The Alli Worthington Show

Alex Seeley on the countercultural way to live an abundant life

I'm so excited to have the wonderful Alex Seeley back with us on the show today. Alex is powerful and wise and we talk about planting the Belonging Co with her husband in Nashville TN, why most Christians are missing the abundant life, and what it means to follow the backward life of Jesus. In this episode we discuss:1. The keys to a powerful abundant life2. Women in ministry3. Everything from Revelation to Foundation   Favorite quotes:1. We have to realize there is a beauty in waiting. There is a beauty and wisdom we gain in trials and testings and waiting for God’s appointed time. We have a generation that’s so obsessed with the now and immediate gratification that we’re losing the depth and the wonder and the beauty of how God designed us to live. 2. Abundant life doesn’t mean a perfect life but a blessed life. 3. In Christianity and in faith, we’ve taken and adopted so much of the worldly system of how to get ahead, how to have this successful life, but you’ll often find in Scripture and especially in the gospels that Jesus is teaching us a different way.In this episode I answer these questions:1. Do you ever feel extra pressure to not ever feel busy, worried, or unhappy because you write books on how to overcome it? How do you balance living what you teach? Whenever I try to teach anything, I feel like a hypocrite because I can’t walk it out perfectly. (41:35) 2. How do I help my kids develop their own faith and not just depend on my faith? (44:29) 3. How do you know when it’s the right time to quit your job and go all-in on your running your own business? (47:23)   Links to great things we discussed:  1. Alex Seeley   2. Alex’s previous episode  3. Cody Carnes- Nothing else 4. Suits 5. Discipleship On The Edge 6. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna    Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli

Sarah Bessey on Miracles and Other Reasonable Things, grace, and wilderness seasons

I'm with one of my wisest friends and all-time favorite writers Sarah Bessey to talk about her new book Miracles And Other Reasonable Things. After this conversation, you'll realize why I binge-read it in less than two days and couldn't make it through the interview without crying.  Sarah shares the tender story of healing from a tragic car accident, what God taught in the depths of tremendous suffering, and why she values healing above a quick cure. In this episode we discuss: 1. Why she's a "Jesus Feminist" 2. How she connected me to one of my most important jobs 3. How God is gracious to meet us, even when we've put Him in a box    Favorite quotes: 1. This is not about curing and it’s not about big grand miracles even though some of those things show up. It’s about what it looks like to pursue and stay open to healing and all its forms. 2. The wilderness is not the absence of God‘s presence but actually an invitation from the Holy Spirit to encounter the love of God and a new and different wider open space perhaps. 3. God is larger than your own story, yet will still remain with you where you are.    In this episode I answer these questions: 1. You seem so organized. How do you keep up with everything you do, what’s your secret? (59:46) 2. How do I encourage my husband and his spiritual maturity without pushing? (1:05:50) 3. How do you force yourself to do the boring stuff in business? (1:08:38)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Sarah Bessey 2. Miracles and Other Reasonable Things 3. The Highwomen - Crowded Table 4. A Better Man - Lousie Penny 5. Defiant - Kelly Nikondeha 6. Ad Astra 7. Chris Tomlin 8. Blissdom Conference Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   www.alliworthington.com/podcast/sarahbessey

Gary Thomas on breaking free from toxic people, boundaries, and purpose

I’m with the legendary Gary Thomas to talk about his new book "When To Walk Away". We'll explore toxic relationships, how we can recognize them, and examine how Jesus set boundaries in his own life.  This message from Gary is life-changing, and if you struggle with a toxic relationship in your life, he will equip you with tools to break free in a healthy, biblical way.  In this episode we discuss: 1. The difference between a difficult relationship and a toxic one. 2. Playing spiritual offense vs spiritual defense 3. Why it's so important to break free from toxic cycles   Favorite quotes: 1. If somebody is trying to get you to stop being you or get you to stop doing what you are convinced God wants you to do- for you that person is toxic. It’s an attack on your being and an attack on your mission. 2. Jesus had such a freedom to walk away and it wasn’t about failing or succeeding it was about the person just not receiving. 3. I walk away from toxic people not to go binge Netflix. I walk away to invest with reliable people. I walk away from toxic relationships into healthy relationships.  In this episode I answer these questions: 1. How can I motivate myself to make changes in my life? (43:08) 2. What’s your perspective on the best way to evangelize? (47:58) 3. What’s the best advice you can give a woman with a dream? (53:53)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Gary Thomas 2. When To Walk Away 3. Kari Jobe: Steady My Heart 4. A Practical Treatise Upon Christian Perfection 5. Strava app 6. Peanut Butter Falcon 7. Michael W. Smith: Waymaker 8. Blissdom Conference   Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   www.alliworthington.com/podcast/garythomas

Ruth Chou Simons on balance, worship, and business

I’m with the lovely and wise Ruth Chou Simons and we are talking all things boy mom, blogging, and blossoming in the hidden seasons.    We'll also talk about her transition from a Chinese-speaking chemistry major to a Best-selling author (in her second language) and artist and the secret behind remembering your child's birthday if you have a million kids.  In this episode we discuss: 1. What she learned in the busy seasons of life 2. Why she's glad she didn't step foot on a stage until her 40s 3. Priceless advice for women starting a business and a platform   Favorite quotes: 1. What the Lord was really wanting was Him more than my own success or my own kingdom or my own abilities. Because really if you're just chasing what you are good at then it can get kind of stressful because you think I’m good at this, can I make more money? Can I get more notoriety, and this, that, and the other. That can’t be the way we are called to live. 2. We think we want to be inspiring. We want to encourage others. We want to run out there and lead and be effective in our generation. I’m saying to all the women coming up behind me- Hey, press on and lean into Jesus first yourself before trying to make something public out of it because the very best work that you will do will come out of an overflow of a rich and invested hidden personal life of growth. 3. The art of becoming is saying I surrender to the process here and the process might include me falling on my face. 4. Cultivating the inner man and inner woman is so much more important than what you put out publicly and we’re responsible to make sure that those things line up. Because you’ll burn out if the inner person doesn’t match what you're producing on the outside. 5. The truth is we don’t just know the truth, we let the truth transform us and that process is really sanctification and God does that. 6. You’re always worshipping. You don’t get to choose whether you want to be a worshipper or not. It’s just you only get to choose what you give your love and affection and your greatest esteem to. You can either worship your own life and your own successes and your accomplishments or you can worship Him who’s worthy and that’s Christ.    In this episode I answer these questions: 1. Share a funny memory you have with your husband? (51:15) 2. How can you grow a strong community early in your faith walk? (55:10) 3. Where can I find a mentor or accountability partner when starting an online business? (56:44)    Links to great things we discussed: 1. Ruth Chou Simons 2. Gracelaced 3. Andrew Peterson Is He Worthy? 4. Longmire 5. 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You 6. Mrs. Meyer’s Room Freshener 7. Downton Abbey 8. Hillsong Worship No One But You 9. Blissdom Conference Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   www.alliworthington.com/podcast/ruthchousimons

Liz Bohannon on Sseko, pluckiness, and the joy of being average

What a fun episode! I'm introducing you to my new friend, Liz Bohannon, she’s the Founder and CEO of Sseko Designs. Liz is changing the world through socially conscious fashion (and flying through the air in Spanx in front of thousands.)    Tune in to hear why she'll never run a chicken farm again, how she uses sandals to send women to college, and her major life decision that made her entire family think she was crazy.   In this episode we discuss: 1. Why most of us are just average joes--and that's a great thing! 2. The magic a novice brings to the table. 3. How dreaming small is more likely to change the world.   Favorite quotes: 1. Ultimately we build beautiful lives, businesses, and families when we consistently show up and the idea of that not waiting for luck but instead saying I’m gonna be a person of pluck is really intriguing. 2. I think that’s the power of community when you hopefully hear my story and hundreds of other people’s stories that say,  “I wasn’t equipped, I didn’t have the connections, I faced a lot of difficulties, but I still did it. I think that enables people to show up for their own lives.” 3. I want to celebrate the average and owning your average is not a call to complacency.    In this episode I answer these questions: 1. How do you not let information overwhelm you? (42:45) 2. How do I finally break out of a pattern of sin? (45:05) 3. Do you use or recommend a personality test when you hire people? (49:26)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Liz Bohannon , Sseko 2. Beginner’s Pluck 3. Queen 4. The Greatest Showman 5. To Stop A Warlord 6. True&Co 7. Call The Midwife 8. Freedom 9. Blissdom Conference Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   www.alliworthington.com/podcast/lizbohannon  

Robby Gallaty on hitting rock bottom, redemption, and living strong

Today, I'm joined by my very own pastor, Robby Gallaty--and you'll find out why my family calls him the “pastor with a past".    Robby shares his testimony of opioid addiction, robbery, homelessness, and hitting rock bottom. He'll also share how Jesus dramatically changed and restored his life, and offer advice for family members with a loved one struggling with addiction.   In this episode we discuss: 1. The opioid crisis and how to help loved ones 2. Our struggles as God’s refining instrument 3. His health recommendation I refuse to try   Favorite quotes: 1. If you keep being that person’s savior, Jesus never can be 2. Our struggles don’t define us, God uses them to refine us. It’s God’s refining mechanism, His divine instrument for shaping us into the image of His son is a trial, is a tribulation, is suffering. 3. God uses everything to bring us closer to Him. 4. We have to believe nothing happens by happenstance so if that's the case even our pain and suffering are used by God.   In this episode I answer these questions: 1. What do you when you feel stuck and don’t know what to do? (48:11) 2. What is the quickest way that God gets your attention? (54:36) 3. I know I need to put content out there but I just don’t know where to start. Should it be a blog, a youtube channel, a podcast or just focus on Instagram? (59:25)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Robby Gallaty, Twitter , Church , Replicate 2. Recovered: How an Accident, Alcohol, and Addiction Led Me to God 3. Here and Now 4. Hoosier 5. Live PD https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6225166/  6. Brave New Work 7. Eternity Is Now In Session 8. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 9. FABFITFUN Use code ALLI to save $10.00 10. Blissdom Conference Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   www.alliworthington.com/podcast/robbygallaty

Kelly Minter on hospitality, missions, and fun

Today, I'm with the wonderful Kelly Minter! You may know her as a Bible teacher, worship leader and now cookbook author--but today you'll find out why she's also a gardening guru, crocodile hunter, and hardcore jungle woman.    Tune in to find out about $35 tomatoes, her guilty pleasure television show, and why we are voting her "least likely to go to jail."   In this episode we discuss: 1. What she's learned since writing her first Bible Study 2. The magic of hospitality 3. The importance of building a community   Favorite quotes: 1. Sometimes I’m pruning things that are diseased but sometimes I’m pruning a branch that is perfectly healthy because it's taking away from the stronger more fruitful vines so I’m pruning the good for the bad. 2. Jesus spoke in agricultural terms and most of which I lived so far removed from but I do feel like I get a little closer to that when I am in the garden.   In this episode I answer these questions: 1. What’s your best advice for raising sons that respect women? (44:57) 2. If you can ask God to change one thing about you, what would it be? (53:37) 3. I feel like comparison is killing me. I know I’m supposed to keep an eye out on my competition, how do I do it without falling into the comparison trap?  (55:48)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Kelly Minter 2. A Place At The Table 3. Cultivate 4. Goodness of God 5. When Calls The Heart 6. Mary Queen Of Scots 7. Hallelujah Here Below  Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   http://www.alliworthington.com/podcast/kellyminter

Rebekah Lyons on rhythms in life, anxiety, and her joy

I'm with the lovely Rebekah Lyons today to talk about her recent adoption journey, her new pace of life, and how she manages stress and anxiety.    She'll also share how to rest when we experience burnout and how to see those seasons as an invitation for intimacy with God.   In this episode we discuss: 1. Practical advice for those struggling with stress and anxiety. 2. Why she finally agreed to adopt right when she became an empty nester. 3. Why we shouldn't feel guilty for resting.   Favorite quotes: 1. Bravery is moving scared. You have to step into the things that are the most terrifying or they will hold power over you. 2. God doesn’t promise that fear and anxiety won’t come knocking but He always promises a way of escape. 3. The good thing about fear is that the best way to approach it is exposure.    In this episode I answer these questions: 1. I know you're a business coach but do you also coach people who aren’t entrepreneurs? (38:05) 2. Are we supposed to forgive people even if they aren’t sorry? How do I keep from getting hurt again? (40:39) 3. How do you handle the guilt of being a working mom? (42:54)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Rebekah Lyons 2. Rhythms of Renewal 3. FABFITFUN Use code ALLI to save $10.00 4. Blissdom Conference   I hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   http://www.alliworthington.com/podcast/rebekahlyons

Jess Connolly on being the girl for the job

I'm with the fierce and passionate Jess Connolly today to talk about all things ministry, publishing, and business.    Jess shares the heart and story behind her latest book "You're The Girl For The Job" and how women can start walking more confidently in their calling, even in the hardest seasons of life.     In this episode we discuss: 1. Why we doubt our roles and abilities and how to combat those feelings of inadequacy. 2. How obedience sometimes looks like less and not "yes". 3. How to lean hard on the faithfulness of God instead of our feelings.   Favorite quotes: 1. The ultimate truth is I was not the girl for the job. I actually have really messed up some big things up and that has been my story. God has still allowed me to be here. He still places me here on purpose and is still using everything I give Him and everything I do for the good of others and His glory. 2. If you want good for others, you’re gonna win. You win. If you want good for others and the glory of God, you’re really gonna win. It might not look shiny and might not look tidy but you can’t lose if you want good for others and the glory of God. 3. A no, for now, is not a no for later. In this episode I answer these questions: 1. You finally convinced me to give the enneagram a try? Where do I start? (1:04:46) 2. Alli, I have a hard time staying focused and consisted in prayer. What do you do? (1:08:47) 3. What is the biggest mistake you see people make when trying to start their business? (1:14:59)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Jess Connolly ; Instagram 2. You Are The Girl For The Job 3. Khaild: Young dumb and broke 4. John Bevere: Bait of Satan 5. RHETI test 6. Blinded By The Light 7. FABFITFUN Use code ALLI to save $10.00 8. Blissdom Conference Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli   http://www.alliworthington.com/podcast/jessconnolly    

Max Lucado on Happiness, Wisdom, and Relationships

I’m with the legendary Max Lucado--pastor and author of 44 brilliant books! Max is funny, gracious, and full of wisdom and it was a true joy to have one of my heroes on the show. Today, Max shares all about his latest book on happiness, what he's learned about Biblical happiness in his decades in ministry, and some simple ways we can pursue it.    In this episode we discuss: 1. His book-writing process and how why his editor of 30 years is still brutally honest 2. The roadblocks he sees to true happiness and why it's harder than ever to find contentment 3. Why the simple act of saying "hello" is profoundly important to him     Favorite quotes: 1. Happiness is a deeply rooted contentment in life.  2. I think we can make a great case that God wants us to be happy because happiness makes us healthier, happiness makes us a better husband or wife or parent to our children. 3. Most people are not joyful or happy. Some people are seriously unhappy and so anything we can do to help them step toward happiness is a great service. 4. The big idea in Scripture when it comes to happiness is happiness happens when we give it away.     In this episode I answer these questions: 1. What are some practical things I can do every day to be happier? I want to create an environment of happiness not just for me but for my kids too. (45:29) 2. What is the best faith-based book that you are reading right now and would you recommend it? (49:32) 3. I know so much of building a platform involves putting yourself out there. How do I get over feeling uncomfortable promoting myself? (51:28)   Links to great things we discussed: 1. Max Lucado 2. How Happiness Happens 3. Is He Worthy 4. Movies of the 90s 5. Sam Storms: The Language of Heaven 6. Q Sciences 7. Robby Gallaty: Forgotten Jesus 8. FABFITFUN Use code ALLI to save $10.00 9. Blissdom Conference   Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)    xo, Alli