A short conversational interview (host: Nick Stumbo; guest: Teresa) exploring hope for people who feel their lives are 'too messy' for God. Teresa emphasizes finding a sisterhood/brotherhood through group study of scripture, sharing personal stories aloud to undo shame, and seeing transformation—citing the woman at the well as a central scriptural example. The speakers encourage small-group practices (reading, talking, coffee conversations) as concrete pathways to healing and confidence in God's pursuit and love.
So along those lines, Teresa, for someone who's listening, who maybe feels like their story is too messy, there's too much brokenness, they're too far gone. What hope do you offer them through this study? And what might they find in stories of scripture that would offer them hope?
I think they would find a sisterhood, specifically the women, you know, or a brotherhood, you know, whoever they are. And they're looking at the people of scripture, at least for me. I'll speak personally. Like, I found such a sisterhood in the women of scripture. And it was through getting to know them and their stories and realizing, like, oh, I'm. I'm not too far gone. I'm not the only one. And then as. As I've gone through the study with women, there's this bond that occurs through us sharing our stories with one another. And there's so much hope and grace when you find those safe people and you get to share your stories together. I think there is. We see transformation. Like the woman at the well, like her story. This is a woman whose life is, like, utterly transformed when she encounters Jesus. And then when we see that happening in our own lives and we see that happening in the lives of the people around us through their encounters with Jesus, it provides so much hope. It. It provides so much confidence that this might be where you're at right now, but you don't have to stay here. You know, you are. You are in God's sight, valued, and you are seen and you are loved, and he's pursuing you. And what, what has been done to you or by you is not the defining word on your life. So I think, I think there's so much hope.
You talk about just that safe sisterhood and especially going through a group together and having that safety and, and we know this from our type of groups that we run, that there is powerful healing that happens in the brain, in the mind, to help undo some of those, those, those distorted truths, those false shame lies when we say them out loud. And so, I mean, that's. I would hope that people do pick up your book and go through and at least have coffee with a friend and talk about it, talk about what they're learning because it's good information to have, but it's better, transformative information when we can verbalize it and share it out loud and really say those things that we felt about ourselves and got stuck in. Filter it through God's word and through today and through, you know, not being traumatized, Olympic or whatever and, and putting it back in and So I love that that's your approach, and that's what you see, because life is messy. And so to be able to show up and. And just put it all out on the table and say, this is. This is my mess, and I want to see God do something good with the rebel is. Is just so beautiful.
Yeah. Well, the. The challenge of. Of shame and the messiness of our stories that it often keeps us alone. And I. I think the master plan of the enemy. I've. I've said this in a lot of our conferences, that it's masterful that he has inflicted everyone with the same sickness and then convinced them that their unique version of it makes them particularly bad and they don't share it. So it's like we're all sitting in church together with cancer and we have different versions of cancer, but no one wants to admit they have cancer because they think they're the only one. And yet, if they were honest, actually, nearly everyone around them would say, oh, me too. And yet when we're not able to share, when we're not able to bring that brokenness to others, we. We stay stuck in that shame and a mindset that really perpetuates the pain, perpetuates the trauma, rather than creating an opportunity for healing. And. And I know some people have had experiences where they've tried to share with someone who really couldn't relate, and it maybe left a. A reinforcing message that said, see, I can't tell anybody because I tried to tell a friend, and they didn't relate. They didn't understand. They just told me, don't do that, or, you know, they gave me bad advice. And so we stop. And yet there are places like a pure desire group there. There are many people out there that. That could hear your story and go, I can totally relate to that. And. And we're looking to create those kind of safe places in churches around the country and around the world. But we know that's a work in progress. So for you, if, if as a listener, you're feeling like. But who can relate? To me, I think finding a group that is set up for that is so key because there are many, many people that can relate. And when we're able to find that safe place to relate our story to others, it is a huge part of our transform.
