The holidays are here and often that means family gatherings. While it can be a joyful time, it can also be a place of pain as we fall into unintended conflict or feel the sting of old woundings from those we love the most.

But, there IS hope for healing and reconciliation. And we CAN connect to God’s deep, sacrificial love for help to love our family.

Church planter, pastor and mom of four Andi Andrew takes us into her journey of forgiving her mom and learning how God made us for reconciliation. The change has to begin in our own hearts.

I think a lot of times with reconciliation and with some of these friendships that have been reconciled, what I’ve had to always deal with my own heart first. So then when you do come to the table, you’re not still throwing your own stuff at people. Then you can walk them through  what I realized about yourself and I apologize.

Andi shares candidly about how motherhood and several stretching seasons of life brought a lot of things to the surface she needed to process with God. We also chat about reconciling close female relationships and managing unspoken expectations in friendships. It starts with choosing to listen to who God says we are instead of what the world is saying.

I’ve had to let love define who I am, not what people say, not what my past is, not what I’ve walked through, not how love has been manipulated in the past, but to look to love and ask, who do you say that I am?

What we chat about:

• Andi’s family and her background for how she became a church planter
• The big plot twists in Andi’s early years and how she encountered God’s love tangibly
• Her experience of having three kids under the age of three
• How God walked her through forgiving her mom
• The concept of Soul Ties and how to release another person to God and find reconciliation
• Reconciliation happens in the constant bumping into each other. Even when it’s uncomfortable
• How having kids reveals your need for healing
• When we feel the need to control situations, there is something God wants to do in us
• Reconciling close female relationships and the hard place of unspoken expectations
• Jesus models friendship in how he related to the disciples
• We don’t need a ton of close friends. Jesus was closest to three disciples.
• The importance of the church as the body of Christ and living in community
• Love is sacrificing and laying down your life for another
• Learning to recognize when we are listening to the world vs listening to God
• How to turn away from anxious, fearful thoughts and toward God’s love
• Avoiding family conflicts in the holidays and asking earnest questions to expose

Connect with Andi:

Links Mentioned:

• Fake or Follower **
• She is Free**
• Parks and Recreation Season 4**
• Enneagram book The Road Back to You** (Andi is a 9w8, Heather is a 4w3).

**Amazon affiliate link. A small portion of your purchase will help produce this podcast.

Not Alone Community–Spiritual Growth Guide

If you are looking to grow spiritually in 2019, then I’d love to help you! This month I’ve created a spiritual growth guide. One that includes:

• How to create a Habit of Spending Time with God
• What to Study 
• How to Study God’s Word
• How to Pray

You’ll also get access to last month’s mentor chat with my mentor, Leslie Johnson. And you’re invited to this month’s live video convo with the AMAZING Kat Lee. Answering your questions about forming a morning habit and studying God’s Word!