218: Even if He Doesn't with Kristen LaValley

Kristen Lavalley is a wife, mom of 5, writer, and author of the brand new book, Even if He Doesn't: What We Believe about God When Life Doesn't Make Sense. She is passionate about helping people who have been harmed by the church or walked through pain that has left them reeling and with theological questions. Our prayer is that you will come away from this episode feeling seen, understood, loved, and helped in whatever you may be walking through.     What We Chat about in Today’s Episode: ~Kristen’s new book, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect ~The importance of engaging honestly with your pain and your beliefs and how doing so can actually save your faith - as it did Kristen’s ~Understanding that questions and doubts can actually be invitations to know God better, not automatically a scary thing that will result in you losing your faith ~The concept of the slippery slope and why it should be our aim to help those who find themselves there ~Kristen’s own experience in being able to see the goodness of God in some of life’s hardest moments ~The importance of being teachable and allowing God to re-define your beliefs and viewpoints according to what actually is true about Him ~The importance of practicing the presence of God and how impactful this is in the hardest of times ~Defining God’s goodness as He defines it, and not according to how we think goodness looks or is defined ~Coming to the place of being able to learn what God is really like, not just how we want Him to be ~Understanding that it is a mercy when God allows our hard circumstances to refine how we view Him and enable us to get to know Him better ~The problem with having a transactional view of God ~Faith over formula ~Realizing that it is a theological red flag when you are constantly being surprised by the goodness of God to you ~Understanding God’s Word emphasizes His love - not His wrath!- for His kids; the importance of knowing that it is His *kindness* that leads to our repentance ~The truth that there is comfort at the feet of Jesus, even if there aren’t always answers ~How to love and serve well those who are suffering ~Knowing that you are safe in the love of God ~And more!   For full show notes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast