Heidi and Christina unpack Revelation Within's new mission statement--a commitment to equip people with life-giving, grace-infused tools aimed at deepening your intimacy with Jesus, filling your life with real joy, and lasting hope.
In the second half, we delve into an exciting new season in our ministry. We shed light on how God's call has directed us to spread joy and hope, all infused with His grace. We want you to be a part of the story! So, join us on this journey. Let's get equipped with life-giving tools that deepen our relationship with Jesus.
True joy, the kind that overpowers fleeting comforts, is found in Jesus alone. Let's explore together how to live in that joy. It's never too late to deep-dive into a relationship with Jesus - one that offers real joy and lasting hope.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
Heidi and Christina unpack Revelation Within's new mission statement--a commitment to equip people with life-giving, grace-infused tools aimed at deepening your intimacy with Jesus, filling your life with real joy, and lasting hope.
In the second half, we delve into an exciting new season in our ministry. We shed light on how God's call has directed us to spread joy and hope, all infused with His grace. We want you to be a part of the story! So, join us on this journey. Let's get equipped with life-giving tools that deepen our relationship with Jesus.
True joy, the kind that overpowers fleeting comforts, is found in Jesus alone. Let's explore together how to live in that joy. It's never too late to deep-dive into a relationship with Jesus - one that offers real joy and lasting hope.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
Hi and welcome to our podcast Revelation Within on the Go. I'm Heidi Bilesma-Epperson, one of your hosts and the owner and lead coach of the revelationwithincom ministry.
Speaker 2:And I'm Christina Motley, another one of your hosts, also a Revelation Within coach and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within, and we are thrilled to join you today, to have you join us on this podcast, this episode of Revelation Within on the Go.
Speaker 1:Yay, yay, as you may know, we are rebranding from this then to Revelation Within. Woo hoo, yeah, it's exciting. I think the name is a really good fit for what we've been doing already in our ministry, and so Christina and I have been kind of going back and forth talking and praying and trying to flesh out and craft a just right Revelation Within mission statement, and so we thought you might want to know what we're here for, what we think God wants us here for, and how is this different than what came before? if it is, so we thought we'd do a podcast on that for you.
Speaker 2:I love the new name. I am loving it more and more and more, And people that I've been talking to recently, the people I coach, and in our groups and in our mighty network community, everybody seems to really love it. Yay, I told someone last week for the first time I hadn't talked to them in ages and I said, hey, we're, we've rebranded. And she said what's it called? And I told her Revelation Within and she said oh my gosh, i love that.
Speaker 1:Yay, so let's talk about this mission statement that God has given us, christina.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:We equip people with life giving, grace infused tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus, so that counterfeit comforts lose their allure and joy and hope fill their lives, satisfying their souls.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that sounds great, That sounds great.
Speaker 1:How about you start us off, Christina?
Speaker 2:Okay, let's start with the word we. So we've got Heidi and Christina. We are working together to bring everything to you. And then, even more importantly really, is our community. I think You are part of our we. We are everyone who is involved in this, everyone who is being encouraged and everyone who is doing the encouraging. We need you and we need each other And, of course, god is at the helm. Absolutely Yes absolutely.
Speaker 1:You got it right, for sure.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:And so the second word is equip, we equip. I like this word because it basically says it's not on us to do the doing. We will help you by giving you some tools and strategies that you need, but you're the one who's being equipped to go out into the world, to go into your families, into your workplace, into your own personal lives and use what your learning, what you have gleaned from the ministry here. So I like that word equip.
Speaker 2:I do too. I like that word. Equip People is the next word. We equip people. Okay. So who are the people? Men and women, yes, old and young. Old and young. People of all ages. People from all different parts of the world Yes, people from all different backgrounds, well, and people in all kinds of situations Yes, people with all kinds of health crises or needs. People with all kinds of relationship needs.
Speaker 1:We have all kinds of people in our community as it is now. I think this is kind of I don't know if it's interesting to anybody but me, but I like to look at the statistics of who downloads our podcasts. They live. We have, and, of course, i'm noticing the one continent that we don't have, and I want us to be able to reach South America. I want us to reach South America. If you're in South America and you are hearing this somehow and I don't know about you, i want you to write to me, heidi and RevelationWithincom, and say I am listening. Yes, we have in the past had people from all over the world, and right now I mean Antarctica. we don't have anybody there. It's really fun to know. we have a global community.
Speaker 2:Yes, Well, and some of you might be thinking well, i you know my situation is too crazy for this, or you know my, my health situation is way too extreme for Revelation within, or whatever it is, we are here to welcome absolutely everyone, all of you And, as I said, you make up the we were here as well. Everybody and anybody is welcome. We're so looking forward to meeting more of you.
Speaker 1:So we equip people with life giving, grace infused tools. So let's talk about life giving. Why are we including the life giving part in here?
Speaker 2:We love the word life giving, because the tools that we will share with you, the strategies will share with you the things that will practice, which that has to do with mind renewal These are going to bring you life. they're not going to drain you, they're not going to bring you down. you won't feel tired and drained afterwards. you'll feel energized and excited because they are life giving. and we have practice these tools Again and again and again with our groups and one on one and coaching, and we know that these will bring you life. not just life, not just fun on the outside or fleeting happiness, which those are good things too but we're looking for life from within. We're looking at abundant life. Abundant life, yes, abundant life, exactly.
Speaker 1:So we quit people with life giving grace infused. I want to talk about this for a minute because I'm excited about it. I love the word grace because it reminds me that this isn't a legalistic burden that we are to carry. It's not about rules, it's not about me and my performance. Grace is about the amazing riches that God showers on us, and so our tools are intended to sit us right smack in the middle of that downpour of God's grace, and so I love that, and so our tools are definitely intended to be grace infused tools.
Speaker 2:Oh, i love that idea of sitting in the middle of the downpour of God's grace. I love that, i love that, and so for me, what this also means is I don't have to have it all together. I don't have to be perfect, i don't have to be amazing. I can just be me in progress, discovering, not perfect stumbling, and we there is plenty of grace for me along this journey That is so important to me, heidi.
Speaker 1:I love that you shared that we quit people with life giving grace and fuels tools tools is next.
Speaker 2:So when I think of tools, i think of things that will help me And things that will specifically help me with certain areas in my life. you know, when you're building something, you need all kinds of different tools, maybe not just one. you're going to need the wrench and the hammer, you're going to need the, the ruler. you're going to need all these things and you're also going to need a guide At least I will if I'm building something. So I love this idea of having a whole box of tools that I can use depending on how I'm feeling, on what my situation is, on what I need, on what God leads me to. I love having I'm thinking of having this whole toolbox full of strategies. We have more than 70 tools at this point. remind renewal and they are fantastic and they are life giving, they are grace infuse.
Speaker 1:All right, so we quit people with life giving, grace infuse tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus. So important You know we can always our whole life long. We can grow deeper and deeper, go farther and farther with Jesus. Again, this isn't about performance, it's about really availability to him. I want to be with you, jesus. I want to belong to you more fully. I want to hold myself back from you less and less, and so deepening our intimacy with him is a gift we give to him, but it's a gift he gives to us.
Speaker 2:I hear people say things like this all the time How do I really get to know God? How do I feel closer to him? How do I deepen my intimacy with the Lord?
Speaker 1:What does?
Speaker 2:that even mean How do I get to that place where I feel like I'm really in fellowship with him, i'm really walking with him? How do I get there? This is so much of what we are about, and, yes, and the tools that we have will bring you to that place and will help you to deepen your intimacy with the Lord of the universe, which is amazing. Many of us have been Christians for a long, long time and we've been involved in Bible studies and small groups and going to church services and hearing sermons and all those kinds of things are so wonderful, but still many of us struggle with intimacy daily, moment by moment.
Speaker 1:Surrender to the Lord.
Speaker 2:What does that even look like? I hear a quiet time every day. Quiet time is wonderful, but if it doesn't involve some kind of mind renewal, thinking God's thoughts after him, we do get stuck there. We need these kinds of tools that will help us to think God's thoughts after him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's almost like we can turn our Bible study time from a quiet time into an intellectual exercise. Yes really that's not going to deepen my intimacy. It might deepen my knowledge.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I might know more about.
Speaker 2:God.
Speaker 1:Do I know him Right?
Speaker 2:exactly I hear people say I want that, i want to go deeper with the Lord. I want to sense him all day long, i want to turn to him in those moments when I'm really struggling and in those moments when I'm just so grateful and celebrating. Show me how to do that. So that is, that's, big time, what we are about. We equip people with life-giving, grace-infused tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus. Yay, yes, and we've decided to be very specific here. Yes, we did Very specific. We could have said with God. We could have said with the universe, we could have said that. We could have said the Lord. But we want to be very specific. We are believers in Jesus Christ and this is who it is that we're going to with everything that we need.
Speaker 1:We equip people with life-giving, grace-infused tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus, so that, i love this, counterfeit comforts lose their allure. What does?
Speaker 2:it mean, Heidi? What does it mean Counterfeit comforts? What is that?
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness, god calls himself, jesus calls himself and his spirit our comforter. So I think of counterfeit as anything that isn't the real deal but is supposed to kind of look like the real deal, but it's not. It might just have a variation in one way, but in our case, oftentimes the counterfeit comforts we go to are all kinds of things that don't really give us comfort at all, especially not when compared with the God of the universe, with Jesus himself, who has promised to be our comfort in all things. So counterfeits are lies, they're lies, and so we don't want to allow ourselves to be swept up by these counterfeits. They oftentimes promise instant relief of some kind, but they don't deliver over a long term at all, except heartache and pain. And so the whole purpose we exist and want to provide life-giving, grace-infused tools to deepen your intimacy with God, so that you are not as attracted or drawn to counterfeit comforts, but you're drawn to the one God who will bring true comfort, true joy, true peace, lasting change to the one who truly transforms.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, and I just want to mention that some of these counterfeit comforts are things that sound really good, Like working a lot or volunteering, or you know. There's a lot of things that sound really, really good. If we're going to those things instead of the Lord, they are in the same category as some of those bad things that maybe came to your mind, You know yeah yeah no, anything to excess.
Speaker 1:I mean, there is a point in time where I need to clean my home and there's a point in time where it becomes a counterfeit comfort. I'm finding my joy and my pleasure in having an immaculate home 25 times a day and maybe God's calling me to do something different with my time. So, whatever it might be, i mean I can make anything into an idol, into a counterfeit comfort or distraction. Really.
Speaker 2:Anything, even if it's good, even if it's involvement in your church or driving people around, or I mean those are all good things, whatever it is, but if it's pulling us away, that's the key. We equip people with life, giving grace infused tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus, so that counterfeit comforts lose their allure. Okay what does that mean? What is what is pulling you? What is drawing you? Is it food? Is it social media? Is it drink? Is it being so busy? Is it working so hard? What is it that is drawing you with that allure that feels so strong, looking for comfort in things that are like you said, Heidi, they're counterfeit, they're fake, They're not going to last. So we want to make sure that what we're doing the activities, the strategies, the tools, the time that we're spending is all about the Lord. It's all about him, not about us. We're focused on him and those other things will fall away. They will lose their allure as we fix our eyes on Christ for everything that we need. I love that. So we're almost at the end of our mission statement. Are you hanging in there with us? I bet you could even say it by heart Yeah, Okay. So we're at my favorite part.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite part. It's true, it really is true.
Speaker 2:We equip people with life, giving grace and fuse tools to deepen their instant intimacy with Jesus, so that counterfeit comforts lose their allure. Okay, here it comes, and joy and hope fill their lives. This is so important. This is what we're longing for. Talk to people and ask them what are you longing for? What do you see in your future that you would love to have? when they're really thinking about their heart and their souls? not material things, not things that will fade away They are looking for joy and hope, and I am too. That doesn't mean we didn't put in an easy life, we didn't put in things one more smoothly for me. I'm going to have longer vacations or no, none of that. We are looking for that deep, abiding joy and that, that the kind of hope that fills our souls, because that is what we need. That's what we're longing for. That is where the emptiness comes from in our hearts, and the only one who can give us that joy and that real hope is the Lord. He is our hope not just that, he gives us hope, he actually is our hope And he is our joy. And the word of God says the joy of the Lord is our strength. And I'm still trying to figure that out, but I know that I want it. Exactly That is what I want. In difficult circumstances, in broken relationships, in broken bodies, in all the heartache that is part of this world, i wanna know how to experience that joy and that hope that is deep and everlasting.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, beautiful. So we equip people here at Revelation Within with life giving, grace infused tools to deepen your intimacy with Jesus so that counterfeit comforts lose their allure and joy and hope fill your lives, satisfying your souls.
Speaker 2:Okay, you're turning out to be satisfying your souls.
Speaker 1:I love the word satisfying because it's like filled up, it's complete, there's a sense of completion.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Satisfied, and I know that's maybe not the connotation for many people, but for me it just feels like that is good, that is enough, that is sufficient, and I love that because, really, when our souls are satisfied, it's even more than sufficient. It is even more than enough. Jesus himself invited us to come to him and find rest for our souls. I love that And I believe that he intends for us to be completely, fully satisfied in our souls, in him, in intimacy with him. So, I mean, i don't know about you all, but when I picture this person who has life giving, grace infused tools that they are using, and they are in a place of ever deepening intimacy with Jesus, counterfeit comforts may beckon to them, but they don't heed them. They've lost their attraction, and there's joy and hope that's just bubbling up at the surface all the time and their souls are satisfied. Doesn't it sound like something you wanna be?
Speaker 2:Yes, it says me. Yes, absolutely, absolutely, yeah, definitely. That sounds exactly like what I want.
Speaker 1:That's exactly what we want Revelation within to be known for and to do in your life? for sure, Absolutely. So what didn't we include in this mission statement? Yeah, did we miss something that?
Speaker 2:what could it be?
Speaker 1:Well, we didn't include anything about food and body size, and that was intentional. But now let me ask you this does that mean, we don't address that?
Speaker 2:Well, no, because we talked about counterfeit comforts in our mission statement. For many of us, counterfeit comforts have been food for our whole lives. Seconds yes. And that's of course. that's where we were within, within, and that's still where we are now. It's just that our focus is on all counterfeit comforts, not just food, and also we don't wanna be focused on sin. We wanted that word out of our name because that's not what we're about.
Speaker 1:It can be a counterfeit comfort. You know, pursuing a certain size and doing what I can to get there and to stay there, and I've done this before, so I know this from firsthand experience. That can be a counterfeit comfort. I think everything is gonna be well in my world.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And I am a certain size and I stay that way, yep, and it wasn't right in my world, In fact I can still get, have a health crisis that sent me to the hospital for weeks, and I could still have relationship challenges that were disastrous in many ways. So that is a counterfeit comfort And yeah, we don't want to pretend otherwise.
Speaker 2:We are just so excited to enter into this new season of the ministry, from thing within to revelation within. We're really looking forward to walking with you and with each other and with the Lord, as we have revelation after revelation, yes, and what God is doing in us and how he's drawn to himself and what he's calling us to, and the word that he is definitely calling us to a life of joy and hope that is grace infused.
Speaker 1:Absolutely So. we hope there's been something here in this podcast that has encouraged you and if nothing else, we bet you can say our mission statement with us by heart.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:And we hope you'll join us next time.
Speaker 2:Join us next time on Revelation Within on the go, on the go. See you next time. Bye for now.