SJP #009: Lea Ann Garfias : Being Real & “Rocking” Your Ordinary Life!

Welcome to the Simply Joyful Podcast Episode #009 with Lea Ann Garfias   Being Real & “Rocking” Your Ordinary Life! Show Notes: KristiClover.com/009     You have to love it when God lines things up just perfectly! Last week we talked with Wendy Speake about finding ways to use our creative gifts to bless our family — and the world. As women and moms we can easily allow the busyness of life to consume us and snuff out those passions and dreams that we once had. I hope you were encouraged to realize that God gave you your gifts and talents — and you can and should still use them — it might just look a little differently than you originally thought. However, we also talked about how it starts at home. Well, today God worked it out that this new interview with Lea Ann comes on the heels of Wendy's podcast. That wasn't what I had planned. I had these two ladies scheduled weeks apart. However, due to several different factors, they are back-to-back. And get this…today we a going to look at how to “rock your ordinary” life. So, we're talking about starting at home and pouring your heart into living out an extraordinary life…right in the middle of your “ordinary” day! Yep! God is good!   On a “Simply” & “Joyful” side note…   This is always one of my favorite parts of the podcast. I ask my guests to either share about how they are finding joy or how they are adding simplicity to their lives. Well, Lea Ann has a tip for you that made me laugh out loud! It's great! I hadn't thought of it!   In This Episode   In this episode Lea Ann and I talk about how to “rock” life even in the ordinary moments. We aren't called to make our lives look like other people's. Our callings are all different. Our gifting is all different, too. This really is such an amazing conversation to have right after Wendy's episode! They fit so perfectly together! I love how God ended up working out the details for these two episodes to be back-to-back. I can't wait for you to listen in on my encouraging conversation with Lea Ann!   Highlights from This Show   Lea Ann and I talk about how our lives can have an impact in other people's lives. When we stop striving for perfection and just “open the door” and be real with each other, we have the ability to bless others in a great way. Lea Ann gives the encouragement that we need to be happy and and thankful for our own unique calling in life and not to be envious of others’ callings. God is calling us to rock the ordinary!   “God not only didn’t call me to that life, He didn’t even give me a desire for that life…my burden, my calling, isn’t to have the cutest house on the block and my calling isn’t to be even a podcaster.” — Lea Ann Garfias   “I think we as women allow Satan to...discourage us and make us feel like we’re less than or not as effective in the ministry because we’re not ministering the same way as the lady across the aisle from us. And that is a terrible lie.” --Lea Ann Garfias     Lea Ann shares the story of a trial in her life when her marriage was at stake and gives advice to listeners who have or are going through similar issues.   “We need to be honest, and that is a huge part of our commitment to one another. [We also need to be] able to share…the truth with our close friends who are supporting us. Finally, we each have to be willing to be honest with the Lord and tell God what is the real issue.” –Lea Ann Garfias   “…when we’re brave and when we’re honest, that’s when God can heal us and sanctify us and grow us more to be like Him; not only individually but together as a couple.” –Lea Ann Garfias   Lea Ann also talks about the importance of vulnerability and asking our friends for prayer and advice and gives examples from her life.   “I don’t have to pretend in front of her, I can ask her for prayer and she will pray for me. I can tell her that I have a sin that I’m wrestling with and she won’t judge me, because she’s a sinner too.”–Lea Ann Garfias   “When we are being real with people and they see what God can do through that–that is the ‘testimony.'”–Kristi Clover   “If we can have the courage to be honest and open with our friends, we’ll find out that some of the stuff we’re hiding might just be normal behavior or just the regular way the world works, and we don’t have to spend so much time trying to hide things or brush stuff under the rug that really isn’t important.”–Lea Ann Garfias   “These little ordinary moments in our lives can have a tremendous impact on someone around us…just saying a nice word and [being] honest and encouraging…we don’t even realize how much that can relieve the burden from someone around us.”–Lea Ann Garfias   Lea Ann shares an overview of her past and what advice she has for women who have hard pasts and shattered dreams. “If there are listeners who grew up in a dysfunctional family or from a background of abuse, they recognize it’s hard when you come out of a situation like that to untangle what the difference is between your Heavenly Father and your earthly father…”–Lea Ann Garfias   “My prayer is that maybe starting with this book and then leading through healing relationships and biblical counseling, that women will be able to find hope because God does love you.” --Lea Ann Garfias   “I have every human reason not to believe, but I can tell you, that it is my faith in God that has restored me to health. Not just physical health, but emotional and spiritual health. God has allowed me to see redemption and healing in relationships that, humanly speaking, you would never expect.”–Lea Ann Garfias   “There is nothing more beautiful than to honestly look at the broken pieces of our past and see how God can recreate our hearts and our souls for His own glory.” --Lea Ann Garfias   Books Mentioned…   Rocking Ordinary Rocking Ordinary Small Group Study Kit Pilgrim’s Progress Dangerous Journey …Dangerous Journey is an easy to read story version of Pilgrim's Progress.   Scripture Mentioned... “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body…If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body…Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-27     Please Note... Every podcast episode will have all the highlights and links from each episode (just like this) on my website. So, come on over to the blog to find the show notes. Be sure to grab your FREE copy of my book, Sanity Savers for Moms, by joining our Simply Joyful community. It's a great way to keep in touch...and get subscriber only freebies like my book. Click HERE to get the book and join! Make sure you head over to listen to my other interviews HERE! I know you will love these episodes!   Help Get the Word Out... My prayer is that this podcast would be a blessing to all who hear it. If you enjoy this podcast, it would be such a blessing to have you "Subscribe" to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave me a rating and review. This helps the podcast to rank in iTunes and be more "visible" for people searching for new podcasts to listen to. If you wanted to share this episode with friends or on social media, I've created several great images that are share-worthy. Thanks!   *My "Thank You" for Your Rating & Review on iTunes or Stitcher* If you do subscribe, rate, & review this podcast in iTunes or Stitcher, I'd love to thank you by giving you $5 off at my store! Just leave the review and email me, and I'll send you a coupon code to access the coloring book! (See show notes for details) Thank you so much for helping us get the word out about the Simply Joyful Podcast!   I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast! My prayer is always that you will be blessed and encouraged by each episode.   Live Simply. Be Joyful.   Connect Online: My Website Facebook  Instagram YouTube Pinterest Twitter   Connect with Lea Ann... Author Lea Ann Garfias helps women recognize the extraordinary impact they make with their seemingly ordinary lives. A homeschool grad and homeschooling mom of four, Lea Ann fuels her roles as author, professional violinist, choir director, and soccer mom with a whole lotta coffee. You can check out Lea Ann's books HERE on Amazon! You can find Lea Ann on her website at lagarfias.com.