Transcript

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of day, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. How are we doing, friends? In all of the back to school rush, Are you hanging in there? Please, please know that I am praying for you. I am praying for your families no matter what age or stage, you know, a kid who's going back to school. And all over this month, all over the country, we have just a season of new beginnings, which I absolutely love. So I just want to remind you and encourage you. Let's, as a listening family here together, commit. When you walk into a store and you see those school supplies that are there for sale, just pray over the child who will be using them, the, the child who will pick up those pins, the child who will write on that paper, the child who will read those books or take that backpack or that lunchbox, whatever it may be. Just say a prayer over that child that thou. The supplies rec. that those supplies represent. I think that would be a beautiful gift to be able to give families as they are headed back to school. It can be a tough and, and challenging time as we have a lot of fears and worries. But listen, don't worry because next week we've got a lot of back to school advice. So tell all the mamas, all the daddies, listen in, all the grandparents, all of the people who are sending people back to school. Listen in next week you won't want to miss it. We'll be talking with moms in Prayer International. We'll be talking about see you at the poll. We got a great lineup for you.

Today we're going to learn to recognize God's voice in the everyday moments

But today is a day that we're just going to take a moment, take a breath in all of the busyness of that. I know I am definitely in the business of that, getting kids to college, to adulting back to school, all of those things. And today we're going to learn to recognize God's voice in the everyday moments. So often when we're surrounded by media, we kind of expect this made for TV moment where God's presence is going to intersect us. Or maybe we're just so busy that we run ourselves ragged during the week and then we skate into church on Sunday morning with our tank totally empty and we expect to be filled so that we can make it through the next week. That's a big backwards way of thinking. And when we think about life, it really is a journey today with twists. There are turns, there are, laughter, there is sometimes tears, sometimes all of those on the same day. But the richest moments come when we walk it with someone who sees us, who knows us, who loves us. And yes, I'm talking about your heavenly Father. And we're going to talk about, about talking to the Father, talking to God today. And we're talking to Heather Comber today. She is a speaker known for her warmth, her width, her biblical insight. And she is going to share some stories from her own walk with God, reminding us that spirituality, our spiritual walk, isn't about perfection. It's not about a spiritual checklist, making sure that we do all of the right things. It is about a relationship with God. And so today we're going to give you an invitation to just take a breath and recognize God's voice alongside of you every step of the way and experience a deeper relationship with him for whatever challenges may lie ahead. You know, when we went into 2020, which I feel like should always be followed with a sound effect of dun, dun, dun, because it just feels like the world, we think, okay, it'll be better in 2021. Oh, what about 2022? Here we are in 2025 and it still seems like there is chaos. But in all of that, God is here. God is listening. So I want you to ask yourself today, are you really taking time to listen and talk honestly with God on this journey of life, or are you just rushing through and not making time for connection? That is the challenge for you today. And the prescription for hope is learning to recognize God's voice and in those everyday moments. And so, Heather, we're so glad to have you join us today. Thanks so much.

>> Heather Comber: Good to be here. Thank you.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Heather, what inspired you to write this book called Father Talks? And how did your personal journey shape the message of the book?

>> Heather Comber: This book was actually, Jessica, it was kind of wasn't planned. I had written a book about 20 years ago and at that time I was a, pastor's wife, you know, and also a conference speaker. So I was like everywhere all the time. And it was easy. I went and I sold my books and that kind of thing. But I really wanted to start a blog and I, and I, I was a, lead pastor for a long time and just didn't find the time. And I had a really serious surgery, a couple years back. It was a seven hour surgery and it, it was tough. It was really, really tough. And I, during the recovery and during the whole process, I thought that, you know, I have something to say here, and I think I have something to say that that could really benefit in an honest way what normal people, what, what everyday believers and non believers are, are experiencing through life. And chatting with my husband one day, he was like, Heather, this, this isn't a blog. This, this needs to be another book. And I was like, you think? And he was like, oh yeah, this needs to be a book. And so I just, I started to write and I started to write and it, and it just, it kept coming and father talks as a result. And it, it's very personal and, and we'll get into more detail, but, but that's, that's how it, it kind of originated. During that quiet time, during that unscheduled time, I, you know, nobody schedules emergency surgery and nobody's schedules like God is, is going to put you aside and put you apart. Because my life has always been incredibly busy. And so just, it was a good glimpse into my own heart and, and honestly and vulnerably and in the book happened. And it was amazing.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, you know, Heather, as the nurse in this conversation, I can attest I have seen a lot of people derailed by medical emergencies. And nobody ever wants that. Nobody ever says, oh, I wish one day I'd have to have an emergency appendectomy. That would be great. That's very, very rare. But you know what? I see, Heather, in those circumstances, when you're derailed by a health crisis, by a medical emergency, or by anything else that seems to derail you, a relationship crisis, a financial crisis, a move that you didn't expect, whatever it is, you have a choice in how you react to it. A lot of times you don't have a choice about those circumstances. You know, you didn't have a choice whether you need emergency surgery or not in that life threatening situation. But we do. God is so gracious to give us a choice in how we respond to that situation. And for me, you're making me think, you know, talking at that medical situation. As a nurse, I've seen, I've seen people respond in one of two ways. There really are, two main choices. You can either be bitter, be angry, be bothered, be annoyed, be just really, just, just really have a bitter spirit about it. Or, or you can say, okay, what does God have for me in this? And how can I learn from this? How can I grow? How can I find gratitude even in those challenging moments? And that seems like it's really, easy to do. It's not easy to do. But when you look at the end path of that, when you look at the end path of bitterness, or you look at the end path of choosing to find blessing in it, the, the blessing path, even though it seems more difficult at first, it's a much better outcome and it impacts our health and our healing.

Heather: I love that you talk about talking with God

So I, I love that you talk about talking with God because this is one of the questions that I get. A lot is just okay for people who don't have a habit of talking with God. You think, okay, is that kind of weird? Like, what does that exactly look like? How do you know God's. God's love in that, God's voice in that. And when you talk about your book, Father talks, you. The subt. Mentions honest conversations, laughter and intimacy. What are we, looking at that when you're talking with God? How do you, how does that look for you?

>> Heather Comber: Well, well, I think first of all, we all have to understand in, in maybe in a lot of cultures and church traditions, we. We come in to his presence by rote, by, you know, what I. By just, you know, standard prayers, you know, as a child, now I lay me down to sleep, or, you know, just all the, all things that we know and we forget that he already knows. You know, in Psalm 139, he says, before a word is on my mouth, you already know it. So it, it's quite amusing sometimes that, that we think we can hide from God because it, it's not like, ah, it's not like, you know, at Christmas where like, you better watch out, you better not pout because he's watching kind of thing. And we, you know, for a few weeks we. We actually try to be good. But. But there is nothing that we can hide from our Father. He. He knows us intimately. And, and I think that is the first key to developing that kind of intimacy with the Father is to first and foremost understand he already knows there is nothing hidden that, that he does not see. And it's not a fearful thing. It's a beautiful thing. It's. It's in spite of all that he. He went to the cross. So in talking about responses, I think we, we need to learn first of all that it's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to be honest with somebody who knows your heart, who formed your heart, who made you, who. Every part of us, personality, our. Our giftings, our traits, everything is there because of Him. He designed us. So we need to come out of hiding and we need to understand that when the disciples, who were Jewish and who grew up in synagogue, you know, they'd always prayed specific prayers. And then when they found the Lord, when they. They found this rabbi, this Jesus Christ, they're like, how do we do this? How do we pray? And I love the way Jesus introduced it. He said simply, start with our father. And I think that is the most profound, beautiful part of the whole. Being vulnerable, being honest. Because our means that he's put us in a family. This is not a singular walk we are on. We're in a family. So he starts with our. He didn't start with your father or my father. He started with our father. And in that. That family, there is a place for vulnerability, there's a place for honesty. And in that family, he gave us a dad. He gave us a father. And that. That, to me, is the most profound part of the entire prayer. This is. This is who we are. We're family. We could be honest. We should be honest. unfortunately, you know, so often we're taught, like, oh, don't let them see that, you know, or don't. Don't expose that. That part. But we are family. That's the design. And we have a father, you know.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: That is beautiful, Heather. And I think about my own children. Of course, I'm not a father. I'm a mother. But in thinking of that parental role in that, I think of, you know, when I watch my children and I see them, I can see when something starts to worry them. I can see when they're anxious about something. I can see when they're angry about something. And, you know, I'll watch this. And then it's so, you know, they. They may be exhibiting all kinds of behavioral traits of that, you know, maybe they're slamming stuff around if they're angry. Maybe, you know, they're withdrawn. And then when they finally come to me and they're like, you know, I'm angry, I think my reaction is right. Really? You don't say, okay, well, I've seen that, because I know that. But inviting the conversation, when they say that, that's the invitation to say, okay, I'm angry. And. And I need help. I need to be seen. I need to be known. I need to be loved. And going to the parents, and I think as. As their parents, oh, I want to help them. I want to comfort them. I want. And sometimes as a parent, you know, I look at things and I think, I can't make this right for you. I shouldn't make this right for you, it would be better for you to experience the consequences of that. And I know that's what God thinks about us, too. And so I encourage you, Heather. That's such a great call to our listeners. If you want to learn to recognize God's voice in everyday moments, use your own voice to cry out to God and just tell him what he already knows. Tell him you're worried, you're scared, you're anxious, you. You need something. He is our father who loves to give good gifts to his children, who ask, well, listen, when we come back, we will have more about talking to the father. How do we do this? More with Heather Comber when we come back. I want you to picture this. Her name is Kayla. She is 17, alone, terrified and pregnant, sitting in a clinic, tears blurring, thinking abortion is her only option until she was offered a free ultrasound, paid for by a hero just like you. The moment Kayla heard her baby's heartbeat, the decision was made. And today, her little baby boy, Gabrielle, is thriving because preborn walked with Kayla every step of the way. Now multiply that by 38,000. That's how many babies preborn has helped save just this year. How many mothers preborn has come alongside with practical and spiritual resources to make motherhood possible. But here's the most important thing you will hear today. Their goal is to save 70,000 by the end of the year. And they can't do it without us. Every $28 provides that ultrasound. The moment everything changes, will you be the reason the next Kayla chooses life? The reason Gabrielle fulfills his destiny? To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250, baby. Or donate securely@preborn.com/AFR, that's preborn.com/AFR.

>> Run To The Father by Cody Carnes : I run to the father. I fall into grace. I'm done with the hiding. No reason to wait. My heart needs a surgeon. My soul needs a friend. So I run to the father again and again and again and again.

You need to run to the father whatever you are facing

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Run to the Father by Cody Carnes. And that's exactly what we're talking about today. You need to run to the father whatever you are facing. And what if the most meaningful conversations that you had this week weren't with a friend or a family member or someone at work, but with your heavenly father? What would it look like to laugh or to cry or to grow closer to God through honest dialogue? Is there a conversation that you have been avoiding with God that you think, okay, I know I need to pray about this, or there's something in your life that just has you anxious, that has you angry, that has you bitter, that's thinking, making you think, no, I don't want to talk to God about that. Well, friend, this is your call. This is your call to conversation with God that could open the door to deeper joy and healing. And I have definitely found that in my life when I am at points of desperation where I have exhausted all of the capacity I have to help myself, which frankly, is pretty small when I'm facing things that are completely unexpected, unexpected trials or tragedies or traumas or just those everyday life hassles that just pile up and seem to make me weary in spirit. I'm telling you, sometimes my prayers are just. God, I need help. God help me. God help me. God help me. God help me. That's what I say all day, every day.

Heather Comber says you can find God in the every day

And we are talking today to author Heather Comber. She wrote a book called Father's Talk, Father Talks. It's not a religious checklist. It is not just a to do list. It is a heartfelt journey of authentic conversations that invite readers into new levels of faith. And she has a gift for storytelling and she's helping us to embrace God's presence in those everyday moments. Don't wait for the made for TV moment. Don't wait for the altar call. Don't wait for the camp, the spiritual retreat. You can find God in the every day. And she is encouraging us to share our own stories and grow spiritually. So, Heather, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing this important message of just calling people to talk with God.

Can you share a specific story or moment from your life that you've included in the book

Can you share a specific story or moment from your life where, that you've included in the book? And there's so many stories, but where did you feel like you knew and recognized God's voice there?

>> Heather Comber: You're correct there. There's so many places that, that I could go to in the book. But this book ultimately is, is dedicated to my dad who I recently lost. And when I think about hearing God's voice, the, the story that. One of the stories that, that stands out to me is near the end of the book. It's called the Battle. And at the time I, I was in that stage of my life where, my husband, who has recently gone back to school, went back to school and, and upgraded his, his counseling degree. he had, he had left the pastoral ministry, but at the time I was a pastor's wife. And you know that that can carry with it stigma and stereotype. And honestly they were like size 4 shoes in a size 8 foot for me. Like, you know, you try so hard to be this stereotypical perfection. It just, it was so hard. But I had, I was loved and had a great time. But I remember this one particular day I had, you know, those nasty phone calls. I didn't get them very often, so when it did, I was just not happy. I was not a happy camper. I was, I was mad, to be very honest. I was like, you don't talk to people like that. And, but, but of course, you know, on the phone, I was very polite and I was very. Well, I'm sorry I feel that way. Goodbye. But then I'm in our kitchen, and this beast appears from nowhere. This big, huge, biggest black fly I've ever seen in my life. Well, I'm telling you, this black fly took everything I wanted to give everybody else. And I am going around my kitchen, I am whipping dishcloths. And first of all, like, he fell. I thought I killed him. And he landed in this orange juice I made. And so I had to throw off the orange juice, throw that. Then he, he appears again, and he's zipping around my head, and I'm whipping again, and this time, like, he falls. I just made these cookies for this pity party I was throwing myself. And he, he landed in them, like, and I'm getting ready to get it, you know, and up, he gets. And this thing has, like, more lives than I've ever seen. And he's coming at me, and I, I am just every bit. Till I killed this beast. And then I, I was so, I was just so tired of this battle. I, I just sat down in my quiet chair, and where I usually talk to Jesus, I talk to Jesus everywhere. But this was like my quiet spot. And I, I wasn't there a minute, and I, I, I knew he was speaking to me, and it was, it was almost comical at first. It's like, so how'd that work for you?

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Yeah, Yep, I can see it.

>> Heather Comber: Yeah, yeah, not so good. Not, not so good. I lost juice, I lost cookies, I lost my temper. I mean, I lost everything. And, But I maintained, you know, my dignity as a pastor's wife because the fly was dead and he wasn't telling. But I, the Lord started to speak to meaning. He said, heather, you know that verse that, that I instruct my disciples that it's easier to turn the other cheek. And I, Yeah, I, I get that. He said, because it's easier to clean a cheek. It's, it's easier to take the physical remnants off of us than it is to clean up a heart. And what I had displayed that day was just all that anger and frustration and the need to take it out. But it was just. And this is what I try to say in a book. You know, sometimes it appears ridiculous and, but God can take anything if we are willing to learn and to listen. And that day I, I, I found correction and I found a profound life lesson that you're right, Lord. You know, my attitude, and my anger, it's not going to affect anybody else but my heart and to just be as, you asked me to be and just use forgiveness and patience and love and keep my, keep My cheek might sting a little bit, but that's way better than a heart that manifests what was coming out of me. Thankfully it was a fly, but, but what was coming out of me was not healthy. And just those moments, it was a long time. I, I spent about an hour in his presence and just, just felt the joy and the release of, of the correction and knowing that it was for my good and that he had used even that big black beast to, to draw attention to my weakness into where he needed to show me something that helped me my entire life.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Heather, there's a lot of wisdom and relatability in what you share. And I think that anybody listening can relate to feeling pressure, whatever pressure that is, pressure to be perfect, pressure, especially in today', today's world where we have social media or pressure to perform, pressure to provide. And so often we don't take those cares to the Father in prayer. We don't have ongoing conversation with him about it. And what's so relatable to me, Heather, is that, I mean, it was very humorous hearing you describe this, this big beast, which is a fly. But is it, isn't that relatable though, where we just have that pressure relief valve when we least expect it all over everybody and you just lose it over something dumb. I mean, I, I know I have done that. It might be, you know, milk that is spilled like when my kids are little or, you know, just that one piece of clean laundry that's folded up in the dirty hamper and I am going to lose my mind. And I think that's such a good conviction, point of conviction for us to say, you should have come earlier, but how kind of God, how good of God. You know, I know it's his kindness that leads us to repentance and, and instead of shame, it was an invitation for you just to sit in his presence and I think that's beautiful. And I thank you, Heather, for sharing that, because I think that's going to be, as a point of conviction for me for sure, and for a lot of other people.

This book is dedicated to James Gordon Sheldon, who was your father

And. And before we go on, I want to go back for just a second because you said something about your own father. And this book, Father Talks, is ded dedicated to dad, to James Gordon Sheldon. And then there's this beautiful tribute in there, a beautiful dedication. Talk about how that. That taught you about God's character. Keeping in mind that I think it's hard for some people who don't have that role model. They might feel like, well, I don't have that, so how do I know that? But it's encouraging, I know, for me to know there are dads out there who can serve this. So talk a little bit about James Gordon Sheldon.

>> Heather Comber: He was my hero. He was. He was a businessman who. Who shared conference platforms. But we have a prime minister in Canada. You have a president. We have a prime minister. He. He was at that status in his business, that he was. He was that recognized. But I was born in England, and my dad pastored a church in Wales, and we came to this country. So my dad's original calling on his life was ministry. So he did so well in ministry that he retired at 55 and then gave his life back to the church for. For free. And we come from a large church, around 3,000 people, 2 to 3,000, you know, in that range. And I'm telling you, if somebody called and said, you know, pastor Jim, they called him, my toilet is plugged. He'd be over there. He. He'd be in his Jag driving over or, you know, a lot of immigrants have. Have come our way and other countries, you know, with traditions. Come and bless my house, Come and bless my car coming, you know, and nothing, nothing was above or below him. But here's what I learned at a very young age is that he wasn't perfect. And sometimes his imperfection hurt because, you know, I. I mistakenly, And I think we do. We. We. We forget. Our dad sometimes are very human, and they face everything, you know, that. That we face. But one thing. My dad sat me down at a very young age, and he said, heather, I'm gonna fail you. And I was like, no. You know how we are as little girls? Like, no, Daddy, no. You know, we just think the sun rises and sets, and I still do. But he said, what I'm doing and what you and what your mother and I are. Are doing is we are taking you to church so that we can introduce you to a father that'll never fail. And in other words, it was, you know, child, don't be looking at me. And, And I. I did look at him because he was so good to m. Me, but he failed me also. And he, And he failed in areas of his life. But the best thing about my father was the lesson he taught me was that there was somebody who wouldn't. That somebody that would never fail me. And that. That is where, you know, I've gone through father's days as a pastor and, and had to recognize people in my congregation. And I have so many stories, you know, talking to thousands of women's who. Who ran from abusive situations or fathers that were abusive or demeaning or all the negative adjectives we can ascribe to. To a dad. But mine reminded me that that's not the place where I was to find my affirmation, my unconditional love, my never one who would always listen. One who didn't have to get to bed because they had to get up and work. One who would never hurt me. And that is the greatest gift that I think a father, if there's any fathers listening, that's the greatest gift you can give your child is to be totally vulnerable and say, listen, I love you, and I'm doing the best I can with the help of the Lord in my life. But here's where you really need. Where you're really going to find that. And that. That is. That is the honor that. That I can give him, is that he showed me what a true father was and how easily it was to approach him. And I would love to pass that on. If you're suffering from any of these situations or don't feel loved by a husband or a dad, he's not your answer. It hurts. And there are answers. But once you find yourself ensconced in that, the kind of love of. Of our Father, it heals so many of our other needs and our other desires, and that. That's what I would credit him with.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Heather, that is very profound. Just to think of all the fathers out there. I know there's so many fathers who want to do a good job and they feel like, am I failing? Am I messing up my kids? am I doing okay? But to know that if you are pointing them, you're pointing your family, your. To a father that will never fail, a father who can love perfectly. Because we. We are not perfect parents, Heather. We are not. And I think you know we have a perfect heavenly Father, and we are imperfect as his children. How much more so will our children be imperfect? But to be able to turn to the Father like that, that's amazing.

Heather Comber emphasizes vulnerability and authenticity on this show

You know, Heather, you emphasize vulnerability and authenticity, and I think you have been a living display of that throughout this show. And when we come back, I want to talk more about that. How do you get to that place where you're able to be so vulnerable and so authentic? And I think it's so compelling. There's something very attractive about it. Thinking, okay, I want that. I want some of what. What you have. If you want to read more from Heather, check out her book called Father Talks, A Journey of Honest Conversations, Laughter, and Intimacy with the Father. We'll be right back with Heather Comber. A, discipleship minute with Joseph Parker.

In a perilous world, there is a place of safety in God

>> Joseph Parker: He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God. In him I will trust. Psalm 91, verses 1 and 2. In a perilous world, so many people are afraid. They're fearful. In a world where inner cities and many other communities are just simply dangerous places to be. We see the drug trafficking, human trafficking, muggings, murders, physical and sexual abuse. There is a place of safety in this world, and. And it's found in God. It's found in that secret place, that intimate relationship with God. No one can protect you like God can. But it's important for us to do our part to appropriate, to place ourselves in that secret place. Praying Psalm 91. Every day is a very wise thing for all believers to do. No one can protect you like God can.

>> Sound Of Heaven by Tasha Layton featuring Chris McClarney: Come have your way Would you move in power Turn every heart to you. We are desperate for what only you can do. Come have your way Come have your way Come have your way Come have your way Bring the sound of heaven Let your mighty wind come rushing through Our hearts are open with the saints and angels we sing to you Come have your way Come have your way Come.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Have your way Come have your way welcome back, friends. That is the Sound of Heaven by Tasha Layton featuring Chris McClarney. And as I'm listening to the lyrics of that. Come have your way. You know, sometimes when we listen to music like that, or we hear prayers or we hear sermons, sometimes we hear things like that, and we just say them without thinking. But is that something that you could really say, Is God, come have your way in my life? Well, that's what we're talking about today is being, able to have those kinds of conversations with God. And as we've been talking today, we know that faith, faith is not about being perfect, because perfection this side of heaven is definitely impossible. But it is about walking a road with God that sometimes joyful, sometimes messy, but always, always, always worth the investment. We're talking to Heather Comber today and her about her new book, Father Talks. And it's like having a trusted companion who laughs with you. I've already laughed with you, Heather. Cried with you, cried a little bit, gotten a little teary here, and points you to a deeper relationship with Jesus. And Heather has invited us to travel alongside her through moments of vulnerability and insight and humor, all aimed at helping us hear God's voice more clearly and experience his love more fully. And so today's message is for anyone who is seeking encouragement, who's seeking inspiration, who's seeking a fresh perspective, a new start on walking intimately with the Father. So here's my question for you. Where in your life, if you're out there listening, where in your life do you need to invite God into the conversation you're having in your head and allow his presence to transform your journey? And, Heather, before the break, you were sharing just such a beautiful reflection, of your father's imperfection, yet his legacy, and pointing you to a perfect father who will never fail. And all through sharing even about your fight with the. With the big beast, the fly that was there. Right. You've been very vulnerable and very authentic. And I think that there are a lot of people who. That's a hard thing to do, to be vulnerable and authentic about your. Your spiritual life. You know, to open up and say, hey, these are the struggles I've had. Here's where I failed. Here's where God reprimanded me. Here's where he corrected me. Here's where he met me in my point of need. How do you get to that point where you're able to share so vulnerably and so authentically and share really without fear?

>> Heather Comber: I think there's a couple of answers to that. Number one, I think I learned the hard way. And I. I'm. I'm naturally an extrovert. I'm just going to tell you that probably won't surprise you as. As an np, but, I remember taking the extrovert test, And I got 99. And I was like, why do you make 100? And he goes, Heather, it's out of 99. I'm like, okay, now I get it. I get it so like I am naturally, really, extroverted, really drawn to people. But as you travel through life, especially when you're young, you find that, that that's not always normal. And you, you maybe try to be something different. And it's like I've referred to before you, you try to put on something that, that doesn't fit. And it's, it's only when you understand how perfectly not, not, not that we are perfect as individuals, but how perfectly we are made. That, that we are here for a purpose and trying to be something other than what we are isn't fooling God. And ultimately it's not fooling any, Anyone else. And it was such freedom as I, as I aged and as, as I learned that I was okay with, with being who I was as long as it was actually helping someone. And even if, if my weaknesses were on display, that it could be the point that somebody could trust my humanity and be okay to talk to me. And, and I think one of the things that I learned very early was that I'm, I was always. I've known I was born. I feel like knowing Jesus being, being born into that kind of, you know, a British pastor's home and that, that kind of environment, you feel like you're just, you just really know him and you know everything about Him. But as you age and as you start to, you know, go to seminary and you go to conferences and you go to retreats and you have speakers in to your church and, and there's a lot of formulas people give out that if you do this, this and this, like 1 and 2 equals 3 or this, a, you know, this and this, you'll, you'll get that result. And so like, like a good student, I think we often do things that we are taught is going to get us to the place we need to be. And then we find out, no, it's not, it's not a formula. There's nothing about our relationship with Jesus that it is a formula. It is something that is intrinsic to, to us. It's the way he speaks to us, the way he has created us. And, and when we come to that place in our life, it, and there's always going to be, skeptics. There's always going to be people that maybe don't understand. But I have learned through my life, the more vulnerable I am and transparent that I can be, the more that I' only freeing myself. I'm freeing other people to be, to be that way. And I don't know about you, but I've been in Bible studies or pastors, wives retreats, or. Or just different places. And. And everybody is so afraid. They're so afraid to. To be anything but perfect. And I remember going to one specific, pastor's wife's function. There was about 30 of us, and. And the leader said, listen, I want you to describe yourself as a button. What kind of button would you be? a, button. I. I don't know what kind of button I am. I don't. I don't think about buttons. I don't sew. I don't often think about buttons. So. But I was the last. So I had the whole time to think about what. Somebody was shiny, somebody was like a little pearl opal thing, and, you know, were plaid or something. And then I was like, okay, Heather, what kind of button are you? And before I even knew it out of my mouth, I said, I'm a zipper. And. And that's just the most ridiculous thing you've ever done. And. And I thought it just came out, and I thought, I have the zipper. I. But do you know, the people after that came to me, not publicly, but dozens came to me and said, do you know the freedom that I felt that it was okay to say what I really am, that I don't have to be a plaid button if I'm. I'm a bow. you know, I don't have to be a little pearl opal if I'm. If I'm. If I'm something else. And so I think it's a gift. It's a gift.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: I think you have. You have wisdom there, Heather, and that.

I think there's such an expectation for conformity in our society

I think there's such an expectation for conformity and for, you know, we have to look a certain way. Our house has to be a certain way, our family has to look a certain way, we have vacation in a certain place, our faith has to look a certain way. And there's just this kind of image that we feel like we have to live up to that is really influenced a lot, I believe, by social media. Even if you're not on it, it's still influenc. You know, the way that you feel, like the car that you should drive or, ah, all of these kinds of things that are just really silly, but even some of those things that aren't so silly, the way that our family is supposed to look and the way that our relationships are supposed to look and the way that our success is supposed to look. And I think that really, we get into this if then mode with God. And just like you were talking about looking for a formula, that's what we want. And, and especially, you know, we want instant gratification. We want a self help formula, we want a three step checklist. Like if I do these things, then God will fill in the blank. And I don't think that we think that, really consciously think, okay, well if I do this, then God is going to do this. But if you're really honest with yourself and if you really sit quietly, you start to really see your own spiritual entitlement and thinking that, hey, if I go to church, if I raise m my kids, you know, the way that I'm supposed to, if I, you know, read my Bible at home and if I pray every day, then God's going to protect my kids and I won't have any. That rebel and my family will be perfect. I mean you really, if you're really honest and vulnerable and authentic, you can start to think about some of those kinds of things. And I think, you know, we think about being wise in our own minds. And I think that's why part of the m your message is so important, Heather, is that invitation to listen to God in the everyday moments, not just to go to him when you need emergency surgery, when your child is in a crisis, when your child is in just active rebellion or whatever else calamity befalls you. You've got to pursue him in those everyday moments. And so how, how do you do that? How do you invite us into, to find God and talk with God authentically, vulnerably in those everyday moments?

>> Heather Comber: I think like I said at the beginning, the first is the knowledge that he knows, you know, when, when we are courting as, as you know, the old fashioned term, or are dating or applying for a job or anything. We put forth this image of ourself because we want to be accepted, we want to be approved and we want to be picked, we want to be chosen. But when we read the Word of God and, and there was a time in my life that was a very, very lonely time and a very, very difficult time. And it is the time I spent most of the time in the Word of God, it was where I went, it was what I needed. And I, I learned more in those years. And they, they were long years, you know, five, six years, seven years. That in my younger age that I just immersed myself because there was, there really wasn't a whole lot else in terms of people and structure around me. And it is through the reading, reading the lives of other women now that, that is amazing to read the lives of women like Leah. when. When I read in the Word of God, I laughed out loud. But afterwards I thought, oh, my word. You know, it said Rebecca was beautiful and shapely, but Leah had weak eyes. And I thought, oh, my word, that's in the Bible, you know, putting it right out there. And, and as they read, you know, the different women and the. In their situation and, and what they experienced in life and how. How real it was, how God was never afraid to call it out for what it was and, and to bring from these points of, Harlots and the Rahabs and the Leahs and the Hagars and all these women with terrible stories and the roofs into redemption stories and into. So taking that and understanding that it was almost permission and freedom was like God, you know, me, you. You. I am who you've created me to be. But you are a God of, redemption. And as I spent time in your Word and as I. And time in your Word is time spent with you, if my heart is. Is where it should be to. To sit in your presence and to learn, then. Then I'm going to be changed by it. But I'm also going to come to the realization that this is the best book story ever written. This is the best. And we can look at these lives whose, Whose weaknesses ultimately were their strengths that, that God turned from incredible weakness and, and stories that had. Were so hopeless and no promise. And how he redeemed men and women, the Gideons, you know, the, the. The Jacobs to the Israels, that the. The whole stories that these are real people. And you know what, God redeemed them and gave them a story. And that's what he. He can do in my life. That's what you can do in all of this, of your listener's life, getting your life. That we. That we understand that this m. Entire Word of God, that it's about people, it's about stories, it's about humanity, it's about Philippians 2, who. God coming to earth, taking on flesh to. In other words, to become, to identify. That's what the incarnation is, Heather. God.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Because Heather, you. You're absolutely right. And we are out of time. I love that chapter in Philippians 2, talking about the humility of Christ. And that's such a great reminder for us because he didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped. And he was perfect. And yet he. He laid himself on the cross for our sins. And I think about all of the stories in the Bible. Like you said, there is hope in that. There is hope. And I hope that you will find time to talk with God this week. And I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you peace. And I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.