Jesus Meets Us Where We Are with Jennifer Thomas of Mourning Glory
God meets us right where we are.
When Jennifer Thomas was sitting on the floor of her bedroom closet, crying, he met her there.
God healed the shattered pieces of her heart after Jennifer lost both of her parents to cancer in a short time.
Because, initially, Jennifer couldn’t even talk about it.
Yet, out of the Lord’s generosity, he took her on a healing pilgrimage of the heart.
In this week's “mini retreat in a podcast,” hear how Jennifer felt the touch of God’s divine love through her personal prayer, retreat work, and sisterhood in Christ.
Discover how God wants to draw you close and heal all the broken parts of your heart, too.
Watch Now!
Transcript:
Lindy Wynne (00:01.644)
Welcome to Mamas in Spirit, a podcast pointing you towards God in everything you are and everything you do. I'm Lindy Nguyen and it's a blessing to be with you. Hello everyone and welcome to this gathering. Welcome to this mini retreat, a podcast, this opportunity to take pause and be together as sisters and brothers in Christ because we do have brothers in Christ who listen to which is just such a blessing.
And today it is an absolute delight to be here with Jennifer Thomas. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us.
Jennifer J. Thomas (00:37.158)
thank you so much for having me, Lindy. I feel like this is a very much a full circle moment for us right now, just in so many ways, and it's such a blessing to be here.
Lindy Wynne (00:48.296)
Yes, it is because I was blessed to be on Jennifer and Andrea Bear's podcast, Morning Glory, M-O-U-R-N-I-N-G, Glory, probably over a year ago now. Andrea has been on Momma's in Spirit and now you are. And even more significant, so when I was saying the intro to Momma's in Spirit just a minute ago, it's always a prayer and it really was created just in the intimacy of my heart.
seven years ago and that's really significant right now because as you will hear more and more through these podcasts I'm in discernment for mamas in spirit and every year I'm in discernment like God do you want me to continue this and it's always a yes by the God's grace this year it's a little bit different because I feel called to continue mamas in spirit yet for some of it to look a little bit differently and I think some of that ties back to the image that came to my mind and heart when I was saying the intro today
And that was me sitting in a totally different living room before I moved across the country almost five years ago and starting Mamas in Spirit by a mustard seed that got planted in my heart, sitting with my closest friends and family in my living room and recording, which is hilarious because that's like the do not do for podcasts. Like don't record with your friends and family, but I have beautiful friends and family.
Jennifer J. Thomas (02:02.526)
Yeah.
Lindy Wynne (02:08.088)
just like today. And so by the grace and goodness and generosity of God, and I think too, I saw listening to that still small voice, Momma's in spirit has grown to be what it is today. now I record remotely and I desire so deeply to have more in-person connection. I do retreats and some speaking engagements and things of the sort, but also just in my own home and my own community and my own heart and just to be so present.
where I am planted and that ties into Jennifer because Jennifer, you are one of the few guests that I've recorded with remotely who I got to be with together in my home because you recently came to a retreat near my home and I said, come on by and you did and we had a lovely time of tea together.
Jennifer J. Thomas (02:57.074)
did. And it was such a beautiful experience and a good starting place for my healing retreat that I went on. And I have to say that God has had me on a journey of healing for several years now. And one of the things that he constantly continues to remind me is that I am not alone on my healing journey. And part of that is in these little ways that that he
brings people to me and it's not just people, but it's the ways that he brings these saints to me. So I have to share a year ago, just over a year ago, I went on another healing retreat and this one was out in Seattle. And at this healing retreat, I had no idea exactly where it was other than it was out past the Seattle airport.
And I found out like right before that it was actually a Catholic retreat center that I went to. And so we got there. And as soon as I pulled up, I saw a statue of Joseph holding Jesus. And I was like, OK, I feel good about this. And then as I got closer, I saw a statue of Mary, the Blessed Mother. And then I saw St. Francis of Assisi.
And then I saw St. Therese. And so here's where St. Therese comes in. So St. Therese is the saint who my daughter, my oldest, finds the most comfort in and has kind of been her friend for the longest time. And when I came to visit you before I went to this other healing retreat and I got to see your beautiful chapel,
And I walked inside and who do I see but Therese. And so I knew immediately that I was in good company and that God and the saints were looking out for me because there was that familiar face. There was Therese. And, you know, she's all about the little way, doing small things. And I just felt like being in the company of
Jennifer J. Thomas (05:17.938)
the saints, but also being in company with good friends who want to be with you on the journey, who are willing to sit with you and listen to you and listen to your heart. That that is such an important part of healing that we all experience and that God wants to bring about in us. And so by us getting to meet in person, like first of all, I was so shocked when you said, well, why don't you just come on over?
Lindy Wynne (05:38.606)
And so by us getting to meet in person, like first of all, I was so shocked when you said, well, why don't you just come on over? But it was a good shock. And I just, feel so blessed that you were so welcoming and so hospitable. So to all of your listeners out there, she is just as charming and
Jennifer J. Thomas (05:47.003)
And, but it was a good shock. And I just, feel so blessed that you were so welcoming and so hospitable. So to all of your listeners out there, she is just as charming and beautiful and such a beautiful soul inside and out in person as she is, as she comes across here. So, and I just want to thank you for that because it takes a lot of vulnerability on your part.
you know, to be able to be that for people. So I just personally want to thank you for that. But, you know, as I was on this, this healing journey, as I've been continuing on it, there have been so many areas of my life where I didn't realize that I needed healing or was looking for healing. And the ways in which God has brought those out,
is so crazy to me sometimes. Like it's mind boggling how well he knows us and he sees us and he knows exactly what we need, when we need it and who we need. And so I feel like the timing of that retreat that I attended allowed me to meet you and it allowed me an opportunity to share my heart with you.
in a way that even though it was just us having a conversation, the healing effects of that beautiful conversation that we had, it just, touched my heart so much, Lindy.
Lindy Wynne (07:26.414)
It just, it touched my heart so much. Well, praise God. And it was a gift and a blessing to me to have you here. And it is such a significant part of my discernment because when we talk about healing and I've talked to mamas in spirit before about our lifetimes being a pilgrimage of healing, a healing pilgrimage, and that we can look in scripture and see all of these stories that are so deeply moving, like Hagar calling God.
the God who sees, the Talitha kum, little girl arise when Jesus brings back to life or saves the little girl who was dying, whose father was just beside himself and getting Jesus to help him because of his beloved child, the woman at the well where Christ meets the woman at the well, the hemorrhaging woman reaching out for the hum of Christ, just the hum of Christ. All of these stories and so many more.
I believe we're called to see ourselves in them and we can pray with them. And before I open in prayer here, this touches on too what you said, Jennifer, because of all our time together and how lovely our time was and how much I enjoyed having you here, I sensed it in my heart and I sense it in my heart here that even though it's wonderful to gather together and we are made.
to be together. We are made to be together as sisters in Christ and in deep and meaningful, authentic ways. We are called and drawn first and foremost to be with the Lord. And I wanted you so much to have that moment in the chapel. It's this little Shisha chapel. You can see it on Instagram. Instagram isn't very personal, my personal chapel's on there. It's pinned up on my profile. But that's like my heart.
Jennifer J. Thomas (09:09.438)
you
Lindy Wynne (09:15.67)
I really made that chapel for myself and I really never meant for it to really in a sense be known, but it became known over time in small ways and in little ways like St. Jerez and hey, if that's what the Lord wants, so be it. And so I'm so glad that you had a moment and I pray that this time is just that it's a sacred moment to encounter the Lord and to truly be together with one another authentically.
Vulnerably transparently as sisters in Christ and that when we leave here We don't necessarily go fill ourselves with so many more things to watch and listen and I will always tell people Only listen to mama's in spirit if it's truly helpful to your heart and points you to the Lord But that it points us to silence to the interior life the interior life with the Lord So in that spirit, let us kind of continue in prayer. We're not really opening Just great praise the Lord
Jennifer J. Thomas (10:09.288)
That's fine. Let's go for it.
Lindy Wynne (10:12.056)
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. Dear Lord, thank you for gathering us together to be with you, the one who loves us most. Lord, there's so much noise in this world and there can be so much noise in our minds and even in our hearts. It can be so hard for us to be still, to be where we are. I read something recently that said about serenity being
Where we are in both our mind and our body and I would add to that our spirit So I pray that our hearts are present here. Our focus is here Lord here with you So that you can fill us you can mold us you can shape us and you can love us in your name We pray amen. They were the father son. Holy spirit. Amen So Jennifer, I would love for you to dive more deeply into your healing pilgrimage
Jennifer J. Thomas (11:01.115)
Amen.
Jennifer J. Thomas (11:09.234)
Yeah, so I mean, I never thought of it as a pilgrimage. And again, the irony of it is that I haven't ever been on a real pilgrimage before. I feel very called to Lords, but that's for another time. My healing journey, it actually begins quite a few years ago when I lost both of my parents to cancer.
It was not something that was on any of our radars whenever it happened. And it was painful. It was fast. And, you know, I became a mom in the middle of that for the first time. And in the years since, there have been all of these things that I think God knew were sort of like loose ends that needed to be tied up in my heart and in my spirit. And I remember
not being angry with God in the sense of like, oh God, how could you do this? How could you take my parents? But more in a a wistful sense of, I wish that they were here and I wish I could ask them these questions about X, Y or Z or, know, as I like this as a toddler or as a teenager and all of it with the sense of trying to be a better mother myself and the ways that God has shown up.
for me to bring about healing has been through different people I've met, through different experiences I've had. And it really has been like a pilgrimage because it's like there have been all of these little stops along the way where God has made me pause. So it's almost like I imagine when you're on an actual pilgrimage, you have these different sites that you're going to. And for me, it's almost like God has been
taking me back to some of those places and showing me where he was in those places where I was feeling wounded or hurt and just really needed some spiritual healing where he's shown me I was right there with you. And it's only been in those moments when I've been able to like force myself almost to pause to make those intentional pauses of okay, Lord.
Jennifer J. Thomas (13:31.753)
I'm gonna sit here with you, even though it's uncomfortable, even though quiet is not my thing, even though sitting still and being in one place is not my thing, I know that it's what I need. And the way that he's shown up for me in so many different ways has just brought healing and restoration. And...
Lindy Wynne (13:38.51)
is not my thing, even though sitting still and being in one place is not my thing. I know that it's what I need. And the way that he's shown up for me in so many different ways has just brought healing and restoration. And along my journey, there have been different people who thought as good in my life. And a lot of it has come through in...
Jennifer J. Thomas (13:59.291)
Along my journey, there have been different people who God has put in my life and a lot of it has come through in these ways that I never imagined. I've always loved writing letters. I've been someone who, for as long as I can remember, I've loved
writing letters, finding beautiful stationery. And sometimes I kind of hoard my stationery, especially if it's really pretty. I might keep it for a while and then decide, you know, I'm saving it for like a special occasion or a special person to send it to. And when I write my letters, I do them in hand. And one of the ways that God has continued to bring healing to my life is through writing letters.
And when I say writing letters, it's writing these letters that I write to my parents. And I started doing that probably about 10 years ago. And these letters are these places where you can see where there was an area of pain in my life or an area of healing in my life. And so just like you would save letters that you have from
maybe friends or cards you received for birthdays and you look back on them and you can see how far you've come. That's how these letters are for me. And I can look back over time and I can see, you know, that God heard me. He heard me through my letters to my parents, even if I didn't realize that when I was writing them that they were a prayer that God was hearing them. And so through this
you know, this pilgrimage that he's had me on that I didn't even know he had me on until you said the word pilgrimage, Lindy. So thank you for that. there have just been so many blessings that have come up. And one of the biggest ones has been, realizing that it's okay for me to take the time that I need to actually focus on my healing, that it's not selfish, that
Lindy Wynne (15:58.671)
And one of the biggest ones has been realizing that it's okay for me to take the time that I need to actually focus on my healing.
Jennifer J. Thomas (16:14.16)
spending time with the Lord, spending that quiet time with him is something that is so critical. And when I go on trips now, I enjoy going and visiting different churches and looking for, you know, just different and yet familiar places and people. And just seeing Therese in your chapel
I can't even begin to say just what that did for me. And so this was at the beginning of me going to a retreat that was specifically for healing. And when I got to the place, you know, one of the things about Teresa, she's all about roses, you know, like she, she showers people with roses and that's her way of showing that she's there. And I have
a very dear friend who, actually, she is also an admirer of Therese. And she, when she's asking for Therese's intercession, she doesn't just ask for Therese to shower her with roses or show a rose. It's gotta be purple. It's gotta be a purple rose. And,
So I walked into the bathroom at this place where this healing retreat was taking place. And what do I see on the counter? But purple roses in a vase. And I snapped a picture and I sent it to my friend and she said, my gosh. And the crazy thing is, is this wasn't the first time that this happened. The same thing happened at this other retreat that I went on.
Lindy Wynne (17:58.447)
crazy thing is this wasn't the first time that this happened. The same thing happened
Jennifer J. Thomas (18:05.414)
last year in Seattle, there was a purple rose bush. And I think feeling that comfort of God being close and not just seeing it through these little ways, so to speak, but actually feeling it. Because it's one thing to say, I know God is healing me, but it's a completely different thing to feel it in your heart.
Lindy Wynne (18:06.158)
here in Seattle. was a purple rose bush. I think feeling that comfort of God seemed close.
Jennifer J. Thomas (18:33.99)
And what I went on this healing retreat for and what I came out with it were two totally different things. The healing that I was looking for was not the healing that God intended to bring to me. And I think about how so many times we go to the Lord and we ask him for X, Y, or Z. And he's like, Nope, that's not what you need. You need ABC. And this time,
I think he knew how deeply I needed to be healed in this one particular way. And it goes back to my childhood. And I remember being a little girl and I'd gotten in trouble and something happened. And I remember talking to my parents and them asking me a question and me answering them. And then I remember the look on my dad's face.
And I remember as a child, as like a seven year old little girl, seeing my dad looking at me with this face that in, my, in my little childlike mind, I was seeing it as like, he was very upset with me. He was disappointed in me. He, you know, he almost couldn't bear to look at me because of what happened or what I had done.
Lindy Wynne (19:49.455)
seeing it as like he was very upset with me. He was disappointed in me. He almost couldn't bear to look at me because of what happened or what I had done. And I just remember feeling this devastation in my heart when it happened.
Jennifer J. Thomas (20:04.017)
And I just remember feeling this devastation in my heart when it happened. And I hadn't thought about this in years and decades. And so while I was on this retreat, this scenario came up and then this image came up. And later that night, I went back to my hotel and I'd fallen asleep.
and I woke up and when I woke up it was because I had just had this dream and this image of my dad looking at me and he was shaking his head no and he had such tenderness in his eyes as he was looking at me
Jennifer J. Thomas (20:58.949)
And even though I didn't hear him say anything in the dream, it was like I could hear him like talking and saying these words to me as, as I'm, you know, waking up from falling asleep. But it was like he was saying, that look was not for you. I wasn't thinking of you. That look wasn't directed towards you. I was not.
disappointed in you. I was not upset with you. I love you. And I imagine that this is how God feels when we go to him, when we are broken, when we are hurt, when we have sinned and we are seeking his forgiveness. And sometimes we feel like we just can't because we're so ashamed of what we've done.
that we feel like we just can't do it, but we go to him and every single time he forgives us and not just forgives us, but he heals us. And that just was such a powerful moment for me. It makes me emotional to think about it because my earthly father is no longer here on earth.
But it was like, God knew that I needed that, I needed to know that my dad wasn't upset with me. And that just, that wasn't anything I was looking for. It wasn't any type of healing that I even thought I needed, much less was seeking at this retreat.
but it was what God knew I needed. And so I feel like through all of these different scenarios that I imagined were gonna play out at this healing retreat, this was nowhere on my radar. And this was the stop on the pilgrimage where God made me stop and said, nope, this is where we're gonna rest for a bit.
Jennifer J. Thomas (23:22.879)
And so that's just, I love when I feel like I can see God bringing things full circle. And that was for sure and still continues to be a full circle moment for me.
Lindy Wynne (23:41.227)
Yes, Jennifer, thank you for sharing all of that. And there are so many deep spiritual movements in what you just shared. And it's so funny because when I lead retreat, or even when I've gone on retreat myself many, many times, oftentimes whoever's leading the retreat, or I'll say to let go of expectation, let go of expectation because we all have expectations oftentimes when we enter any
place or space or new moment in life, whether we're aware of it or not. And even all of your sharing is so profound and different than what I would have expected. Not in the profundity, not in the profundity, but in the content and the sharing of your heart. It's just, it's so deep and it's so moving. It's so moving.
Jennifer J. Thomas (24:15.369)
Mm-hmm.
Lindy Wynne (24:36.268)
And so I wanna try to unpack with you some of the parts for all of us gathered because I believe they speak to all of our spiritual journeys and we all lead different lives and we are all on different paths in our pilgrimages in a sense if we're walking towards the well of living water, walking towards Christ, we're each on our own path with the same destination, the Lord love itself. And so one...
that I am hearing from you at first is just attentiveness and acceptance. Like with the loss of your parents is accepting the mourning and the grief and the loss and an attentiveness to it, which is another spiritual movement that I hear so deeply in you. Attentiveness, the attentiveness to the wish.
You used a beautiful word. wasn't wish, but it was something similar to that. Do you remember what word that was?
Jennifer J. Thomas (25:39.456)
I don't, I wish I could remember, but see, it was the Holy Spirit speaking through me. So this is what happens. As you know, there was a time where after I lost my parents, I couldn't talk about it. I just couldn't. It's only been within the last probably,
Lindy Wynne (25:44.106)
Hahaha
Jennifer J. Thomas (26:10.057)
I don't know, maybe four five years that I've been able to talk about losing my parents without completely breaking down. And so that's been a big part of healing that God has had to do. And I was at a point in my life where I just felt so desperate as a mom.
and I just wished I could have called my mom and said, mom, how did you do it? And I can't. And there's been a lot of healing that God has brought me through other women who I've met. call them my motherly mentors because they are women who have come into my life who have mothered me and
not only these women who are here on earth, but I also think of the saints as motherly mentors. And it's because they've shown me what it means to to show mercy and to show grace and also what it means to to be in those deep and dark places and still be looking for God. And I did not grow up
going to adoration. Adoration was very foreign to me whenever I, I guess you could say came back into my faith. I never left my faith, but for a while I wasn't active in my faith, I guess is a better way to put it. And this whole idea of adoration just seemed very foreign to me. And as I learned more about it, I learned that it's just spending time with Jesus.
except he's just, you know, in front of you. He's not just, you know, in wherever land, wherever Jesus is.
Jennifer J. Thomas (28:18.183)
that concept of knowing that I'm not alone in life, but I'm also not alone in the grief. I'm not alone in the suffering that I'm going through that there not only is a cloud of witnesses out there who are able to be there for me, but there's this whole support system that I have in the form of other women, even other men.
just other people in my life who have become so influential and made such a huge difference that being in community with them, because that's what God wants. He doesn't want us to be on this journey on our pilgrimages on our own. He wants us to be able to share with others. And part of that is being able to be vulnerable with other people so that they feel comfortable enough to want to open up to you and to talk to you.
And I had closed myself off because I was in so much pain after losing my parents. And I didn't even realize it. I didn't realize how closed off I'd become until I started seeking connection. And in seeking this connection with others, that was what ultimately brought me back to the Lord and what brought me more of a relationship with Him.
and seeing that it's in those quiet places where he finds us. You know, I think about all of those women from the Bible you just spoke about and how many of them went to Jesus. They didn't go to him, he came to them. He met them where they were. And how many times has God come to me to meet me where I am, to help me pick up the pieces.
of brokenness that I didn't realize I needed to have put back together.
Lindy Wynne (30:23.104)
Yes, that is profoundly beautiful that Jesus Christ comes to us. Christ pursues us. Christ seeks us. God wants our hearts. And conversion is a total return to God with all of our hearts. That's what sought within us is we see that in our Catholic faith as the center of our interior lives. And one of the things, Jennifer, that moves me most listening to you
is the willingness of you and of your heart to be open for God to work in your heart for Christ to come meet you because that's our part, the free will part. Am I going to open my heart or close my heart? And all of us are probably somewhere in between. think of, it's kind of silly, but I think of like a can opener, you know how like it slowly lifts open. We're probably all somewhere in there. Yet I think that what I'm hearing from you is in
Jennifer J. Thomas (31:15.135)
You
Lindy Wynne (31:21.742)
connectedness, first connection with God and then also with self and one another is that the more open my heart is in the right places and spaces and it's always right with the Lord. When we have a healthy sense of who the Lord is, which is in scripture, who the Lord is, is that then we can be met there and be healed even in the deepest, darkest or most grief-stricken places. And you said something that
Jennifer J. Thomas (31:39.443)
Right.
Lindy Wynne (31:52.235)
was just, it made me stop for a minute. It like stopped my mind dead in its tracks for a moment. When you said about being with other people, being with other women who even in the darkest places or spaces were looking for God. That's really beautiful.
Jennifer J. Thomas (32:15.323)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean...
It's not easy. I'm not gonna lie. It's not easy opening yourself up. And even through co-hosting the podcast with Andrea, you know, there's been so much work that God has done and so much ministering to my heart.
that he's done through some of the people we've had, even just through the conversation sometimes of the episodes where it's just Andrea and I talking. And we don't ever know where the Holy Spirit is going to lead us when we're in conversation with others, especially when we're in conversation about God and our faith. That's one thing that I've learned.
What I've also learned is that in order for others to feel comfortable with being vulnerable, you know, I have to lead by example. And that can be extremely scary sometimes, especially, you know, depending on what it is. Sometimes that can be as simple as if I lost my temper with my kids. Well, I gotta be humble and I have to go.
ask them for forgiveness, but that's a that's part of being vulnerable. Humility is a place of vulnerability. And so doing that and saying, okay, I'm going to allow myself to feel these emotions. And I think that that's something that I've learned to foster, that I've learned to care for. I
Jennifer J. Thomas (34:14.139)
Admittedly, I'm a very emotional person, but for the longest time after my parents' death, I just, it was like, I shut off almost. And part of it was because I was on autopilot. I was in survival mode. And once I tapped back into that and it was through the Lord that I was able to tap back into that. That's where the healing really started to happen.
And as I'm continuing on this pilgrimage of healing, you know, I might think that I know the final destination and that's whole healing. I mean, in reality, the whole healing is once we get to heaven. But here on earth, I might think, okay, I just have this one stop, this one more stop that I need to get to, and then I'm going to feel healed.
And then God's like, nope, rerouting like a GPS, he's rerouting you. Like you made it to this pit stop. Now we're going to go deeper. Now is the time. But I had to go through everything else. I had to allow myself to not only be vulnerable enough with other people, but I had to be vulnerable with God. And that meant
admitting to myself that I can't do this on my own. I remember several years ago, I was just not in a great place. I was feeling like a failure as a mother. I was feeling like a failure as a wife. And I ended up, two of my kids were napping, the other was content.
playing with whatever she was playing with. And I went into my closet and I just remember closing the door and crying and crying and crying and asking God, when is it enough? Like, when am I going to be enough? And
Jennifer J. Thomas (36:34.373)
He heard me. He definitely heard me and he showed up for me in the most random way. In the form of a person who approached me in a very public place and said, I know this is going to sound crazy, he said, but
feel like I have a message. I feel like I have something that God wants me to tell you. And I'm a Christian. And meanwhile, I'm sitting here going, okay, who's this, you know, weirdo like coming up to me? I don't know who you are. And he said,
It's enough.
God wants you to know that whatever it is that you're doing, that it's enough, that you're enough.
And he asked, does that make sense? And at the time, I wasn't thinking about that experience of being a puddle on my closet floor. I was thinking I had one of my kids with me and the other two were with someone else and the one who was with me was spilling water and it was noisy in the place. And I'm like, kind of. And then after I left, it hit me. I had the visual of
Jennifer J. Thomas (38:03.527)
of being in that closet and crying to the Lord, feeling like I wasn't enough. And through this man who approached me, God told me that I was enough. And bringing it back to this retreat that I went on where I met you,
We actually talked about the the woman of worth and as we were leaving the retreat it was a you know just just women. You know there was this moment where it was like I am enough. I am worthy.
and I have dignity.
and
Jennifer J. Thomas (39:11.679)
It makes me emotional thinking about it because for the longest time I didn't see myself that way.
God has always seen me that way. No matter what's happened in my life, no matter what mistakes I've made, He sees me as someone who is worthy and not just worthy of Him, but being worthy as a beloved daughter of God. And that's something that...
I like knowing that and feeling that. And I'm at a point in my life where I'm not questioning whether or not it's true.
I hope that makes sense.
Lindy Wynne (40:05.504)
Yes, and that seems miraculous to me and God's miraculous and good work in your life. And Jennifer, I want to thank you for sharing all of that and all of that so openly and vulnerably with everybody. And I think that there is a glorious invitation for all of us that you touched upon and that you have done and continue to do in your own life. And the first thing is, as you said, that humility and vulnerability are tied together. So beautiful.
And I remember times in my own life where I sensed that I was in a safe place when I was feeling quite vulnerable. And in a sense, sensing myself standing at a crossroads, like I'm sitting in this small group with this woman, these women, or I'm on a walk with this woman, or I'm on a coffee date with this woman, or I'm on this phone call. And right now I can either stay closed up because...
I'm new here or I'm struggling or I'm suffering or something very difficult is going on inside of me or in my family or I could open up and share.
I have felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit in those moments to open up and be vulnerable. And that is where we connect. And like you said, Jennifer, being vulnerable with the Lord takes great courage, as well as being vulnerable with ourselves and with one another. And I think that the choice really comes down to the heart because when we open up, it's a softening by God's grace of our hearts.
And it's an opening, a willingness to be connected and to grow and to grow closer to ourselves and others and God. And I know for myself, that can be very intimidating at times because we've all been hurt and we've all experienced loss and suffering in life. Like there's all different kinds of ways that were wounded and that's normal. Like that's part of life. And I've really been growing in my acceptance of life as it is because sometimes I think
Lindy Wynne (42:07.778)
that we suffer more when we don't take, when I don't take life as it is, and don't take the dynamics of relationships as they are, when I don't take myself as I am, and then know from there that I'm worthy, that I'm loved, that I'm treasured, just like all of us. That deep down authenticity and transparency,
to be that real and to accept life as it is. And God works in that. So I really believe that this podcast, this Mini Retreatment Podcast is a beautiful invitation for us in more ways than I'm gonna articulate now. So if none of these strike your heart, I'm sure God was speaking to you in another way through this.
So one of them is to be courageous, to be that honest with the Lord in whichever way we need to go into our own closets. Like Jennifer went into her closet and she said that she was a puddle. That was very sweet when you shared that, Jennifer. So to be a puddle in the closet or wherever else we need to go and just to be that sincere, just to be that sincere. And then also to seek the opportunities to create
Jennifer J. Thomas (43:08.415)
Mm-hmm.
Lindy Wynne (43:25.55)
to be with the Lord, to be with Christ who is already pursuing us. So wherever that is, like to be still, even when it's really hard to be with ourselves or to be alone or to be with the Lord, to seek those moments where God is already pursuing and seeking us. And then the third is to seek that with one another, to seek that with one another. You know, I've moved.
three major moves in my lifetime. And I know some people listening have moved more and some have moved less. And I've heard great challenge internally and creating new community when people have moved one city over or to a different neighborhood because our lives can look so different and feel so different. And all the people that we're surrounded with in a day can be totally different within that context. And so in each of those moves, I've had to choose
to open back up and to be vulnerable and to be honest and to create new relationships. And like I said, and also be attentive to safe places because I think in reality, not every place is safe. Not every relationship is safe, but God is abundant and God is loving and there are so many wonderful safe places. And to know that the only one who is perfect is the Lord and that
No one else is going to be perfect and I'm not perfect. We're not perfect. We're never going to be perfect for ourselves or for anyone else. There's no such thing. But we can be real and we can be loving and we can communicate and be connected in healthy ways and we can ask for forgiveness like you talked about with your children, Jennifer. I love that too. So there's these beautiful dynamics and I'm talking about so many different things. And I think that's at the heart of this too, is that mom is in spirit, mini retreat and a podcast.
can only be what it can be. This is what it is, and it's a beautiful gift. And like Jennifer was saying with her podcast with Andrea, Morning Glory, is that I'm the one that receives the most because I sit with all these beautiful souls and receive and then listen back when I'm preparing these mini retreats for release and things of the sort. Yet at the same time, God is limitless, but we are limited. I am limited.
Jennifer J. Thomas (45:18.174)
Mm-hmm.
Lindy Wynne (45:44.951)
And God will work and does work through anything that is of God online, like, or virtually like this. Yet it is no substitute. It is no substitute for being in person in that sacredness with the Lord and in person with other human beings. And so I pray for that for all of us. And that's why I still do believe that many retreats in a podcast are part of
Jennifer J. Thomas (45:57.811)
Mm-mm.
Lindy Wynne (46:14.872)
God's good plan for us to gather next year. I just think that there's other ways that God is calling me to encourage all of us and to create real ways for us to encounter one another in real time. And then sisterhood and Christ in real relationship present, both in body and spirit. And so I hope that for us and Jennifer, I think that you have articulated that in your story through your storytelling.
the sharing of your heart, that is what you've touched on here today. And you have provided by the grace of God a sacred and really eternal contemplation for us with the Lord, something that touches on something that is divine and supernatural so much beyond ourselves. And that's where I hope that we all go with this and say yes to this.
know that you can always reach out to Jennifer and I'll ask her how to do that in just a minute and myself too at mamasinspirit.gmail.com if you need encouragement or practical ways because the Lord is practical.
Jennifer J. Thomas (47:28.739)
Absolutely. mean, he's given us so many tools that sometimes we don't even realize. I mean, he gave us GPS's, you know, he's like, I know you don't know where you're going. So I'm going to have someone make some technology to help you go where you're going because you can't read a map. which is so funny because, know, you look at maps now and I think about my kids as they're getting older and they're not going to know how to read a map, but I want them to know how to read a map.
Lindy Wynne (47:39.702)
I need those.
Jennifer J. Thomas (47:57.908)
because it's important that you see the whole picture. You know, if you're just watching the GPS, you're not seeing the whole picture of the path. And it's nice to see the whole picture sometimes, or at least as much of the picture as God is willing to show us on our own paths to holiness.
Lindy Wynne (48:02.763)
Yes.
Lindy Wynne (48:16.788)
Amen. Amen, Jennifer. Thank you. That is so beautiful. And how can everyone get ahold of you?
Jennifer J. Thomas (48:22.737)
So people can get ahold of me a couple of different ways. So through the Morning Glory podcast, you can just send an email to us. If you go to our website, www.morningglorypodcast.com and that's M-O-U-R-N-I-N-G-G-L-O-R-Y podcast. You can also email me through my own personal website, jennifer at jenniferjthomas.com.
Lindy Wynne (48:50.84)
Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. God bless you and Andrea and the beautiful work you do for the Lord. And in that spirit, in the Holy Spirit, let us close in prayer in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. Dearest Lord, you are God of surprises and you surprise me all the time with just revealing yourself in different ways, different glorious ways with guests on Mamas in Spirit and just the way that you reveal yourself.
in our lives. so Lord, I pray that we are attentive to that and that we also create time and space for that to be with you and to know that you are pursuing us, that you love us beyond measure, and that all you really want is our hearts. In your name we pray. Amen. In name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, Jennifer, and thank you everyone for being here. It is always a delight to gather together. You can go to mamasinspirit.com.
Jennifer J. Thomas (49:36.083)
Amen.
Lindy Wynne (49:46.959)
For many more faithful podcasts or wherever you like to listen to them. And also please be sure to follow Mamas in Spirit either on social media or go to mamasinspirit.com and put your email in there so that we can stay connected while I make announcements about what next year is going to look like as God reveals that to me. So can't wait to be together again next time. This is Lindy Nguyen with Mamas in Spirit. May God bless you and yours.
always.