Guided: Hearing God's Voice in the Life You Actually Have

What if you don't need a grand spiritual moment to know Christ is near?In this episode, I share the simplest ways I experience God. A 5:30 sunset. A whispered prayer when my body hurt. That quiet sense of being called "beloved" in the stillness.This one is for you if you've ever wondered whether your experience of God is spiritual enough. It is. Your relationship with Christ is real, unique, and precious. Whether you sense His nearness in nature, in pain, or in the ordinary rhythms of your day, that counts. That is sacred.Christ is already walking with you. Look around your actual life. He's there. Let's stay connected. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Before listening to this episode, please read my “Safety and Abuse Disclaimer” below.My heart had moved on. But God had not released me yet. For almost three years, I stayed in a space I had already outgrown. I felt unseen, misaligned, and quietly certain it was not my long term place. Then the chapter ended. I exhaled for the first time in years.This story reflects a work and vocational context. It does not apply to abusive relationships or harmful environments of any kind. If harm is present in any area of your life, this episode, scripture, or any spiritual voice is not a call to stay. It is a call to leave and get to safety. Get out now.This episode is for the woman who feels the pull to leave and the call to stay. You are discerning in real time, not in hindsight. You do not need to force an answer to honor what is true. There is sacred work happening in spaces that no longer fit. This is for you.Safety and Abuse DisclaimerI do not support or encourage anyone to remain in a relationship that is emotionally, physically, spiritually, or otherwise abusive.If you are in an abusive situation, seek help and get to safety. You deserve care, protection, and support.God does not call you to remain in harm. God is not present in manipulation, control, fear, or violence. Scripture must not be used to justify abuse or silence your need for safety.Nothing in this message should be interpreted as guidance to stay in an abusive relationship. If harm is present in any way, you need to leave. Your safety matters.If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.-------Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Nobody told me 54 would feel like this. They mentioned the hot flashes. They did not mention the freedom. This episode is my list: eleven things I know at 54 that nobody told me at 34. My body. My joy. My no. My rest. My prayer. My belovedness. My ancestors at my back. I save the sweetest part at the very end of the episode: a dedication to someone special who made every lesson possible. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Fair warning: this episode is going to feel awkward. We're actually going to practice saying no together, out loud, right now. Ready? Say it with me: "No." Again, louder: "No." How does that feel? Rude? Uncomfortable? Like you're breaking some unspoken rule? Perfect. That discomfort is exactly what we're working with. Because if you can't say no without a 47-minute explanation and three apologies, your yes doesn't actually mean anything. Today we're practicing the most underrated spiritual discipline: boundaries. Jesus said no all the time, to demands on his time, to his own family, to performing miracles on command. He protected his yes by saying no to what wasn't his. So let's practice together. This might feel weird. Good. That means you're breaking a pattern.Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Friend, have you been playing small? We often do, not because we're weak, but because being small feels safer than being seen. This episode names what playing small actually protects you from: being "too much," disappointing people, conflict, responsibility, success, and your own power. And it names what playing small costs you: your voice, your aliveness, your freedom, your life. For the woman who's been dimming herself so others feel comfortable, who's been apologizing for her presence, who's been hiding her gifts—this is your invitation to step into the bigness God has been inviting you toward all along. The terror is real. But the freedom on the other side? That's real, too.Resource: Playing Big by Tara Mohr is the best book on this topic. Get it and thank me later. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Something is wrong in our nation. Not just politically.Something is wrong at the level of our shared humanity, and we can feel it in our bodies.In Minneapolis, and across Minnesota, recent violence, shootings, and immigration enforcement have left communities shaken and grieving. This episode is not commentary - this is shelter.For anyone asking, “What is mine to do?” while carrying the weight of chaos, fear, and grief.A word in season from your chaplain and companion on how to stay human when the world feels on fire.How to move from faithfulness, not panic.How to remember we are all human - every single one of us.Twenty minutes of sanctuary in the storm. A reminder to stay human...together. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

"I don't even know what I want anymore." So many women whisper this to me-quietly, apologetically, like it's a confession. But hear me: not knowing what you want is not a failure. It's a symptom of survival. When you've lived through trauma, carried responsibility too young, and been told your desires are selfish. Your wanting doesn't disappear. It goes underground. This is not confusion. This is conditioning. And your desire is not gone. It's buried. Waiting. Whole. Holy. For any woman who's lost touch with what she wants and is ready to excavate what's been waiting underneath. The rubble is coming off.Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

If you keep comparing your life to others, it will be hard to hear God clearly.In this episode, we name what is really happening when you feel behind, unsure, or pulled in too many directions. It is not just pressure. It is comparison shaping your decisions.We talk about:why comparing your life to others creates confusionhow cultural expectations can pull you away from what is true for youwhy everything that looks good can start to feel urgenthow to recognize what is actually yours to doIf you feel stuck between options, worried you are falling behind, or questioning your next step, this episode will help you slow down and listen again.Discernment is not about getting it right.It is about staying in relationship with God as you choose.Listen in and begin to return to your own life.Subscribe to the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/[email protected]

You're waiting for a burning bush. A voice from heaven. A sign so obvious you can't miss it. Meanwhile, God's been speaking to you all day in at least eleven different languages...through your body, your desires, that random song on the radio, your aunt who always knows things. Spoiler: clarity can be rare, but conversation is constant. Let's explore what we've all been missing.Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

I used to believe God's will was outside of me, waiting to be discovered. Like a cosmic Easter egg hunt where getting it wrong meant missing my destiny. That God exhausted me. So let me tell you everything I no longer believe: that God is testing me, that my desires are suspect, that there's only one right path, that I can fall out of God's will is like falling out of bed. The truth is that some of us have carried a theology that has kept us small and afraid, anxious, and stuck. And it's time to trade that God for the companion God...the one who's WITH you, FOR you, co-creating with you. This episode is for anyone who's tired of fear-driven discernment and ready to live and come alive - with God.Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

When it feels like God goes quiet, the silence can feel unbearable. In this episode, Brenda sits with the ache, the questions, and the weight of the quiet moments we can’t explain. No quick fixes, just being present with the ache of deafening silence. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

I’m going to go out on a limb and say discernment isn’t about getting it right, clarity, or even decision-making. In the middle of all the noise, we’re gaining something else that transforms everything. And we’re learning about it together. It may not be what you think. Subscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

My grandmother used to say, “God will speak to you your whole life long. You just gotta learn to recognize the voice.” That’s what this podcast is about: learning to listen. Because right now, in all this chaos and noise, the world doesn’t need more certainty. It needs people who can listen deeply. To God. To themselves. To what’s being born in this moment. Welcome to Guided: A Podcast about Discerning God’s Voice in a Noisy World. This is where we begin. TogetherSubscribe free to my newsletter: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/hiV8TH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.brendabertrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠