Finding Your Spark: A Story of Love and Transformation

Join us on this week's episode of the Holy Shenanigans podcast as we share powerful stories of love, healing, and divine presence in everyday life. Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman converses with Colleen Viegnere, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Warren, Pennsylvania. Colleen shares her personal journey of navigating divorce, rediscovering self-love, and the vital role her faith and community played in her healing process. Dive deep into the nuances of divine 'agape' love and its transformative power. This heartfelt episode underscores that love truly wins in the end.

Transcript

S6 E19 Finding Your Spark: A Story of Love and Transformation

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: [00:00:00] Welcome to Holy Shenanigans podcast. Thank you for joining us for this week's episode, sharing stories of how God's love, healing, and presence show up in everyday life. An important way I learn about ongoing holy shenanigans is through the stories people tell me. This week I welcome Colleen Viegnere, member of First Presbyterian Church of Warren, Pennsylvania.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: A few weeks ago, Colleen requested an opportunity to share her personal story of healing and how the love of God, her family and friends helped her navigate divorce, find healing, and come alive to being her full and amazing self. Without further ado, [00:01:00] here's Colleen and yours Truly, pastor Tara Lamont Eastman for a heartfelt conversation.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: About navigating change, building a new life, and how love always wins. In the end, Hi friends. I know this is a little bit different than our normal approach to, to the message, um, but we have an opportunity today to talk about stories of love winning and so graciously, so graciously. Colleen, when I asked her, I said, Hey, Colleen. Actually, I don't even know if I said, Hey, Colleen. I said, oh, wouldn't it be great if I could have a conversation with somebody about God's love winning?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: And she said, me, me, I'll. So let's give her a round of applause already

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: for her willingness to share her story. Um, I wanna give us a little bit [00:02:00] of framework as we have this conversation in connection to the scriptures and, um, a lot of what we have read today is about love, right? God's love, loving other people. Um, Jesus challenging people to do things differently in the gospel text than perhaps what they're used to doing.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Um, so love isn't often easy, is it? Right? As you even heard the anthem sung today, you know, love can call us into struggles as well as joys. And so a 0.2 in our first Corinthians 13 text in our text study on, on, um, excuse me, on Tuesday this week. Somebody asked me, what is the Greek for love in this text?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: And I was like, oh boy, I better lean in [00:03:00] hard what I've learned. But um, thankfully I did remember. So in Greek there are generally, there's more than three, but three common, um, definitions of love or words that are used in Greek for love. One is Elia, which think about the city of Philadelphia. The city of brotherly or sisterly sibling love, right?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: It's that love for one another as siblings. Okay? Um, and that's not what this love is in Greek and first Corinthians. Then there's arrows, um, which is romantic love. And even though you have probably heard first Corinthians 13 read at a wedding, it was actually read at Ian and my wedding. Over 33 years ago now, um, that's not the word love in Greek for one Corinthians 13.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So when Paul wrote this, he wasn't thinking about weddings. He was actually thinking about something different. He was thinking [00:04:00] about agape. Anybody heard that word before? No. No, that's okay. We're gonna talk all about it. So agape is divine love originating from God. And that is the love that God followers are called to exhibit to others.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So while we have love for one another as siblings or as human beings, that's one kind of love. But this agape love is this. This love that we see lived out and experienced from God. And then we go out into the world and try. To exhibit that agape, right? So with that as our lens, a little bit of a little bit of Greek study this morning, I think that that gives us a good place to have this conversation [00:05:00] today.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Um, it's an opportunity for some storytelling and sharing how love wins in the midst of challenge in life. Is that message that y'all might wanna hear today. You can see? Yes. Okay. Okay. So I have this beautiful person sitting to my right here today. Could you please tell us who you are and why you immediately said yes?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: I wanna 

Colleen Viegnere: tell my loved one story. Um, my name is Colleen and I'm sharing my loved one story today because I consider it, um, part of my healing journey, um, as I was coming out of a very dark. Bad relationship. And so this is part of my healing journey. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Awesome. Awesome. Okay, so the words love wins are heard lots of different ways in the world, but I wonder what does that [00:06:00] mean to you, Kelly?

Colleen Viegnere: Uh, love wins for me. Um, it means that I had to love myself as God created me just to me. And to teach my boys that love isn't supposed to hurt and that love is supposed to support them. Yeah. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Thank you. Thank you. Could you say more as you feel comfortable about your healing journey? 

Colleen Viegnere: Um, well, I had to come to a spot where I loved myself enough to do hard work.

Colleen Viegnere: Um, it, it. I had to come to a place where it didn't matter what I did anymore, I was not going to receive love in the relationship that I was in. Yeah. And I had to be true enough to myself and how, how God wanted me to be. Um, I was, I was hiding my own light [00:07:00] and my own spark, and, um, I needed to come to a place to find my spark and find my light.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Um, kind of like she the chameleon Yes. Heard earlier today. Um, so what was it like to fully be yourself to come back to that spark? Spark? 

Colleen Viegnere: Yeah. Um, I, once I did it was like somebody turned a light on for me. Mm-hmm. Um, I could smile again. I could start to trust people again. Um, and. Be more patient with people.

Colleen Viegnere: Um, I, I just came to a better understanding that not everybody is created to hurt you. Mm-hmm. That people, there really are good people out there and people love me. Yeah. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: They do. Yeah. People love you.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So when, 

Colleen Viegnere: oh, so who helped you with this change? [00:08:00] Um, I had lots of people on my journey. I had my parents, I had best friends, and I had my faith community. Mm-hmm. I, I leaned very heavily on my church and my parents and yeah. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: And then your own little family with Danny? Yes. Part of that, yes. Absolutely. Support system.

Colleen Viegnere: Yes. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Awesome, awesome. Thank you. Um, so when you think about, um, one Corinthians 13 and, and I read the whole chapter, I know it's a lie. Try to to surmise your thoughts or your reflections on that in just a little question. But as one Corinthians 13 expresses love, what stands out to you about that chapter the 

Colleen Viegnere: most?

Colleen Viegnere: Um, the one verse that said, love cares more for others than self. Yeah. And say more about that, um, that you will, um, accept people as God created them [00:09:00] to be. That you are loved just as God created you to be and to be authentic to yourself and, and to love yourself. Just, just like I created you to be. He created you with intention.

Colleen Viegnere: Yeah. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: It's that agape love. Yes. Isn't it? It's that agape love that God gives so generously to all people and then asks us to extend that outward. Yes. Right? Yes. Um, a couple weeks ago I talked about the ripple effects, right? And how that love of God ripples out in our lives. If we allow it, it, right? It does.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Like a spark. Like a spark, or it only takes a spark. There's so many good metaphors when it comes to love, aren't there? Um, why do you think, um, and you said it, that, you know, this stands out to about loving others is really important, but why is loving yourself first [00:10:00] important or 

Colleen Viegnere: essential? Well, you, you have to have a spot.

Colleen Viegnere: In yourself where you can give to others. And if, if you know yourself well enough and love yourself as I created you to be, then you can easily accept others. And when you look at other people, you can see yourself in that, in their, in your, their soul. You have more commonalities than have 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: differences. Um, something I say a lot of times as a reminder to myself, as well as others, is that you can't pour from an empty copy, right?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So if you are feeling dry and parched or if you aren't loving yourself, it's impossible to love others. And so first step, recognize that aga, be lo of God, second step, as best as we can learn how to share that. With [00:11:00] others and keep doing that over and over and over and over again. Kind of like washing clothes, right?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Yes. Yes. So when we were preparing for this conversation, we talked about your feelings of, um, and your support and your allyship for folks that are part of the LGBTQIA plus community. Yes. Um. Why do you think it is so important for the church to celebrate and welcome all people, all people? 

Colleen Viegnere: Well, um, the, the church really helped me, I said when I was in the dark place, and I think it's important for us to love everybody, um, just as they are.

Colleen Viegnere: That's, that's what makes people love everybody else, and they have to feel loved and accepted. As they are wherever they come. And God loves 'em just as he created them. Just just as they are. Yeah. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: [00:12:00] Yeah. Thank 

Colleen Viegnere: you. Yes, 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: it's, it's that spark that each one of us Yes. Has, right? Yes. And uh, I think there are times that folks from the LGBTQIA plus community, community or the queer community haven't experienced that.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Um, and so our effort today is, is a starting point for us as a community, even though y'all have been welcoming and inclusive for a very long time. But just to say it publicly and to take that risk of love, um, and be vulnerable in that. And so I wanna thank you Yes. For your, your vulnerability. And I wanna thank the congregation too for your support of this effort and this ongoing effort to love all people in God's name as our mission statement says so that all can thrive.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Right? It sounds familiar. Yeah. [00:13:00] So what if somebody is struggling to love themselves? And they came up to you, Colleen, and said, I don't know. I don't know how you did it, Colleen. Um, how do I, how do I start to love 

Colleen Viegnere: myself? Um, it is, it wasn't an, an easy journey for me. Um, I had to realize that, um, I needed lots of people to help me along the way.

Colleen Viegnere: Um. I, I had to take the first step myself in knowing that I was worthy of love. Um, and then once I took that step, I could lean on other people to build me up when I needed help finding that spark. Okay. Thank you. Yes. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: And so you're talking about that connection to community. Yes. And your faith 

Colleen Viegnere: was a really important part.

Colleen Viegnere: It was, yes. Of your journey. Yes. That's the best advice I would give somebody, is to lean on other [00:14:00] people, um, because people really will be honest with you and truthful with you, and they will help you find that spark when you're struggling to live. Thank you. Thank you. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So we have answered most of our questions here today.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: It is wonderful. Um, but I wonder is as you look at the thesis in the congregation today, and as we, um, think about the folks who are worshiping along with us, is there anything else that you would like to say to folks who are listening to 

Colleen Viegnere: your story? Um, I just think that if you are currently struggling to find your spark, that this is a safe place.

Colleen Viegnere: And there are lots of people here who love each other. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Thank you. Thank 

Colleen Viegnere: you. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Why don't we all pray together? God, we give thanks for this agape love that you pour out into our lives, into the world, and extend to all peoples. [00:15:00] We pray, oh God, that you would help us to learn more about this agape love and how to live it.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: We give thanks for Colleen and her willingness to share her love with story Today. I pray that her words and her life would be an encouragement to all who hear her message. We give thanks and praise, oh God, for her journey healing and transformation, and her courage to share her story today. And all of God's people said.

Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. 

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: I am your holy shenanigans muse. Tara Lamont Eastman. Thank you for joining us for Holy Shenanigans. That surprise, encourage, redirect, and turn life upside down all in the name of love. This is an unpredictable spiritual [00:16:00] adventure that is always sacred.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: But never stuffy. Thanks to Ian Eastman for sound production, and Colleen for sharing your love Win story with us. To sponsor a Holy Shenanigans episode, contribute@www.buy me a coffee.com/tara l Eastman. Until next time at Holy Shenanigans Podcast, may you be well. May you be at peace. And may love bring you healing and hope this day and every day.