell. Because the truth is, everything is gift, and we don't deserve any gift whatsoever.  Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Ashley L; Tina S; Holly A; Amanda S; Beth W; Peggy H; Glora C; G&H E; Mary S*, Mary P; Jennifer A*; Anita C; Elizabeth P*; Diana R*; Debby F;

Gratitude is a worldview, but is it a secular worldview or a sacred one? If gratitude is so obviously good for us, emotionally and physically, why are we so ungrateful? And why are Christians who have so much to be grateful for as negative and as physically unhealthy as the godless? Biblical gratitude helps us return our hearts to the eternal. Living in the midst of so many evils, temptations, and sins, the problem becomes losing sight of the eternal, of becoming distracted. Gratitude helps us focus properly, and that’s why it heals. In this episode, we look at the etymology of the word gratitude, "the three benes," the differences between the secular and sacred views of gratitude, and the number one reason why we should be grateful.  Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Cheri M, Sheila H, and Frances P, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets January 9! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method