Welcome back to Altar’d Reality!

Piggybacking off Lauren’s recent Altar'd Moment devotional, Jen and Lauren dive deep into a topic every busy person, parent, and leader struggles with: how to live an interruptible life without becoming controlled by the constant demands, expectations, and urgencies of everyone around you. By looking at how Jesus navigated crowd demands, urgent crises, and personal solitude in the Gospels, we explore how to discern the difference between a distraction and a true divine assignment.

• The Core Tension: Jesus was constantly stopped, touched, and called upon by crowds, yet He was never controlled by interruption or panicked by the clock. We discuss whether we tend to lean toward over-availability or fierce protection of our plans, and why the ultimate question is who gets to decide what gets our "yes".
• Matthew 14 (The Crowd Interrupts Solitude): After John the Baptist was killed, Jesus withdrew to a desolate place to be alone. When the crowds followed Him, Jesus allowed them to change the timing of His solitude by showing compassion and feeding them, but He did not cancel His priority to go up into the mountain alone to pray afterward. An interruption can adjust your schedule without canceling your priorities.
• Mark 1 & Luke 4 (Leaving When Everyone Wants You): Early in the morning, after healing many people, the disciples told Jesus that "everyone is looking for you". Instead of staying, Jesus chose to leave for other towns, demonstrating that a legitimate, real need is not automatically your personal assignment.
• Mark 5 (Jairus, the Bleeding Woman, and the Markan Sandwich): On the urgent walk to heal Jairus's dying 12-year-old daughter, Jesus stopped for a woman who had suffered for 12 years to let her tell her full story. We explore the literary technique called the "Markan Sandwich" and see how what looked like a disastrous delay to Jairus was actually an essential part of God's story.
• The Prayer Rhythm Behind Discernment: Jesus did not wait for life to get quiet before He got quiet. He consistently withdrew to desolate places to pray (Luke 5 and 6) so that the Father's voice, not the crowd's expectations or sense of urgency, remained the loudest voice in His life.
• Boundaries, Guilt, and Capability: We unpack two opposite dangers: being so over-available that guilt and crowd demands drive your schedule, or being so fiercely protected by rigid boundaries that people become obstacles. We discuss asking ourselves whether we are carrying a burden simply because we are capable of carrying it, or because God actually gave it to us.

This week, bring your schedule, your boundaries, your guilt, and your need to be needed to the altar. Practice holding your daily plans with open hands. When an unexpected disruption happens, pause before reacting with frustration or guilt, and pray: "Lord, is this an interruption, or is this the assignment?"

• Matthew 14:12-23: John the Baptist's death, withdrawal, feeding the 5,000, and mountain prayer.
• Mark 1:32-39 & Luke 4:42-44: Early morning prayer and leaving for other villages.
• Mark 5:21-43: Jairus, the bleeding woman, and the power of divine delays.
• Luke 5:15-16 & Luke 6:12-16: The ongoing prayer rhythm of Jesus.
• Resource: Working Preacher Commentary (Luther Seminary) on the "Markan Sandwich" technique in Mark 5.
• Logos Bible Software: An incredible study tool with AI features to help you dig deeper. Use our link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.

Grab your favorite cool beverage and join us as we remind ourselves that, in the end, it is Jesus over everything, always!

Welcome to another Altar'd Moment! In these shorter mini-episodes, the team steps in for a bite-sized devotional between regular chats. In this moment, Lauren gets honest about the hustle of daily life, from endless emails and laundry to busy family schedules, and explores what it truly means to follow Jesus's example of being interruptible and leaving margin in our days to actually see people.

• The Busyness of Everyday Life: Between work, kids, appointments, practices, groceries, and emails, life moves fast. Can somebody please explain how we're supposed to keep a house clean while we're still living in it?
• Obstacles vs. People: When our days are scheduled down to the minute, an unexpected interruption can quickly feel like an inconvenience. Lauren challenges us to ask: Am I leaving enough room in my life to actually see people?
• Intentional Yet Interruptible: Jesus was deeply intentional with His mission: He withdrew to pray, invested in His disciples, and held clear boundaries. Yet, He was never so attached to His schedule that He stopped seeing the individuals along the way.
• The Interruption in Mark 5: Lauren walks through the story of Jairus begging Jesus to come heal his dying daughter. On the urgent walk to Jairus’s house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of Jesus's robe. Instead of rushing past, Jesus stopped, saw her, and called her "daughter." What looked like an inconvenient delay in a life-or-death emergency was actually another person Jesus loved.
• Praying on the Spot: Instead of just saying "I'll be praying for you," Lauren encourages us to stop right then, whether in aisle 7 at the grocery store or at home, and pray with someone in the moment.
• Discernment vs. Irresponsibility: Being interruptible doesn't mean every need is your responsibility or that you abandon your commitments. It means leaving margin so you can pause and ask: "Lord, is this actually an interruption, or is this what You have for me right now?"

• Mark 5:21-34: Jesus stopping for the woman with the issue of blood on the way to Jairus's house.
• Mark 5:35-43: Jesus going on to heal Jairus's daughter.

This week, try creating a little extra margin in your schedule. When an unexpected conversation or request pops up, pause before reacting with frustration. Ask the Lord whether the disruption to your plan might actually be His divine assignment for your day.

Welcome back to Altar’d Reality!

Today, Jennifer and Lauren continue with Part 2 of Lauren’s life testimony. Building on last week’s episode where Lauren shared about losing her mother to cancer, navigating foster care, and stepping into a safe home. This episode digs into what happened when the survival mechanisms that kept her safe in childhood began catching up with her in adulthood.

• Part 1 Recap: A quick look back at Lauren’s journey through childhood grief, separation from her sisters, and moving in with her cousins Samantha and James during high school.
• The Survival Mask: How Lauren adopted a brand-new identity built on resilience, joy, and "everything is fine," using emotional avoidance as a coping mechanism to keep moving forward without processing deep pain.

• Young Marriage & Shoving Things Under the Rug: Lauren shares about meeting her husband, Brandon, at a young age, getting married at 18, and navigating early marriage while neglecting her own emotional needs and shoving marital struggles under the rug.
• The Turning Point in Community: After stepping away from church for a couple of years after getting married, Lauren and Brandon returned when preparing to start a family. Six years ago, Lauren experienced a major shift when she realized "toxic positivity" wasn't from God and began opening up vulnerably to trusted Christian community about her real struggles.
• When the Body Says Stop: Lauren describes the breaking point she reached over the summer, suffering physical panic attacks and burnout, which forced her to realize that intellectualizing her faith was not the same as letting Jesus heal her emotional heart.
• Intellectual Faith vs. Emotional Healing: Lauren reflects on core lies she carried without knowing it... believing her needs were a burden, that she had to stay positive to be safe or loved, and that she could only rely on herself.
• Learning to Be Still and Grieve: Through EMDR therapy with a Christian therapist and quiet time before God without distractions, Lauren is learning how to stop asking "God, what are you teaching me?" and start saying "God, this really hurt me," allowing Jesus into the broken memories.
• Resilient and Tender: Lauren shares that true healing doesn't mean abandoning the strength God built in her through hardship, but discovering that she can be both resilient and tender in the hands of the Lord.
• The Refiner's Fire: The episode closes with a reflection on how God refines us like gold and silver in the fire. Not to destroy us, but to purify us until His image is clearly reflected in our lives.

Are you running on autopilot, using busyness or "toxic positivity" to avoid feeling past pain? Take time this week to sit still with Jesus without distractions. Stop trying to figure out all the lessons right away, and simply allow Him to sit with you in your hurt, knowing that His presence is where true healing begins.

• Psalm 34:18 -"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
• Malachi 3:3 - "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver..."
• Philippians 4:8 - "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just..."
• Song Referenced: "Burn" by Brooke Ligertwood

• Surviving vs. Healing: Lauren reflects on her current season of life, sharing how physical panic attacks and emotional burnout over the summer forced her to stop and realize that the survival resilience that got her through childhood trauma was never meant to replace genuine spiritual and emotional healing.

• Early Childhood & Family Roots: Born on New Year's Eve in Chicago before moving to Southwest Missouri, Lauren grew up as the oldest of four girls in a sweet, close-knit family with a stay-at-home mom and a dad working in the medical field.

• A Mother's Cancer Battle & Legacy: At age eight, Lauren’s mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, leading to a five-year battle that ended when Lauren was thirteen. Lauren shares the heartbreaking memory of saying goodbye in the hospital without fully understanding it was the end until sitting in the car afterward. She recalls her mom’s vibrant faith, her love for hymns like "It Is Well With My Soul," and her mom's desire for an altar call at her own funeral, where lives were transformed.

• Parental Rejection & Foster Care: Less than a year after her mother's death, Lauren's father remarried. An unsafe and emotionally abusive environment led to the state removing all four girls from the home. When her father chose his new wife over taking the girls back, Lauren experienced profound rejection from her only living parent.

• God as the Ultimate Father: In the midst of fatherly abandonment, Lauren turned to God not with anger, but as her true Father, clinging to Psalm 103:1 and discovering that while earthly fathers may fail, the Lord never leaves.

• Anchors of Community: Lauren details her time in kinship foster care living with her grandmother, aunt, and eventually her cousin Samantha and her husband James in a safe, loving Christian home. She highlights how her local church youth group served as her lifelong anchor and refuge through every storm.

If you have survived hard things by burying your pain behind a wall of "resilience," know that Jesus doesn't just want you to survive. He wants to bring true healing to your heart. Take time this week to slow down, get quiet before the Lord, and allow Him into the places you've been afraid to feel.

• Psalm 34:18 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
• Proverbs 3:5–6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..."
• Psalm 103:1 -"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name."

Welcome back to Altar’d Reality! Instead of a standard full-length topic this week, Jen, Lauren, and Tassy are hopping on for a brief, honest check-in. Between travel, work, recovering from surgery, and juggling full-time mom life, the team needed a moment to pause, catch up on each other's lives, and send a quick update out to everyone.

Life gets chaotic, and sometimes the best thing you can do for your heart and community is to stop the hustle and reconnect. Take a moment this week to pause, reach out to a friend or loved one, and invest in the relationships right in front of you.

Welcome to the very first Altar'd Moment! These shorter mini-episodes feature Jennifer sharing quick spiritual snapshots, personal reflections, and deep dives into God's Word between the regular group episodes[1]. In this inaugural segment, Jen explores the story of the Samaritan woman at the well to unpack how Christ meets us in our loneliness and satisfies the deepest thirst of our souls[1].

• Connected yet Lonely: Despite living in the most digitally connected era in human history, over 1 in 6 people worldwide experience deep loneliness[1]. While being alone describes who is around you, loneliness describes what is happening inside your heart[1][4].
• Completely Known and Completely Loved: When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well at noon, He knew every detail of her past, her broken relationships, and her hidden wounds—yet He still chose to sit at the well with her[2][4]. Jesus already knows everything about you and still comes looking for you[2].
• Living Water vs. Worldly Wells: We often try to satisfy our soul's thirst with "quick sips" from worldly wells—relationships, career success, new purchases, physical appearance, or endless social media scrolling[5][6]. None of these were designed to carry the weight of an eternal soul; only Christ offers a spring of living water welling up into eternal life[6].
• Leaving the Water Jar: After encountering Jesus, the woman left her water jar behind because her deeper thirst was satisfied, running back into town to tell everyone about the Man who knew her story and loved her anyway[6][7].
• Jesus as Our True Source: Jesus fills the internal places in our heart that other people were never meant to satisfy, allowing us to love others freely without demanding that they become our ultimate source[3].

• John 4:1–42 — The story of the Samaritan woman at the well (The primary Gospel account of this encounter) [1871–1875].
• Luke 12:7 — God knows the very number of hairs on your head[7].
• Psalm 27:8 — Hearing God's call to "come and talk with me" and responding in faith[3][7].
• Ephesians 3:18–19 — Experiencing the width, length, height, and depth of Christ's love[8].

Take a moment today to put the phone down, turn off the noise, and stop settling for "little sips" from worldly wells[3][8]. Go to the well, sit with Jesus, and let His living water satisfy your heart[3][8].

Hey friends, Jennifer here! We are taking a quick, grace-filled pause this week. Between the hectic start of the school year, unexpected sickness, and the juggling act of full-time mom life and work schedules, we just couldn't get the whole gang together in the studio. But rather than completely disappearing, I wanted to pop on here for a quick second to say hello and share a simple thought I talked about with my boys last week.

The Compass and True North

I sat down with my boys and showed them a physical compass, asking what it does. While it obviously points to True North, it also does something equally important: it shows us where True North isn't.

• The Bible is Our Compass: Every page of scripture is ultimately designed to point us directly toward our True North, which is Jesus. It shows us who He is, how He loves us, how He wants us to live, and how we can follow Him.
• Spotting the Potholes: The compass of God's Word lovingly warns us of the directions that will take us somewhere else... the wrong turns, bad decisions, relationships that pull us away, and the subtle idols we can chase and treasure more than Jesus. It also warns us about the voices we can listen to that point us in a completely wrong direction.
• The Danger of a Few Degrees: Getting lost rarely happens because we suddenly turn around and run the opposite way. Instead, we often get off course by just a few degrees through a single compromise, a distraction, or one wrong priority. Before we even know it, we have wandered a long way from where we wanted to go.

A Daily Prayer for Extravagant Wisdom

My mom recently introduced me to a daily prayer that I’ve started praying over myself, my husband, my kids, and my friends:

"Lord, give me extravagant wisdom today and uncommon discernment."

This prayer asks for a wisdom and discernment far beyond anything we could ever come up with on our own. When you pray this, He will faithfully answer and bring opportunities to start putting those things into action in your daily life.

My Challenge to You

Wherever you are this week... whether you're starting a new school year, overwhelmed at work, juggling family schedules, or just trying to keep your head above water, take a minute to find True North again. Open God's Word, look for Jesus, ask Him to guide your steps, and ask Him to give you the eyes to see both the road that leads toward Him and the things pulling you away.

Thank you for giving us a little grace this week while life happens, and we will be back next week with a full episode. Until then, keep your compass pointed toward Jesus!