The Life Challenges Podcast
Modern-day issues from a Biblical perspective.
The Life Challenges Podcast
Preparing for Heaven While Still on Earth: The Christian's Guide to End-of-Life Care
Death and aging are universal human experiences, yet few of us feel fully prepared to navigate them. In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Amber Albee Swenson draws from her unique perspective as both a private elderly companion and nursing home worker to offer wisdom that transcends typical end-of-life discussions.
Swenson walks us through practical preparation strategies regardless of our current life stage. For those still in their prime, she emphasizes that daily health habits aren't just about present comfort but future independence. "Thank God that you still can climb those stairs," she advises, encouraging a perspective shift that views physical capabilities as gifts rather than burdens.
When discussing the caregiving journey, Swenson's compassion shines through as she acknowledges its inherent messiness. Having watched her own mother's struggle with Alzheimer's, she offers the profound yet simple goal of making loved ones "feel safe and loved" rather than striving for unattainable perfection. Her practical advice on advocacy, family dynamics, and recognizing when additional help is needed comes with reassurance that seeking support doesn't represent failure.
The conversation takes a particularly moving turn when examining the distinctly Christian approach to end-of-life care. Swenson shares powerful stories of seemingly unconscious patients responding to prayer and Scripture, reminding us that our spiritual presence matters even when words seem futile. "This is not the time to settle scores," she emphasizes, encouraging families to focus on grace, forgiveness, and the promises of eternity.
Perhaps most challenging is Swenson's call for Christians to overcome hesitation about sharing faith in healthcare settings. "Stop being so afraid of offending," she urges, noting that many nursing home residents lack spiritual support in their final days. This reframes family visits not just as obligations but as ministry opportunities that extend beyond our loved ones to everyone within hearing distance.
Ready to approach end-of-life matters with greater confidence and spiritual purpose? This episode offers both practical guidance and spiritual encouragement for one of life's most challenging journeys.
SHOW NOTES:
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Because I think as Christians, we have a huge role to play when we do have loved ones in the nursing home or the skilled care facility or a hospice house. We bring the light with us everywhere we go, and I certainly hope that we are doing devotions with our parents or our spouse, that people can hear us singing the songs, that they can hear us praying with our loved one before they eat. A lot of times, we bring the light not just to our loved ones, but to everyone there, which is why I think it's a really special ministry that God entrusts us with.
Paul Snamiska:Welcome to the Life Challenges podcast from Christian Life Resources. People today face many opportunities and struggles when it comes to issues of life and death, marriage and family, health and science. We're here to bring a fresh biblical perspective to these issues and more. Join us now for Life Challenges.
Christa Potratz:Hi and welcome back. I'm Krista Potratz and I'm here today with Pastor Bob Fleischman, and today we have a special guest with us. We have Amber LB Swenson. Amber, I'm really excited to have you on the podcast today. You recently spoke at the Christian Life Resources National Convention and we wanted to have you on after hearing your talk and I have heard you speak before on a variety of topics, but this was the first time that I had really heard you speak, I think, exclusively on end of life, and I just found it really interesting. And it was one of those topics where maybe you see the title of it or you think, oh, that's not really going to pertain to me, and then it's just something really for everyone, I found. But I'd love it if you would just start a little bit by telling us about yourself and what really led you into the knowledge that you have, especially with this topic In 2014,.
Amber Albee Swenson:My youngest was in kindergarten full time and I was asked to be a private elderly companion and I had never done that before. I didn't even know what that meant, and I had never done that before. I didn't even know what that meant, but I was open to a new job because my youngest had just started school and I had been a stay-at-home mom for the last five years. Before that. I had actually been in the medical healthcare setting, so I had started as a nursing assistant, then I had gone to the cardiac monitor lab to monitor heart rhythms and then I had gone to urgent care and worked there. And so I had gone to urgent care and worked there and so I had some medical background. So when my pastor actually reached out because there was someone in the congregation who had an elderly father who had Alzheimer's and was having trouble eating and she worked full time, so she needed people to come and sit at the nursing home with him and feed him, because it would take him about an hour and a half to two hours to eat each meal because he really struggled to swallow and the staff at the nursing home just did not have the time to sit for two hours to feed one person, so she asked us to come in and feed him. Well, then we also were able to read the Bible with him, pray, sing hymns, and it was just a wonderful, wonderful experience.
Amber Albee Swenson:He died four years in, and then I took other clients.
Amber Albee Swenson:I did that right up until 2020, when the world shut down and COVID kept me out of the facility where I had been with the family that I had been working with.
Amber Albee Swenson:The family decided at that point they would just take care of their mom by themselves because they don't want to risk anybody bringing COVID in, and so I was at home for a year and a half while my children were all at home doing school, and then I went to work. In Minnesota, where I live, they had a definite shortage work shortage in the nursing homes at the time, and I had never worked as a nursing assistant in a nursing home. But there was a desperate need, and so I signed up to be a traveler, which means I wasn't hired by the nursing home initially at first, but by the state of Minnesota to go in, and then eventually, I stayed at the same nursing home for two years taking care of people, and I just I actually. I've always loved the elderly, but I really fell in love, not so much with the day in and day out, but with the people and the opportunities that I had to tell them about Jesus at the end of life.
Bob Fleischmann:Is there a lot? I know there's other businesses that will do like, for example, we have my wife and I have long-term care insurance, and so they always talk about, well, we can bring people out, you know, and I'm never quite sure what all they do, but is yours? Does your what you do integrate into something like that, or is it Okay? Yeah?
Amber Albee Swenson:Yeah, so as a private elderly companion, the first client that I had was in the nursing home, as I said, but then I went into people's homes and helped them get out of bed in the morning or go to bed at night, do all their cares so that they could stay in their home.
Amber Albee Swenson:There was one client that I had that I went three times a week and bathed him, did his laundry, made sure he had clean clothes on, shaved him, that type of thing. It's mostly the private elderly companion is mostly to facilitate so that people can stay in their homes or apartments as long as possible, and there usually is a point that that doesn't work anymore. You know, when they can no longer help stand up and they need more of the equipment that we can't, you know, lift them out of bed or carry them, then they sometimes end up and they need more of the equipment that we can't, you know, lift them out of bed or carry them. Then they sometimes end up going into a facility, but it just kind of keeps them at home a little bit longer.
Christa Potratz:Well, your talk at the conference, at the convention. It talked about, I guess, essentially maybe preparing to die or just this idea of what we can do in terms of thinking about the end of life, and you broke it up really into three different categories, one being what we can do when we're not there yet, and then going into what we can do when we're taking care of somebody who's elderly, and then what we can do if it's ourself. So I'd like to start with the first area. When you were talking about what you can do if you are not there yet, somebody maybe like myself, in their 40s, or somebody who just doesn't have that on their radar yet- Yep.
Amber Albee Swenson:So for all of us it's such a good idea to eat well, get sleep, watch our sugar intake, exercise, and you know. Those are things that we hear all the time. You hear it and you know it, but you think, ah, it's not that big of a deal, this donut, whatever. You know it's instant gratification and yet it actually becomes significantly a bigger deal as you get to the point where you're not able to do things for yourself anymore. So if you maintain a healthy weight, it's going to be easier for you to get around and keep walking and it's also going to be easier for other people to help you. That actually may keep you in your home longer. If you're a normal, healthy weight and your family can help you get in and out of bed, can help you get in and out of the chair and you can use a walker, you might be able to stay in your home longer than if you are obese, overweight and no one in the family can help you.
Amber Albee Swenson:We now know that sleeping plays a huge role in decision making and how you function throughout the day, how you handle things. So when you're very sleep deprived, you're not able to think as clearly. And yet, for some reason when we're young, we seem to think, oh man, just grab some more coffee, grab another Red Bull, grab a Mountain Dew, it's all okay. No, when your body is telling you that you're tired, that's your clue that you're trying to do too much. You need to slow down. You need to get the rest that your body needs.
Amber Albee Swenson:So, eating well, sleeping, exercise really important. And in fact we saw this all the time at the nursing home. You know, people think that it's really mean to make people walk down to go have lunch or whatever. We were actually trying to keep them mobile as long as possible, because as long as you can walk, you can walk into the bathroom, you can do those things, and once you are unable to be mobile anymore, now you have to wait for people to help you with everything. So, unlike the American version of retirement, which is you know, oh man, you've done it all, now just sit and relax. And no, the truth is, as long as you are able to use your body, use it. Take the extra steps to get more exercise so that you stay in shape.
Bob Fleischmann:I remember a few years ago when we were taking care of Diane's father. He was living in independent living and his father, he was living in independent living. He was in his 90s and he was complaining about the difficulty with Parkinson's of being able to move around, and so he was pitching the VA to get himself an electric wheelchair. So we really were kind of on his team. You know we were all rying, you know we should get it. It took like a year and a half, but he finally got it. We get it. We take him a year and a half, but he finally got it. We get it. We take him to his first doctor's appointment. The doctor said well, that was probably the worst thing you could have done for him. Yeah, because now he'll have no incentive at all to force himself to keep moving, get up and walk around.
Amber Albee Swenson:That's exactly right.
Bob Fleischmann:Yeah, and it really is true. I live in a two-story house and I growl every time I go upstairs downstairs and everything.
Amber Albee Swenson:And yet, at the same time, I'm thinking, I'm investing into the future. You are and that's actually how I try to get people to think of it is, instead of being grumpy about it. Thank God that you can. If you live long enough, there will be a day you can't it. Thank God that you can. If you live long enough, there will be a day you can't. And once you get to that point, it's amazing how many people say, oh, I would give anything to be able to go up and down the steps, or I would give anything to be able to walk to the dining room. And so, instead of complaining and grumbling, oh, I have to do this, no, you get to.
Bob Fleischmann:So you got people when they're Crystal's advanced age. You got people who are just it's just not on their radar and so it's just a reminder to be healthy and so forth. On a practical level, how does family become an obstacle to what you're doing? So what kind of challenges do you encounter with the family when you're trying to get them into a mindset that caregiving starts early? You need to keep moving, keep active, and then there becomes a time where you have to make some changes.
Amber Albee Swenson:Yeah, I think one of the biggest things is that a lot of Americans don't like to think that taking care of anyone is their issue. If mom and dad can't do it anymore, just take them to the nursing home and someone else should do it. And the first obstacle that we have to get over is the fact that it is our responsibility. Our parents took care of us when we were younger and as they age and they need help, whether it's just trips to the grocery store or maybe they don't drive so well at night anymore, drive so well at night anymore and so instead of complaining and saying, you know, I don't have time for this, no, this is your responsibility, so let's work it out. So the first obstacle is our own selfishness, I think, and then also realizing it's such a delicate balance and this is I was very open and honest when I was speaking. This is messy. This is not an exact science. What works for one family certainly doesn't work for the next, and it can get very difficult. When my mom had to quit driving, we knew she needed to quit driving. We knew it for a while. It was still really a challenge.
Amber Albee Swenson:There were many, many discussions. There were many conversations trying to convince her mom, it's not about you, it's about other people on the road. It's not that we want to take something away from you, we just want to make sure that other people are safe and I am more than happy to come and get you. So all you have to do is call. Well, you say that and then your mom calls five minutes before you have a podcast and you're like well, I can't actually come now. And she said, well, but you told me you would come anytime. Well, mom, I can come in an hour and a half. I just can't come right now. There's so many delicate situations here and there's so much give and take, and it's really about learning to work together and get through the struggle together.
Christa Potratz:Yeah, no, and I think you know that ties in nicely too to the next point where you were talking about what you do for caring for an elderly person, and I love how you mentioned just that. It's not a just an easy thing. And I think also another thing is just every family is different too in that aspect. Anything else on that subject that really, that you'd like to mention too?
Amber Albee Swenson:Yeah, so my mom has Alzheimer's. It has been probably one of the biggest learning experiences that I've had since doing elder care, because when it's your own mother, it's a totally different thing. When it's your own spouse, it's a very different thing. You can work doing this with people that you have no relationship with, and it's a very, very different thing when it's someone you love, and when the relationship is different, you know someone else might listen to me a whole lot easier than my own mother, and so it becomes a challenge. But I decided early on my goals with my mother is to make her feel loved and safe.
Amber Albee Swenson:So perfection goes out the window. The perfect ideal this is how you should live doesn't always make it, doesn't matter. You know it's much like when you, I had four children. So when I had four small kids, was the house always clean? Nope, it wasn't. Did kids get baths every night? No, they did not. Were there nights that they went to bed and they threw up in their bed. Yes, there was. So again, you have this ideal that you would like to see, but at the end of the day, for me my goals were safe and loved. If mom felt safe and loved today, my goals were safe and loved. If mom felt safe and loved today, even if I didn't get her to change her clothes, even if she didn't get the shower, even if whatever, then I call that a win. So that was my main focus. And then also just remembering when you are caretaking, you are their advocate.
Amber Albee Swenson:There is a time that they can't speak up for themselves, and it's our job to speak up for them. Sometimes that's with healthcare workers, when we say, hey, look, she's really been struggling with this for a while. I think we need medication, or could you at least take a look? Could we get in for an x-ray, could we please, you know? So sometimes it's with healthcare workers, sometimes it's with neighbors or other people who are giving them a hard time. Your mom walks by my house and the dog barks or whatever she doesn't. She's doing it five times a day. She used to walk the dog once. Why is this happening? She probably forgot she walked the dog. So this is what we're dealing with. You just have to be an advocate for the person when they are no longer able to speak up for themselves, which is right out of Proverbs 31. Speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves.
Christa Potratz:What do you do if you just feel, maybe, like it's getting to be too much? What is maybe some advice as far as places to reach out to or how you maybe even can even tell if it is something that you really maybe needs some additional help with?
Amber Albee Swenson:Yeah. So the first thing to note I am not the primary caregiver for my mother. My father is, and so if you're just a secondary role, one thing that's good to note is the first cry for help does not mean there's going to be automatic change. So just because dad calls and he's like Amber, I don't know if I can do this anymore, doesn't mean we get everybody together and put mom somewhere. Sometimes it's just having a bad day, much like if you're a mom, or even if you were a dad at one point, and you have a hard day with the kids, you're like I don't know if I can do this, like this is way too much. So knowing that the first cry for help might not mean a drastic change is in store, but a lot of times we can sense when this is getting to be too much, when the load is heavier, when we're not sleeping, when we're not able to take care of ourselves. And I think the first and most important thing to realize is that does not mean that you are a failure.
Amber Albee Swenson:So many people struggle thinking oh man, I wanted to take care of mom. You know, I never wanted to put her somewhere. I never wanted her to have to go, you know what, if God allows her to live long enough. There are times that that's more than you can do. We have a whole staff at a facility, but, like I said too, it doesn't mean that someone has to go somewhere right away.
Amber Albee Swenson:There are other steps that you can take. First, you can ask people to come into your home to help you, and sometimes that's light cleaning, sometimes it's giving you a break, making sure that someone's there so you can go out and do the grocery shopping, or so that you can go have coffee with a friend, or so you can go to the gym or go to your dentist appointment. So there are different levels of care, and sometimes it's just a matter of moving into an assisted living place and then going from there. There are so many different levels of care. There's nursing home care, there's hospice care, there's palliative care before hospice care. There's a lot of different things, and usually your primary doctor is pretty good at getting you lined up with the resources you need for whatever stage you're at.
Christa Potratz:Well, the final piece, then, that you talked about was what to do if it's you yourself going through these situations. So what do you recommend? So what do you?
Amber Albee Swenson:recommend. This is so hard and I think the man that the first person I took care of, my very first client. He was a retired pastor and I learned so much from him he was no longer able to speak and I used to joke with him that he used all his words up. God had given him a specific number of words he used all up during all that time and so now he was left and thankfully I must have had like 45 minute sermons.
Amber Albee Swenson:I don't know, but I told him good, good news for you. I can speak for both of us, so I'll just keep talking and you keep listening and we're in a good situation. One of the things he did that just made a huge impact was he smiled. So he was not able to speak any longer, but he smiled at the staff all the time. When they would ask a question, he would smile. When you know they were about to do something, when they said we're going to transfer you into bed now, he would smile. He just smiled nonstop.
Amber Albee Swenson:And your attitude when it comes to people taking care of you, you do not realize how big of a deal that is, because caretaking is hard and if you can at least be encouraging and smile, it makes a huge difference. People who have mental deficiencies that's not always in their capability to do that, because they don't always know what they're doing. Always in their capability to do that because they don't always know what they're doing. But if it is, then just to be able to have that positive, encouraging attitude. Also, one of the things that I would definitely say is so helpful for everyone, no matter what age you are, is start talking right now to your family, about your desires and also For me. I've given my children permission and my husband I've said look, I don't expect you to be able to take care of me, my whole to what so many in the previous generation did, which was don't you ever put me in a nursing home, no matter what happens, it's up to you. You need to take care of me and, like I said, depending on the weight of the person, depend on the mental capacity, depending on even their house.
Amber Albee Swenson:If you have a split level house, it's pretty hard to take care of people with a walker or a wheelchair, you know. If you're doing that, so just giving your family the permission to do what they need to do, to let them know that you're okay with where you go. I don't care where you go. If you do go to a facility, there's a good chance there will be something to complain about Because, as far as I know, there's no perfect place and no matter where you go, there's going to chance there will be something to complain about Because, as far as I know, there's no perfect place and no matter where you go, there's going to be good workers, there's going to be really, really caring workers and there's going to be people who go to put their hours in and get a paycheck, and so if you can realize that it's not perfect and get through that anyway, that's just such a help to your family.
Bob Fleischmann:And even if the loved one is in a facility, it doesn't prevent you from visiting, from spending time there. There are just certain aspects of it become more difficult to handle, Right? No?
Amber Albee Swenson:and I would hope that people would continue to see their loved ones, because I think as Christians we have a huge role to play when we do have loved ones in the nursing home or the skilled care facility or a hospice house. We bring the light with us everywhere we go, and I certainly hope that we are doing devotions with our parents or our spouse, that people can hear us singing the songs, that they can hear us praying with our loved one before they eat. A lot of times we bring the light not just to our loved ones, but to everyone there, which is why I think it's a really special ministry that God entrusts us with if he puts us in a place like that at the end of our life, because so many people there need what we have. So it's actually a blessing and a ministry that we're entrusted with.
Christa Potratz:Yeah, and that really rolls in nicely, too, with something else. I wanted to ask because a lot of the tips and things that we've talked about are just good for anybody, whether you are a Christian or are taking care of somebody who is or isn't but really wanted to talk about specifically as a Christian, what is the difference when facing death and how that plays out in some of these things that we're talking about plays out in some of these things that we're talking about.
Amber Albee Swenson:Yes, Well, when it gets to be time for death, almost everybody is scared. That's just a given, because we've never done it before and we don't get to unlike childbirth, which is another thing the first time you face it, you have all these women that come to you and say I know it's going to be hard, but you're going to. And if you do this, this, but when it comes to death, we don't have people coming back and saying, well, this is how you do it, If you just do this, you'll be fine. And so there is fear almost every time. I don't think I've ever seen anybody that wasn't at least somewhat questioning, even when they were a Christian, which is why it's so important, Like Bob said, we don't just leave our loved ones in the nursing facility, but we're there to reassure them, to remind them of the promises of God, to pray with them, to sing with them.
Amber Albee Swenson:I have seen people who I did not think could hear. I was absolutely sure they were too far into the death process to be able to hear me, but God showed me that people hear, Because there was a woman who had not been conscious for at least 24 hours. She was doing the death rattle, which is a very heavy breathing, and we went in to roll her and change her and the other nursing assistant left and I just kneeled down next to her bed and started saying the Lord's Prayer and her lips started moving and I was shocked to see this woman who I really felt was in her own subconscious, comatose, whatever. But that was just such a great reminder that our job, as our loved ones face death, is to remind them of the promises of God where they're going, make sure that they know.
Amber Albee Swenson:This is not the time to settle the score. So if you are remembering when mom didn't give you the gift when you were eight that you really wanted, it's not the time to lean down next to her bed and say, mom, you know I've never forgiven you for not giving me that baby doll. That's all gone right now, where you're just grace, you are about to face the throne of God and Jesus paid for it all and there was nothing you had to do. Everything is forgiven. Go in grace.
Amber Albee Swenson:Mom, Dad, whoever, your wife, your husband, I'll see you in heaven, and that's one of the things that was the most fun to me is when I was able to say to people I'll see you in heaven, and they were able to respond and say I'll see you there. We all want to face death knowing where we're going and that it isn't dependent on us Because, again, Satan is pretty good at the end of our life of reminding us of all the things we did wrong, all the things we could have done better, reminding us of all the things we did wrong, all the things we could have done better, and so we need our family and our loved ones there to really reassure us.
Christa Potratz:Yeah, I found that really interesting too. In your talk too, you mentioned just the importance of raising Christian children, even if it's just for that reminder at the end of your life, when you need that the most. My father, back in October of 2022, had a sudden stroke and was in the hospital for a few days before he passed away, and we at one point were able to get a bunch of hymnals in there and sing the songs at his bedside and pray with a pastor that was there, and I just kept thinking this is what my dad would have wanted, like if he could have written how he would have died. It would have been with his family around him, singing hymns and sharing the gospel message there. And you just, I mean, you just don't think about that in the moment, but you just lean into what you know, and you know that in a time like that, when you don't know the future anything, you just lean into what you know to be true, with God.
Amber Albee Swenson:Absolutely, and there is no time that is too early to start talking to your children about death. I talk about death all the time with my children. I try to make it as common as possible. We brought them to funerals the whole time. They were growing up when their you know grandpas died or whatever, they were included. We didn't try to hide it from them and I've tried to make it very normal and I've tried to tell them these things, and I've also said to each of them I expect you at my funeral, in the front row, singing as loud as you can possibly be, because I am not dead, I am every bit alive, you know.
Amber Albee Swenson:And just to make it a definite part of the conversation, I think, too, one of the things that I don't think we realize is that a lot of people in the nursing homes don't have access to a pastor. So maybe they haven't been to church for a long time because they've been homebound and the congregation that they used to you used to be part of, has had a new pastor. This new pastor doesn't know them and, man, I prayed with and recited scripture, the 23rd Psalm or whatever, with a lot of people because there was no one else coming, and so, if you want to talk about a ministry that is very lacking, if there are retired pastors out there, oh, our people in nursing homes need you. A lot of people in the nursing homes need you.
Bob Fleischmann:What were the greatest challenges you faced? When you've walked into a home, walked into a nursing home setting and you're saying if only someone had done this or if only this were a little bit different, this would be so much better to talk with them. I know as a pastor who served congregants and went to nursing homes and so forth. Sometimes it was the way things were set up in the nursing home, sometimes it was the way the family acted or didn't act. What do you see as serious mistakes that are made that hindered the good that you could do in this kind of ministry?
Amber Albee Swenson:I worked with amazing families. Every single family that I worked with was so open and so, if I would call and say this needs to be done, they were very open to that. I think the biggest challenge and this isn't in nursing homes or whatever. I think our biggest challenge is not taking the Word of God seriously all throughout our life. And the biggest challenge I always had I never hesitate. I learned the hard way to not hesitate to talk about Jesus, because there were people that I thought I would have time with and I'd come back to work and they had died. And that happened a few times and I got bold very quickly because I realized I had missed my opportunity.
Amber Albee Swenson:And I think the biggest challenge is for us Christians to think that the person who sits at the table with mom might not want to hear the Word of God, and I think that's a silly, silly thing to think. If they don't want to hear the Word of God, they can leave. We can be asked to go in the room. Stop being so afraid of offending the gospel is offensive. But people are going to die and this might be the last chance they get to hear the word of God, and maybe you will never have the experience of taking care of someone and learning to really like them and then coming back the next time and they're dead and realizing you missed your opportunity. But if that happens, I hope you get bold, real fast.
Amber Albee Swenson:Whether it's your spouse that's in there, or a sibling or a parent or whatever, do not hesitate to pray out loud, to sing songs, to ask if a worship service can be played on an iPad. We did that when families would say, hey, could you please do the live stream on Sunday morning for this person. We would bring them out into the dining room, play it on an iPad, and it is amazing how some of the other people would come and sit around to listen because they didn't get church and so don't. I think we need to get over ourselves. Go into that facility, know that you're the light. Ask what you can do.
Amber Albee Swenson:I was asked more than once do you want to come back and do devotions with people? I mean, do you want to? Just, people want it, a lot of people want it and there aren't enough pastors. And so just get over your fear of saying the wrong thing, get over your fear of thinking you might offend people. There were people that when we would have hymn sings at their nursing home, we would go around to every room Do you want to go out? We're going to sing hymns. Today there were people that would say no, no, no, I'm not going out, I'm not going to do that, but leave the door open. They're hearing, they can worship in their room. So I think the greatest obstacle is actually ourselves.
Bob Fleischmann:I agree yeah.
Christa Potratz:Well, amber, it's been wonderful to talk to you today about this topic, and I would just love it, too, if you could just tell people how they can reach you and also just maybe share some of the things that you're working on and upcoming stuff you have too.
Amber Albee Swenson:So the easiest way to get in touch with me is amber at timeofgraceorg that's just the easiest way to remember my email and I'm working on all kinds of projects to get people into the Word, to make it easy for people to get into the Word and to share the Word with their under-church or unchurched neighbors or friends. So my whole goal for the coming year is to write Bible studies that people want to invite other people into their home or to a coffee shop or to their church and say, hey, I know you haven't been to church in a while, but I want you to study this with me. The evidence is overwhelming that when we ask people to join us at church, like three-fourths of them say yes. So we need to stop being so self-conscious and everything. We need to stop being so self-conscious and everything.
Amber Albee Swenson:So my whole goal is to create material, whether it's podcasts or Bible studies or I go to a lot of churches and speak and those events too. I ask the organizers always. I say you know I love coming to the church to speak. I'm super happy to speak to lifelong Christians, but please ask everybody to bring a neighbor or friend or a relative or someone who might just be, you know, looking for hope, and so that's my goal hands down, to get as many people into the Word as possible, because that's our hope, that's our joy, that's our peace and that's what all of us crave.
Christa Potratz:Well, thank you so much, Amber. We really appreciate it, and we just want to thank all of our listeners for joining us today, and you can reach us at lifechallengesus, and we look forward to having you back next time. Thanks a lot, bye.
Paul Snamiska:Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Life Challenges podcast from Christian Life Resources. Please consider subscribing to this podcast, giving us a review wherever you access it and sharing it with friends. We're sure you have questions on today's topic or other life issues. Our goal is to help you through these tough topics and we want you to know we're here to help. You can submit your questions, as well as comments or suggestions for future episodes, at lifechallengesus or email us at podcast at christianliferesourcescom. In addition to the podcasts, we include other valuable information at lifechallengesus, so be sure to check it out. For more about our parent organization, please visit christianliferesourcescom parent organization. Please visit christianliferesourcescom. May God give you wisdom, love, strength and peace in Christ for every life challenge.
