Can having a hobby help you connect more to the heart of God?

In this episode, Barb is joined by author Brianna Lambert to talk about her book Created to Play and how our hobbies can become meaningful expressions of worship. They explore why play is often misunderstood in Christian culture, how it forms us spiritually, and the unique roles we step into through our hobbies—from creator and curator to restorer and connector. Brianna also invites us to see play not as a distraction from purpose, but as a pathway to delight, community, and deeper connection with God.

If you've ever felt guilty for enjoying your hobbies or wondered how they fit into your faith, this conversation will give you a whole new perspective on joy, rest, and worship.

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Created to Play: How Taking Hobbies Seriously Grows Us Spiritually

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Brianna Lambert is a writer and author from a rural community outside Indianapolis. Her articles and essays have appeared in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Common Good, Mere Orthodoxy, and elsewhere. Brianna also serves on staff at Gospel-Centered Discipleship and writes for the women's ministry at her local church. You might find her backpacking, camping, waterskiing, or starting a brand-new hobby with her husband and three children.

In this powerful and hope-filled conversation, Barb speaks with counselor, spiritual director, and author Sheila Wise Rowe about her book Seeds of Racial Healing: Fifty-Two Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma. With over thirty years of experience counseling trauma survivors and ministering to marginalized communities, Sheila offers a deeply compassionate, trauma-informed approach to addressing both personal and systemic racism through the lens of Scripture.

They talk about how racial trauma impacts the body and soul, why rest and resilience are essential for Christians of color, and how being rooted in God's Word can nurture healing and justice.

If you are seeking Christian encouragement, spiritual formation, and practical tools for navigating racial trauma, this conversation offers hope, wisdom, and a path toward renewal.

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Seeds of Racial Healing: Fifty-Two Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Sheila Wise Rowe (MEd, Cambridge College) has over thirty years of experience offering counseling and spiritual direction to individuals, couples, leaders, and trauma survivors. Sheila also spent a decade ministering to unhoused and abused women, children, and youth in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she was a lay pastor and taught Christian counseling and trauma-related courses. Sheila is a speaker, trainer, and writer, authoring the award-winning Healing Racial Trauma and Young, Gifted, and Black. She and her husband, Nicholas Rowe, live in Boston, Massachusetts, and coauthored Healing Leadership Trauma.

Are you craving a life that actually matters—one that goes beyond just getting through the day?

In this episode, Barb speaks with author Crickett Keeth about what it looks like to live with true purpose and eternal significance. Based on her Bible study, Living Out a Life that Matters, they explore how the apostle Paul modeled a life of depth, impact, and faithfulness—and how we can do the same today.

If you feel stuck in the day-to-day or are longing to live with deeper purpose, this episode will encourage you to pursue a life of meaning and impact, right where you are.

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Living Out a Life that Matters: An 8-Week Study in 2 Timothy

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Crickett Keeth is the author of several women's Bible studies, including On Bended Knee, Before the Throne, and Living Out a Life That Matters. Crickett has served in ministry to women for decades on staff with Cru and large churches in Dallas and Memphis (Women's Ministry Director). She teaches at her church in Memphis and also equips and trains other women's ministry leaders. Crickett is a sought-after speaker at women's conferences and retreats. Find free resources to encourage you in your walk with God at www.crickettkeeth.com.