Tag: Faith

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Starting a Podcast

Did you know I have a podcast?

Unless you follow me on Facebook, you probably had no idea.

I’ve told some people, and I’ve posted about it a few times in my Facebook group, but I’ve really been pretty quiet about it.

I’m not sure why, but the reasons probably have something to do with the name and the theme of the podcast: Catch Your Thoughts with Robyn Mulder.

I’ve been learning to catch my thoughts over the last several years (as we’re instructed to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5). Distorted thinking was a big contributor to the major depressive episode I had in 2014. I want the podcast to help people learn to recognize the thought distortions that make life more difficult and lead to anxiety and depression.

But it can’t help anyone if I don’t tell people about it.

I’ve finally set a date for a little launch party on Zoom. Come join me on Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. (Central) and we’ll celebrate the episodes I’ve already created. I’m going to give away two copies of a “Catch Your Thoughts Calendar” I made, and we’ll chat about past and future episodes of the podcast.

As I’ve thought about how I’ve been keeping the podcast mostly to myself, I was reminded of how often we do that as Christians. We have the best news about how much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us, but we sometimes get busy, or lazy, or scared, and we just keep that good news to ourselves.

We need to be aware of opportunities to share that good news with people in our lives. People we know…and people God brings into our lives that we don’t know yet. We can help other people learn to follow Jesus.

I hope you’ll check out my podcast (click here) and tell a few people about it. It just might help you (and others) catch your unhelpful, distorted thoughts and replace them with true, helpful thoughts instead. It could make a big difference in your life. It could make a big difference in someone else’s life.

While you’re at it, look for opportunities to share your faith with someone. It could make an eternal difference in their life.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20 NIV)

Do you tend to keep good news to yourself? How can focusing on God help you be more deliberate about sharing the good news you’ve found with others?

© 2023 Robyn Mulder

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Fighting through Fear

As I write today, I can hear the wind roaring through our neighborhood, blowing around the snow and making the temperature feel like negative forty degrees. I can stay safe and warm inside, but it’s still scary to think about the possibility of the power going out. I also feel some worry for people who have to work outside and those who are traveling.

To be honest, I’ve been a bit of a fraidy-cat lately.

Gary and I went on vacation recently. We enjoyed some warmer temps, but we did have to drive in some snow one day as we left Colorado and headed for Arizona. I was tense as we went through a couple of mountain passes, imagining what might happen if we slid off the road. In another spot, a sign warned of heavy fog ahead. I got pretty anxious, but it was all for nothing. The fog had cleared by the time we got to that spot and we were fine.

We did a few days of hiking in Arizona. It was fun, but I had a few moments of disproportionate fear at a few points on the trail. Some of them were going up—when we had to scramble over some boulders on the way to the summit. Some of them were going down—when I worried that my poles weren’t going to hold me as I picked my way over some rocks.

I was ashamed that I actually cried real tears several times as I got held back by my unreasonable fears.

One of the crying spots. 🙂

Every time, my husband was helpful and encouraging, showing me where to place my hands or my poles so I could keep going.

Looking back later, it seemed silly that I had cried over something that didn’t look as scary in hindsight.

Don’t we do that in life sometimes? I know I do.

I get paralyzed by fear and I can’t move forward because I think about what could happen.

The truth is, God is with us every single moment. He’ll show us how to move forward and he’ll be there with us if something bad does happen. We can live much happier, peaceful lives if we practice trusting him and move forward with confidence.

As we go through the final days of 2022 and look forward to a new year, I hope we can see how God was with us this year. Think about the things you were afraid of. Most of them never happened, did they? We wasted time and energy fretting over things when we could have been enjoying life instead.

As we get ready for 2023, let’s focus on fighting through fear. Let’s look at life realistically and be prudent about the choices we make, but let’s also trust that God will be with us as we tackle new challenges and accomplish our goals.

For me, that includes writing a book. (I can feel the fear rising up, especially as I think about how long I’ve been saying that, but I truly believe this is the year!)

I’d love to hear about something you’re going to do next year. Let’s pray for each other as we fight through the fear and move forward.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Do your fears often hold you back? How can focusing on God help you move forward in faith instead?

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on the Meaning of Life

The speaker in our Sunday school video a couple of weeks ago was expounding on the verse in Hebrews 5 that says, “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

Derwin Gray surprised me when he stated that Jesus himself was the solid food we need in order to become mature Christians.

I had always thought that the basics of the faith were the “milk” we started with as new Christians, and that the “solid food” was all of the doctrine we could learn about after we became Christians.

What a revelation to realize that we just need Jesus to become mature and grow as Christians.

This past week Gary and I spent time at a conference at The Cove in North Carolina. One of the main points I took away from the teaching sessions by Jim Cymbala was that Jesus just wants us to be with him.

I forget that so often. I get hung up on if I’m doing enough for God. I worry that I’m not studying the Bible enough. I think about so many things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of life.

The meaning of life? The vitally important activity for a Christian?

Being with Jesus.

When we spend time with him, the rest of life will make more sense. He’ll give us the wisdom and guidance we need. We’ll know how to spend our time and our money. We’ll feel more peace. We’ll show more love.

Jesus is the solid food, the bread of life, that will sustain us every day of our lives.*

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'” (John 6:35 NIV)

Have you been satisfied with just “milk” in your spiritual life? How can focusing on God help you spend time with Jesus—the bread of life?

*If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you can read more about becoming a Christian at my other website, The Robyn’s Nest, on the About Me page.

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on How Much We’ve Grown

It’s back to school time. I’ve been enjoying all of the pictures my friends on Facebook have been posting as their kids pose with signs telling what grade they’re in.

Some of the photos blow my mind! We’ve served in four churches now, and I must have frozen everyone at a certain age in my head. I can hardly believe how tall kids have gotten in the years since we saw them every week.

They were just cute little boys and girls back then, and now many of them have matured and gotten taller than their parents.

Kristol Ulrich and her son Dalton—then and now!

I grin as I shake my head and say, “Wow! Look how much they’ve grown!”

Of course, it makes sense when I think about it. Years have passed and kids grow. That’s the way life works.

It got me thinking about spiritual growth.

It would be sad if we let the years go by and stayed stuck at a certain level of maturity in our spiritual lives.

It’s natural that we’ll grow as we study the Bible, talk to God, and spend time with other believers. If we aren’t growing, we may be neglecting one or more of those activities.

Take a look at your life. Hopefully, you can see growth from where you were one month, one year, or one decade ago. Give God the credit for that growth—even if it isn’t as huge as you’d like. As you move forward you can be deliberate about your relationship with him so you can continue growing.

When someone sees us years from now, let’s hope they’ll joyfully exclaim, “Wow! Look how much they’ve grown!”

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6–7 NIV)

Can you see how you’ve grown in your spiritual life? How can focusing on God help you keep growing?

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Having a Happy Heart

As someone who deals with depression and anxiety, I’m always on the lookout for tools to help me stay healthy.

I’d like to share some thoughts from the book Heart Happy by Tricia Goyer this week.

She beautifully writes about the practices she’s found for nourishing her soul, even in the midst of chaotic circumstances. That’s something we all can benefit from, even if we don’t struggle with mental illness.

We don’t have to be happy about the hard things happening in our lives. It’s okay to be sad or frustrated, but if we can stay centered in God’s love then we’ll be able to get through anything with a peace and joy the world really can’t understand.

I want you to read the book, but I’m going to whet your appetite with a few quotes to ponder as you cultivate a happy heart:

Page 6: Every small decision to tend your soul and to turn your heart to God WILL bring change. When you draw near to God first, you will make your heart happy in the Lord. Experiencing God in these moments will allow you to know and feel His love. As this happens, you become centered even in chaotic circumstances.

Page 32: The good news is that as we connect with God’s love and give Him access to our souls, change comes according to His wisdom and through His power. Our hearts are not something that need to be beaten into submission by our iron will or flailing fists. Instead, we offer our souls to God to mold and to fill. Fashioned after Christ and overflowing with God’s love, a happy heart then becomes the staging ground where God is given access to every aspect of our personality, emotions, and values—and it’s these things that guide our lives.

Page 67: Our happiness reflects our understanding of where we stand in Christ. [Robyn’s note: This sentence really got to me and made me think. I can see it in my own life. When I’m not close to God it’s much more difficult to feel peace and joy. The opposite is also true. When I’m close to God, I feel peace no matter what’s happening around me.]

Page 162: Turning to God sets our direction; looking to Him allows us to know where He’s looking and where we should go.

I first read this book from a pdf version so I couldn’t highlight anything. I typed out note after note on my phone so I could remember all of the good ideas and thoughts to consider. Now I have a physical copy and I plan to underline all of those quotes as I reread Heart Happy.

I pray you’ll spend some time in the Bible today and let God speak to you in the chaos of life.

God loves us and he understands the pain we feel. He sees our tears and he weeps with us.

He also longs for us to reach out to him in every season of life. It feels easy in the good times, but it’s even more crucial in the hard times. When it seems like everything around us is falling apart, we can still enjoy a happy heart.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Do you have a happy heart? How can focusing on God help you experience peace and joy in your heart, no matter what is happening around you?

(Get the book Heart Happy by clicking here. This is an affiliate link, so I’ll get a tiny commission, but you won’t pay more.)

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on a Life Well Lived

Gary’s mom passed away on Thursday, December 30, 2021. She was 96 years old and her health had been failing in recent months, but it was still sad to get the call that she had died.

We’re so grateful that we were able to see her one last time on Tuesday of that week. We stopped in on the way to Lincoln, Nebraska with some of our kids. Erin and Ayden were able to introduce our grandson, Halston, to her. Mom was still somewhat responsive and she smiled when she saw that cute little six-month-old. She tried so hard to repeat “I love you” when Gary said his last goodbye to her.

It’s hard to believe she’s really gone.

In the days since her passing, I have heard so many people talk about how my mother-in-law had lived her life well.

Friends and family expressed it at the visitation on Wednesday night.

Gary brought out many examples of it as he preached at her funeral last Thursday.

Our kids, and our nieces and nephews, have talked about it on social media as they reflect on their grandma’s life.

Mom was a quiet, behind-the-scenes type of person who loved the Lord, her family, and her friends. She didn’t have aspirations to see the world or accomplish great things. She was content with what she had and she prayed often for her loved ones.

In recent years, she experienced short-term memory loss. You could visit with her at the nursing home, but she wouldn’t remember you were there unless you made an entry in her notebook (she wrote herself notes there, too, and referred to it often).

She was a wonderful wife and mother. And I can say she was the best mother-in-law I could have ever hoped to have. She and Dad often babysat our kids when they were young. They never critiqued the way we parented and they were always supportive.

Mom was sweet and caring. She loved to play games like Quiddler and Rummikub with us, and she passed on her love of making puzzles to our daughter, Erin, and several other grandchildren.

In the years ahead, I’m sure God will comfort us whenever we think of her.

When I’m making cooked pudding (one chocolate and one vanilla mixed together).

When we drive through Rock Rapids, Iowa and see the street where she and Dad used to live.

When we remember her laughing as she watched movies like Home Alone with the kids.

I wish I could have been there to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What about the rest of us? Do we have to be more like Gary’s mom in order to live well?

Not necessarily.

God created each of us with unique gifts, talents, and personalities.

We can travel the world, write books, aspire to do all sorts of things, or be the life of the party and still live our lives well.

The important thing is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. God will show us what he wants us to do each day of the life he gives us.

Let’s live that life well.

“The LORD cares deeply when his loved ones die.” (Psalm 116:15 NLT)

Do you ever compare yourself to someone else? How can focusing on God help you live your life well?

Garlene June Mulder (1925–2021)
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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Teens Encountering Christ

(These are stock photo teens, but I’m sure they’d love TEC, too!)

Something exciting is happening in Platte this weekend.

Twenty high school students will be gathering at a church on Friday morning.

I’m sure most of them are excited. Some are probably pretty nervous. They’ve heard their friends talk about the fun, intense experience they had at TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) and they aren’t quite sure what to expect as they go through the weekend. (There are lots of surprises that are kept top secret by kids who have attended before.)

A team of adults and students will be working (mostly behind the scenes) to make it a great weekend for the candidates. I’m going to be an adult table leader this time.

I can’t wait to see how God works in the lives of everyone who is there this weekend.

We can grow spiritually as we go through our daily routines, but there’s something special about getting away for a special time where you focus even more on God.

If you get a chance to do something like that, make sure you take advantage of the opportunity (even if it’s a little bit scary).

Oh, and please pray for those twenty students when you think of them this weekend. Thanks!

I’ll close with the theme verse for TEC#18:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV)

Have you ever gone on a spiritual retreat? How can focusing on God help you take advantage of opportunities like that?

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Things You Can’t See

While we were on vacation recently, there were two times when I couldn’t see something because of fog.

The first time was looking out the window at my parents’ house in Tennessee and not being able to see the mountains we usually enjoyed. I knew they were there, but the fog completely blanketed them for a while.

The second time was when we were going through St. Louis on the way home. The fog wasn’t terrible for driving, but when I looked over at the arch, I could only see a short section of the base. The top was completely covered.

The mountains were there. The arch was there. I just couldn’t see them.

Sometimes that happens in my thought life.

The fog of anxiety, or depression, or confusion, or frustration can completely cover all of the positive thoughts that are normally there. I just can’t see them.

But the positive thoughts are still there.

Just like the sun has to shine and burn off the fog before we can see things around us clearly, the Son has to shine in our hearts and minds before we can see the positives again.

We can burn off that mental fog by talking to God about what’s going on in our lives, reading the Bible and taking note of the truths that have gotten covered up, and basking in the promises of God.

No matter how long that fog stays around, we can be sure that better times are still there. We’ll see them again!

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

Have things seemed a little “foggy” for you lately? How can focusing on God help you to trust that you’ll see better times again someday?

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on New Life

Gary and I became grandparents this week. Halston James Hodge was born on Tuesday. He’s healthy and precious and so very cute. Our daughter Erin and her husband, Ayden, are thrilled. So are we.

I’ve been marveling at it all week. A brand new human has entered this wonderful, chaotic world. He’s innocent and blissfully unaware of the negative aspects of life on this planet. He just enjoys the love and care of his parents. When he cries, they feed him, or change him, or comfort him.

I can’t wait to see how his personality develops as he grows up. I’m amazed that I can love someone I haven’t even met yet (but I will very soon!).

His future is full of amazing possibilities.

I can’t help but think about the new life we have when we make Jesus our Lord. His sacrifice on the cross took away the penalty for all of our sins—past, present, and future. Even though we’re aware of the negative aspects of this world and the problems that can plague us, we don’t have to be afraid. We can grow up in our faith, knowing that nothing can separate us from our Father’s love for us.

Our future is full of amazing possibilities.

Congratulations, Erin and Ayden, as you welcome Halston into your family. We’ll be praying for all of you!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

Aren’t babies amazing? How can focusing on God help you to remember the new life you have in Christ and live into the possibilities God has for you?

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Never Graduating

It’s high school graduation weekend here in South Dakota. We have four open houses to attend on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully, I can pace myself with the goodies as we congratulate the graduates.

Graduation is a special time in a person’s life, whether it’s from kindergarten, middle school, high school, or college. It marks the accomplishment of a learning goal, but the learning doesn’t stop there. If a person is wise, they’ll keep learning for the rest of their life.

So let’s focus on never graduating. Though we may set certain educational goals or make personal plans, let’s keep learning and growing as we move forward.

The Holy Spirit will keep teaching us the things we need to know about God, ourselves, and our relationships as we stay close to him. There will always be more for us to learn, but we don’t have to feel stressed about everything we don’t understand right now. (He’ll never give us a failing grade, although we may have to repeat some lessons if we don’t figure it out the first time.)

We just need to concentrate on the things we do know and understand, trusting that the Spirit will keep showing us what’s next and leading us into more and more truth.

As long as we’re here on this planet, we’ll never graduate from that.

“As for you, the anointing you received from [the Holy Spirit] remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2:27 NIV)

How many graduations do you have to attend this year? As you watch your loved ones celebrate that milestone, think about how you’ll never actually graduate when it comes to learning about faith. How can focusing on God help you to keep learning and growing?