Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
9: Jill Devine's Top 5 Takeaways
193 Plays4 years ago
Typically at this time of the year, you will see lots of year-end lists and reflection posts. In this week’s episode, Jill Devine took some time to reflect on how the podcast has been going since it launched this past October.
Normal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/
Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/
Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735
Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Goals
00:00:00
Speaker
The following podcast is a Jill Devine media production. Christianity has become known for judgy people, strange words, ancient stories, confusing rules, and a members only mindset. This is why I stayed away from the church for so long, but it's not supposed to be that way. I'm Jill Devine, a former radio personality with three tattoos, a love for a good tequila, and who's never read the entire Bible.
00:00:24
Speaker
Yet here I am hosting a podcast about faith.
Episode 9 Introduction and Theme
00:00:28
Speaker
The Normal Goes Along Way podcast is your home for real conversations with real people using real language about how faith and real life intersect. Welcome to the conversation.
00:00:40
Speaker
This is episode 9 of Normal Goes a Long Way. I'm your host Jill Devine and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Usually at the beginning of December or at least a couple weeks in, you start to see year-end lists or you start to see reflection posts and things
00:01:02
Speaker
that really struck you over 2021 and things that you are looking forward to not doing or doing in 2022.
Top Learnings: Audience Feedback
00:01:11
Speaker
And so I thought it would be a good idea to record this solo episode and talk about my top five.
00:01:19
Speaker
And by that, I mean top five things that either I learned or it really struck me or it resonated with me in the episodes that we have launched so far with this podcast. Now, this podcast is very new. We launched it October of this year, 2021, and
00:01:46
Speaker
In just a short amount of time, it has been so fulfilling and so rewarding personally.
00:01:56
Speaker
But then when I hear those same things are happening with others, my heart just grows a little bit more. So why don't we start there? Let me first say that these top five, it's in no particular order. They're just five things that really hit me. And we'll start it off with what you are saying.
Impact of Audience Feedback
00:02:20
Speaker
I have received so many great emails and comments through social media that have really made me go, okay, this is right. I'm doing the right thing. Because I have to tell you with my other podcast that I host, Two Kids in a Career, of course I was nervous when I first launched it, but it's nothing like this.
00:02:47
Speaker
When we first launched this podcast, I got super nervous. Talking about your faith can be a very, very polarizing topic for some.
00:03:02
Speaker
it can cause angst between people. And so I got really, really nervous once we went live with this podcast, but then I heard from you and it has really helped ease my nerves a lot. So I'd like to read a few emails that I have received. This one is from Boone and he says, Jill, can I say thank you from the bottom of my heart? It's been amazing to hear your story.
00:03:32
Speaker
Every question you mentioned, I have had and still have. It hit me that there are different points along the way that connect us all, no matter our backgrounds. And I can't wait to hear what's next. Cindy said, hi, Jill, I'm listening to the new podcast and really loving it. Thank you for being so honest and raw about your journey. It certainly makes me feel less of an impostor at church.
00:03:57
Speaker
Kelly says, hi Jill, oh my gosh, I've just listened to all of the episodes and I really relate to your story. I'm glad you're sharing and I'm looking forward to many more.
00:04:08
Speaker
Missy says, hi Jill, I put on the podcast while driving to work this morning and I was captivated. The first few lines around having a few tattoos and enjoying a fine tequila but haven't read the Bible cover to cover. Well, anyway, it brought tears to my eyes in the sense that I felt immediately not alone. I write this to you so you know if you ever wondered if you have an audience
00:04:31
Speaker
I'm your audience and I pray I'm one of many. Thank you for bringing this out into the world and I'll be looking forward to listening in. Those are just a few of the wonderful comments and I am so, so grateful for the support and I am so grateful for
00:04:51
Speaker
any listen this podcast gets. So that's my first takeaway from this podcast. Now on to the second.
Challenging Perspectives: Adam and Eve
00:05:00
Speaker
In bonus episode 4B, this was when I had the questions for Pastor Jim Mueller based on episode four, the interview between Jim and Laura Fleetwood. One of the things that he said that
00:05:18
Speaker
I mean, it seems maybe trivial, but it just really hit me. We are talking about Adam and Eve and creation and then the fall. And I had made a comment about eating the apple. And Pastor Jim said, you know, we don't even really know if it was an apple.
00:05:38
Speaker
And I was like, what are you talking about? That's what we always see. And it is the representation that is used. That's the fruit that is often used, the apple. And it was so interesting to hear him talk about how we
00:05:53
Speaker
When, if you really look into it and the history and the way the vegetation was going, and I'm totally paraphrasing what he was saying, he said it more than likely wasn't an apple and he liked to think it was of a different fruit. You could hear what fruit he thinks it.
00:06:09
Speaker
was by listening to bonus episode 4B. But to know that it really truly was not an apple, like it was not said, it was an apple they bit into. I don't know. It just, that hit me. I can't believe it. And I will not be able to unhear or unsee that now. All right, let's get to takeaway number three.
Public vs Private Christian Education
00:06:33
Speaker
So there's been a topic that is brought up a lot. It has been brought up a lot in this podcast. So in episode one, How It All Began, I sat down with Laura Fleetwood and Ryan Finler and I introduced you to them and what their role is in my faith journey. But one of the things we talked about
00:06:54
Speaker
public education versus private Christian education. And it's a topic that's been brought up in multiple episodes. And one thing that Laura did bring to my attention, it is very topical for me because my husband and I, we are in the midst of this right now. We are trying to make that decision, which route do we want to go and why? But it can't be a comparison situation.
00:07:24
Speaker
meaning I can't say and then this is what I've been asking in different episodes. Oh, did you go to public school? Oh, well, then that means that you're probably this or you went to private Christian school. Oh, well, then that means you're probably this. That's not.
00:07:39
Speaker
true at all and I think that that's been great though to talk about because it does allow for people like myself who are in that process of making that decision take some of it
00:07:55
Speaker
and analyze it in a different way, meaning that I can't have an assumption that if you do this, it's because you went to a private school, or if you did this, you went to a public school. So it's been nice to have individuals, including myself, because I went to a public school. It's been nice to have a representation of both on this podcast. And I
00:08:22
Speaker
Don't foresee never asking those questions again in the future. Like, did you go to a private Christian school or did you go to a public school? Because I think that in some ways that foundation for some people has shaped and led them to where they are.
00:08:40
Speaker
today. So it is something that I am still very interested in and it is intriguing and that's why we'll continue to probably talk about it. And let's go ahead and get to my fourth takeaway from this podcast.
Influential People in Faith Journey
00:08:58
Speaker
The acknowledgement of the people that God has put into my life at different times
00:09:07
Speaker
in different situations and that it's happening to others. So we talked about that a little bit in episode two, part one, the faith journey of a former radio DJ when Laura Fleetwood sat down and talked to me about my faith journey and the placement of certain people at different times in my life that I, as I was telling my faith journey story thus far to Laura, never realized
00:09:36
Speaker
the importance of those people that came along. And now, of course, I do. And then we talked about that with Justin Sheroma. He was part of episode seven, what is my role as a Christian. And he talked about that, the people that God put in his life at different times to help him grow his faith. And when you sit back and you think about it, you just
00:10:05
Speaker
You're in awe. You're like, oh my gosh, thank you.
00:10:11
Speaker
Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I encourage you to just kind of maybe sit back and think about some of the people that God has put in your life and how that's working for you or how it has made you do something different. And I'm talking about all kinds of different people, people that want to help you walk in your faith, people that don't want to help you walk in your faith.
00:10:35
Speaker
It's the people that are doing the work. Actually, it's God doing the work through the people, but it's really fascinating to me. And now on to my final takeaway.
Understanding Faith Concepts
00:10:49
Speaker
And at first, I wasn't going to mention this one because
00:10:54
Speaker
I don't feel like I have not the answers but maybe a little bit of a better understanding or should I say more confidence. But then I realized that's part of this podcast. I'm not always going to feel that way and the same for you. There's going to be topics that come up and you're not going to at the end of the episode
00:11:23
Speaker
Be like, yeah, I get it. I understand. I'm ready to go. There will definitely be topics that we continue to bring up and continue to talk about. And that's exactly what my takeaway is from episode five, who is God? In that episode, Laura Fleetwood sat down with Pastor Chuck Schley and asked that question, who is God?
00:11:49
Speaker
And he was very open about the fact that he could spend weeks on that question and that topic, but he would do his best to address the so-called important points in the timeframe that we had to record. And so my takeaway goes back to what I was saying about
00:12:14
Speaker
having questions and still not getting your questions answered the way that maybe you were thinking they would be answered. Sometimes you have to have
00:12:29
Speaker
multiple conversations to get that true takeaway, that one where you're like, I get it. I just completely understand. And sometimes it's hard to explain in words. And that's exactly how I'm feeling right now. I don't get it.
00:12:47
Speaker
I thought that I did get it going into that recording and then asking the questions in the bonus episode, episode 5b. It kind of sounds weird to say this, but I felt more confident
00:13:04
Speaker
going into that recording than I did once it happened. And I guess what I mean by that is I felt like I had a better understanding of who God was or who God is, but I have a lot to learn.
00:13:22
Speaker
And for me, I wrestle with that because I often wonder, well, should you just kind of stay in this so-called bubble in your head and keep thinking those things that you're thinking about God or explore more?
00:13:42
Speaker
explore and wrestle with those different topics that Chuck and Laura brought up. And I think that's what I should do for sure.
00:13:56
Speaker
As I told Chuck, I am not in this place right now to start going into investigative mode or as we mentioned the science mode. Right now I am just focused on the love and the goodness. So that's what I wanted to say about that takeaway is that sometimes
00:14:25
Speaker
You don't really have a takeaway, if that makes sense, but that's okay. I'm just super thankful that there are people like Chuck that will take the time to have the conversation, even if it's a very shortened version, just to give you a little bit of taste and then have you come back for more.
00:14:47
Speaker
Those are my top five. And I look forward to giving you more top fives, maybe top tens, maybe top 100s. Well, that's a lot. But in the future, continuing this conversation.
00:15:02
Speaker
I hope you have a happy new year. Normal goes a long way. We'll resume on January 11th. That is a Tuesday. And we will have episode 10 launch that day. I hope you will come back and join me in a couple weeks.
Engagement and Support
00:15:17
Speaker
And I just want to remind you that you can follow along on social media at normal goes a long way for Instagram and Facebook, as well as normal goes a long way.com. Feel free to reach out email anytime with different questions or.
00:15:33
Speaker
topics that you want covered we would love to hear from you and wherever you're listening to this podcast if you could just subscribe rate and review when you do that so when you subscribe then that will allow you to get those notifications whenever a new episode launches and then when you rate and review it
00:15:52
Speaker
It just helps it get in the hands of others. So thank you so far for the support you've given. Normal goes a long way this year and we look forward to amazing things happening in 2022 and beyond.