71 | Stewarding Your Scars with Special Guests: Tray & Shelley Lovvorn | Part 2

In Part Two of our conversation with Tray and Shelley Lovvorn, the spotlight turns to Shelley's remarkable story of faith, perseverance, and learning to steward life's deepest wounds. 

As a wife, mother of six, health coach, and follower of Christ, Shelley shares candidly about grief, loss, relationships, family, and the challenges that inevitably shape every life. Rather than allowing pain to define her, she offers a powerful perspective on how God can redeem our scars and use them to bring healing, wisdom, and hope to others. 

What makes this conversation especially meaningful is that, between the time this interview was recorded earlier this year and its release, Shelley was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. With the blessing of both Tray and Shelley, we are releasing these episodes exactly as planned. Listening now, her words carry an added weight and beauty, reminding us that the truths she shares are not merely theoretical - they are being lived out in real time. 

This episode is a moving reminder that faith is not the absence of suffering, but the willingness to trust God through it. Whether you're walking through loss, uncertainty, disappointment, or a season of waiting, Shelley's story points us back to the hope and faithfulness of Christ. 

We are grateful to Tray and Shelley for their honesty, courage, and willingness to share their journey with us.

You can follow Shelley's (@love_is777) health journey on CareBridge here

Also to connect with Tray Lovvorn you can visit his website www.traylovvorn.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_12 0:01

Welcome to Sermons on the Side. I'm Brad. And I'm Richard. And life can move pretty fast. So we're here to slow down, dig deep, and find the story hidden in everyday moments.

SPEAKER_03 0:14

With years spent in ministry, friendship, and navigating real life together, we're all about blending humor, honesty, and faith into conversations that meet you right where you are.

SPEAKER_12 0:24

So whether you're brand new or you're back for more, we are so glad you are here.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

So relaxed, listen in, and let's discover meaning together.

SPEAKER_12 0:34

In the ordinary, the messy, and everything in between.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Sermons on the side, finding meaning in the everyday.

SPEAKER_04 0:45

My boaz right here.

SPEAKER_07 0:47

Boah. She was gleaning in the field. Gleaning in the speed.

SPEAKER_06 1:01

That was that original picture. She was leaning at the beat.

SPEAKER_12 1:06

My favorite Ruth joke is like she's always looking for, you know, somebody with some stability and some money, even though she hopes a bow and is not a broken. I'm feeling good, but I don't think I'm feeling as good as you. Or maybe I'm I'm feeling better because let me ask you this. When you come back from a vacation, is it just, oh, the wind is in your sails and you're ready to conquer the world? Or is it like, oh, I need a vacation from my vacation?

SPEAKER_03 2:18

No, this one, bro, was very refreshing. Okay. And had a great time, got back over the weekend, and I am energized and ready to be back in the saddle. And we were just saying how cool it is to be back behind the mics.

SPEAKER_12 2:33

I know it's been a couple of weeks just with travel and just with us moving. Oh my goodness, but you know, that's been some crazy things going on behind the scenes in our life. But uh yeah, it's good to sit at the table with you and behind the mics and to think about what God could possibly do with a couple of goofy, you know, boneheads. And it's amazing what God can do with obedience. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

Indeed. Speaking of which, that was one of the things we talked about a little bit last week with Trey Lover and that wonderful interview we had with him, which is of course part one of two.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Right.

SPEAKER_03 3:09

Uh, but part one was amazing, and it was a lot about his obedience in the midst of question marks and pain and disappointment. And uh, but but we thank everyone for the good feedback we heard.

SPEAKER_12 3:22

We have gotten a lot of awesome feedback. And so, Trey, thanks again for sharing your story. And Shelly, we can't wait to hear yours. But folks, we're just gonna kind of dive straight into this. Yeah, we've got a bit of um some heavy news to share with you. Earlier this year, when Richard and I had the honor to sit down at the same table and to interview Trey and Shelly, um, we had no idea the the storm that was coming in their life.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Indeed.

SPEAKER_12 3:49

And uh they have given us permission, obviously, to share these episodes out with our with our incredible community. Um, but there's there's been in the time since we've interviewed them earlier this year to the release of these episodes, they've they've they've had something come up. And uh and so Richard, share with us what's what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Yeah, they have. They have. And it was just a few weeks ago that Shelly was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Now this came out of nowhere, and it, as you can imagine, was such a such difficult news. It was such a gut punch to everybody that loves Shelly, particularly, of course, mainly the two of them. Uh the it this has been a rough last few weeks for them. And Shelly began her uh chemo treatments just last week. In fact, her first treatment was uh a day before the episode dropped with Trey telling his story. And we're so grateful for them in the midst of all of that, that they were still uh determined to have us release their their conversations we had with them. And I think that's a big deal. Because at some part of us were like, well, why don't we just pause everything and let you guys just navigate through this? But they were like, no, we want we want you to proceed. We want our story to get out there, but of course, we wanted to also let all of our listeners know what they are facing.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

And it is going to it is likely to be a tough road ahead, but they are they are people that they're a couple of faith, you know, they're people of faith and they're fighters. And so we uh we do ask all our listeners when you think about Trey and Shelly, pray for Shelly, yeah, and pray that God will carry uh her and all the family through it. You know, what's amazing is because again, we didn't choose, I uh or we couldn't have predicted the timing, yeah, but it was so interesting that Rhonda and I were on this trip last week on the same week that our first conversation with Trey was scheduled to release, and just one day after uh Shelly's uh first treatment, we were able to sit down and have lunch with Trey and Shelly one week ago today. We were up in Franklin, and that's where they live. And we had hoped to spend a whole bunch of time just gallivanting and letting them show us around, and of course we had to reel in a lot of our plans, but they still wanted to sit down with us, and so we had this really priceless hour and a half to sit with Trey and Shelley at a at a wonderful restaurant. It's a restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee. I just want to tell everybody about brand new, it's called truce. Like when you call a truce and and it's run by these wonderful Christian people that want their uh their food and their business to glorify God and to bless people. So, anyway, we're sitting at truce, right? Or we meet at truce for lunch, and we have such an awesome time together because Shelly is just a person, as you'll as everybody will hear in just a few minutes, she's just a person of openness and honesty. And she was sharing about how difficult these these weeks have been and how rough she was feeling one day after the first treatment. And so, but boy, I'm telling you, Brad, it was so precious because we had we had times to laugh, we had we shared laughter, but we had a lot of tears too around the table. I imagine and we prayed together. And I'll just I'm so grateful for that time we had. But I just want to tell you one story about the lunch before we get to the episode. So it's this Christian run uh restaurant, right? And so when you stand in in line to place your order at the front, and then you're gonna go choose a table to sit at. So uh Rhonda and Shelly, because we didn't want Shelly to have to stand too long, they went and and found them a table. And so the workers there, they bring you a little number. You know, it's a number like that so that the servers will know how to how to get your food to you. And so it's this little number that they place on the table. But on the back side of where the number is is a Bible verse.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

So the lady or and Trey and I are in in line ordering food, and Rhonda and Shelly are at the table. This this wonderful lady brings them their table number as we're paying for the food and all that. And she says, Can I read this verse for you? This is what this the lady that works at truth said. Can I read this verse for you? And they said, Well, of course. And it happened to be there's just all these random verses that are on the back of these numbers, but here's what the verse was it was Romans 8.28. And it says, and we know that God causes everything to work for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose. And so this lady, oh man, this lady reads this verse, and Rhonda and Shelly are just busting out with tears. And this lady is praying for them, and and it was oh man, I just can't tell you. It was such a powerful, such a special moment. And so thank you to all our listeners for giving us a few minutes to share that that very important update and a little bit of that that story of how grateful Rhonda and I for the are for that time we had with them. And we know that y'all are going to really get a lot out of this episode. This is gonna, this is gonna hit, I think.

SPEAKER_12 10:27

You know, oh absolutely. First, by itself, it's a beautiful, beautiful story of God's grace and goodness. Um but to understand kind of a little bit about what's going on in their life right now, I think it does change a little bit of that tone in a in a beautiful, beautiful way. And um if we've got any any listeners, I hope all of our listeners, um, if you want to follow Trey and Shelly's journey, um, we're gonna provide a link in the bottom of the show notes that is uh is something that Trey's gonna update frequently on the health journey for for Shelly. Um and so make sure you click that and follow along. And more than anything, just pray for them, pray for Shelly, pray for Trey, pray for Shelly's family. Um we serve a God of miracles, amen. And he is the healer, he is the redeemer, he is the great physician. And um, anyways, we folks, we we love you, and uh we pray that God meets you where you are at, whether you're holding the hand of a friend, the handle of a beverage. We hope that this sermon on the side blesses you. Wow, so it's been a whole week since we've all gathered to talk.

SPEAKER_13 11:42

Good to see you again, Brandon. Hello.

SPEAKER_12 11:45

Uh no, man, part one was awesome. Uh, obviously, we're just gonna continue talking and we're gonna spread this up into two different episodes for our listeners. But Shelly, let's let's turn the mics and attention over to you. Part one was so amazing. I'm so excited to dive into this, you know, stewarding our scars conversation. But we we want to know more about you. Tell we all I know so far is that you're awesome, you're beautiful, you're theological, and that you lived in Orlando. So tell us a little bit about you and your story.

SPEAKER_05 12:16

Well, there's a lot to say, but um, I have a hard time saying it. So but so yeah, I have met Trey um only in the last few years, uh, during a very traumatic time in my life. And uh that's I would say we connected it weakness when we um did begin to talk, and he shared some of that before, um, you know, just about how when we would um, you know, when how we met. So I'll give you the high-level version of how we met, maybe. Yeah, that'd be great. Uh so yeah, I'm in I was in Orlando, Florida, or or Central Florida, just outside Orlando.

SPEAKER_03 12:50

And um, were you raised there? You're always a Florida girl?

SPEAKER_08 12:53

Her dad was like over Disney creative. Stop by catography.

SPEAKER_12 13:00

I was gonna ask you, like, are you being from Orlando, do you hate Disney?

SPEAKER_05 13:04

Disney Disney girl, Disney Girl, yeah, and I worked there too. Uh later.

SPEAKER_12 13:16

Wait, did you say that out loud?

SPEAKER_13 13:18

Did I say that out loud? Sorry, Shannon.

SPEAKER_05 13:22

I have a I have warm, fuzzy memories with Disney because of my dad's uh career there. And um, so yeah, lots of really cool stories with that. But um so I I lived in Orlando and now I was born in North Carolina, so um, but so I've been in central Florida since I was 18 months old, so pretty much a Florida cracker. Okay, yeah. Um, but yeah, so I'm I met Trey uh virtually, but not on a dating app.

SPEAKER_08 13:49

Not on a dating app. It's a good disclaimer, it's a great disclaimer.

SPEAKER_05 13:52

Just in case you're wondering. Um and so but organically, so you know, as he had mentioned before, uh, he and his uh now ex-wife had done a podcast, and I had been listening to that podcast. And it was um, you know, relational and a lot of these types of themes that he um you know very eloquently you know discusses. And so I was going through a traumatic period into my life, and I had bumped into that podcast along with some other things to listen to, to give me help, you know, to give um context and some words around all the things I was going through at the time. So anyway, um then it went dark and I didn't know what happened to the podcast. And months later, I'm on, you know, in in a you know, again, still going through my stuff, like because that went for years. And um I thought, I wonder what happened to those those two that were doing that podcast. And so I um just followed him, connected with him on uh Instagram, but then we had a little bit of a communication. So it it began very much about like kids in divorce. I knew something had happened, I didn't know what happened, I didn't feel like I had the right to ask him that. But we began to talk just a little bit, and then it began to be, you know, a 15-minute phone call and then another 15-minute phone call.

SPEAKER_08 15:07

But she said only 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_05 15:08

I said only I I can I can only talk to you for 15 minutes. I don't talk to men. Um that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_08 15:14

Oh, dude, that's a great line.

SPEAKER_05 15:15

Yeah, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 15:17

Y'all just need to know what you're saying.

SPEAKER_08 15:19

How did you close the deal with two 15-minute conversations? That's what you're thinking.

SPEAKER_07 15:25

So, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 15:27

Well, so that's so cool. Come on, game, game. But by the time we were um openly having a conversation, like a longer version, um, it we had a lot in common and uh we were able to share. And one of the things I think was maybe significant for me was Trey was this person that I kind of knew his story a little bit, obviously, because I'd listened to the podcast, but um he didn't know me and he was outside my friend group and all the different people that I knew, you know, from a long time being in in Florida and church and all that. And and I thought it was cool to share with somebody more openly than maybe I would have been sharing with anybody, you know, maybe in a sense, because I it didn't really matter, he's not gonna affect my friend group. I'm never gonna see him. We could hang out the phone and that'll be it. And but it continued because we did have a lot of good conversations and the like he mentioned, the theological um basis, and he was able to because I was going through a very traumatic period of time, my both my parents and 21 died back to back. And so literally five years ago this month, on top of that, you're going through a divorce and all the trauma that goes with kids. I have six kids, and um so that's at the point where I ended up you know talking with him. And and so he was just kind of a friend that we could share, but he had been going through his angry season. He had you know a lot of trauma too.

SPEAKER_08 16:56

Um matter of fact, we actually one of our conversations, go ahead. I'll let you say.

SPEAKER_05 17:01

Well, no, no, I I was thinking the same thing when I thought you you were already picking up on that. We we were like, are we trauma bonding? You know, right, no, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:09

There were so many similarities, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:12

And so we went through like we had to look it up. Nope, nope, nope, nope.

SPEAKER_12 17:16

The same trauma.

SPEAKER_05 17:18

Yeah, so um, but it was very refreshing for me as well because you could um I could share about things from a heart level that um he was able to really interpret and actually reflect back to me and tell me truths about myself. You know, he talks about the um being a beloved son, but he would say to back to me, because here I I've I've talked about being an orphan with my parents and going through the marriage, uh, all that. Um I felt very alone and also just all the all the kinds of shame and all the different things, and there was just a bunch of my kids, and and you talk about um by the way, earlier you said comedian, but you meant to say chameleon. No, really, and I didn't correct you at the time. He's gonna correct that when he edits the you're you're you're really not a comedian.

SPEAKER_12 18:11

Oh, buckle up. I was like, we're just gonna be serious.

SPEAKER_08 18:21

That was amazing, and you didn't correct it.

SPEAKER_05 18:25

I wanted to, but anyway, it came up when it did. But anyway, um, I but I mentioned that to say that we had some similarities, and I wanted to explain everything to everybody. But you know what? Stuff was happening, it was out of my control, um, it was its own thing, and uh, and it was like I needed to be quiet with the Lord, obviously, but um I it was helpful to have I the Lord brought women along in my life. I mean, I had I had uh some pastors' wives, I had a good amount of people, you know, really in the trenches with me, but Trey was more of this outside of that box person who hadn't known me and I was able to just be kind of raw about everything. Um, and I wasn't at all wanting to curate it and make it like I wasn't trying to ha have a relationship with him. We just it just kind of began. So I didn't have any vested, oh, this has got to work out. No, he's in Franklin, Tennessee. I may never ever meet him, but it we could have those kind of conversations, and so I think that was helpful for me. Um, you know, there was nothing invested uh as far as I didn't have to come through or whatever. But my my tendency is similar to the um the chameleon type of thing that he was talking about is I wanted everybody to like me, I want everybody to understand exactly what happened, and you really sometimes don't get that opportunity, but you've got to be okay, nonetheless. And uh he helped me with that as far as you're a beloved daughter, so he would bring that back, you know. And I think in speaking some of those things to me and helping me to remember those things, it was also actually a good reminder for himself during a time that he actually was in a lot of pain as well.

SPEAKER_12 20:12

A lot of that, yeah. Man, the Lord will do that, won't he? He will he will bring people into our life that we we get the opportunity to minister to, but it's it's really nothing that we're minister mustering up in our own strength to give to that person. It's the Lord just kind of flowing through us. And time and time again, I've been like, oh, I think the Lord's actually trying to teach me that, and I'm just kind of talking just out loud to somebody else. We were conductor.

SPEAKER_08 20:38

Actually, just a few weeks ago, we were talking about that phenomenon that where I was kind of relating to her when maybe a guy in recovery is in a weak moment, he's calling, and then you begin to speak into that situation, whatever it is, and you hang up the phone, and it's like, wait, I needed to hear that. You know, and it's like, wait, that came out of me, but yet it was somewhere in the recesses, but it was that call that brought it to the surface. And and I do book agree that that's how I got off and off and does it.

SPEAKER_03 21:07

Something that uh a part of the interesting journey or or or your time as meeting together, connecting, getting to know each other. And I, you know, we joked earlier about the whole 15-minute call limit, you know, and and but you gotta bring it back to the game, right? Yeah, but so I just want to talk about how awesome Trey is. And no, but seriously, uh we can take it. I think that you sure you're you're on board. Yes. Um but uh I I just think there's wisdom, there was wisdom in that. And God was up to I mean, he obviously had this wonderful story that he has uh ended up writing and continuing to write in in your uh relationship. But it was I just think that's really cool how God protected y'all from. Um from going into fast.

SPEAKER_05 22:03

Well, I'm gonna say something about that too, is because he was outside my circle, obviously he was outside my state, you know. So there was the we it wasn't an immediately jumping into a physical proximity, somebody filling my space, you know, with oh, I need a warm body. I need I can't be alone or something like that. No, I was very much alone. Um, and uh, but I had this friend. And so I was glad to have those kind of conversations and connection without uh there being any anything else, you know. Uh it wasn't even a question.

SPEAKER_03 22:35

So and then and the the all of the the conversations as they began to build build is the operative word because God was building something.

SPEAKER_05 22:44

Yeah, something was being able to do that.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

And uh Rhonda and I uh we we're celebrating this year our tenth wedding anniversary.

SPEAKER_05 22:52

I think it was eight when we met, yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

But we frequently say, Wow, didn't God protect us from even because we met each other several years before we became a couple, and that we didn't rush. I mean, we would have just messed it up, we weren't ready, things needed to be built, and I I just kind of get that image as the the conversations j began to expand. God was building. That's really cool. I love that.

SPEAKER_04 23:22

I do too.

SPEAKER_12 23:24

Well, we gotta know. I mean, at what point did the the the corner get turned? And 15-minute conversations went a little longer, outstanding.

SPEAKER_05 23:34

We did two 15-minute phone calls, and then I didn't we and then we were able to talk a little bit more. We texted a little bit in between that too, but then we started having a little bit longer conversations. I remember one, I remember uh you know, being outside and laying in the grass and I sent you a picture, and that was my first time. I thought, oh, I can't believe I sent him a picture. Like, oh she's crushing. I love it.

SPEAKER_12 24:00

Okay, so where was the first date?

SPEAKER_05 24:02

So I I actually flew up to Nashville um like four months or so after we started to um even communicate even a little bit.

SPEAKER_08 24:09

It wasn't like Yeah, we were having a lot of c a lot of conversations. We had not met in person.

SPEAKER_05 24:12

We hadn't hadn't met in person, but we were pretty sure we would get along, but we was like, well, we kind of need to cross that off the list, you know, like in the same state.

SPEAKER_12 24:20

I'm a real person. Crazy things and boys and girls know.

SPEAKER_05 24:26

So yeah, so I came up and um and he paid for me to stay in a hotel in town, and but I paid for the plane ticket, so we kind of did it half and half, you know, kind of thing. There you go. And we dated for three days, you know, for the weekend. So he took me axe throwing and took me all around Franklin and Leapers Fork, and we had it we had a phenomenal weekend. It was really great. And we were we decided we liked each other's company.

SPEAKER_08 24:48

Yes. I'd already decided that. I think that's good. Um yeah, back to the earlier episode, part one, when I was talking about just God's redemptive thing. And I had been on the dating apps and had had really grown cynical. And you know, just with what's out there, it's it's it's crazy the wild, wild west, and there's so much uh almost a militant feminism um there, independent. So even if somebody was naming the name Jesus, you didn't really know what that meant. Sure. And so and I think I got to the place where okay, if they love Jesus and they really have a theology where it needs to be, maybe I just gotta be okay with not being physically attracted. You know, it's just it's like that's kind of what my flesh was saying that there's got to be a trade-off somewhere. Um but again, in the goodness of God to have really the whole package, beautiful inside, beautiful, uh, and the theology theology, not just I mean, she she had been in R. C. Sprill's church, you know, learning, you know, she became a sponge reading systematic theology. And so we're having a lot of these conversations. So it's like, you know, is this AI, right? Is this something? Yeah, somebody been like, I just downloaded this thing on my computer, this AI that like just monitors what you're doing, and then it's like feed. I was like, is that what was going on? Right. Build a wife. But the takeaway. I didn't hear it. I said build a wife. I'm gonna get that domain.

SPEAKER_12 26:28

I'm gonna have to find the on-rand back on the conversation.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Well, that is cool. Now, now, Shelley, I would like to ask, talk to us about something that Trey mentioned in part one of our interview. And it was this phrase that it's just even the the phrase carries so much weight, but it's a it there's a there's something that God is saying to the two of you and saying through the two of you to all of us. And it's this phrase, stewarding your scars. And I I recently read, Rhonda and I both read a post that you did where I I mean multiple paragraph post just sort of revealing your heart or what God is speaking to you through that.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

Can you take a few minutes and tell us how that came about and what God is saying to you about that?

SPEAKER_05 27:23

Yeah, very happy to. Well, so Trey, I mean, way back, I mean, I don't remember when exactly it was, but a way way back a number of times. But I remember the first time he mentioned to me something about being a good steward of your scars. So I mentioned already about you know, there's a lot of trauma going on in my life and a lot of crazy things, um, hard things, painful things, lots of tears. He heard me crying on the phone many times. Well, uh and he so he would bring this up uh occasionally and it stuck with me because it there's obviously there's a little alliteration to part to it, and just it was kind of catchy, but what does that really mean? And I understand I've got scars. Um, I want to understand a little bit better about what what what's our responsibility with that? Like there is a responsibility, yeah, all that. And so I've just been pondering it. It's been just in my mind, um, you know, kind of thinking about it. And I write a little bit here and there from my journal. I call it my journal thoughts, and so I I do a an Instagram handle with just it's like a faceless thing where I just write things here and there and all that. And so I keep a journal, I keep working on those kinds of things. And so this is just something that's come up a number of times. And so I finally came back to it and and um you know kind of decided, I think I'm gonna put this out there. And but it's a it's a refrain in our relationship that we we literally talk about. Um so I remember uh our first uh Christmas together, I gave him a kitsugi plate because he had been talking about kinsugi. And uh so kintsugi is a Japanese art form where the broken it the the the uh is always pottery or ceramic or whatever.

SPEAKER_08 29:04

I guess pottery, mostly, but maybe some other things, but that's all I know it is.

SPEAKER_05 29:08

It's broken, but it's put back together with gold. And so the whole idea is actually this bringing things back together stronger, more beautiful than what they were before. And and so it's really something we have talked about. So the reason I gave him that as a gift is because he'd been talking about it with me during that year. So this is something amazing gift. This is something we talk about, and because we have those and and uh and they really do hurt. And I'd mentioned already about my you know my father five years ago. And so I still am processing some of the things that have happened, and and um time does not heal, but you know, we we we know that we s we sometimes say that with without thinking, but time doesn't heal, but we can heal. And in I think you said earlier uh, you know, something about uh you know, the podcast in general, you're talking about, you know, it's small or numbers or something like that. But in God's hands, it's the right people, it's it's the right numbers, all of those things. It it's the big thing that it is, and it's not about the big in our minds. And so in God's economy, as Trey will often say that, um, you know, what he does with our trauma is purely a miracle. It's it's what he does, and this is all his story. This is not Shelley's story. Um Shelley's story is a little piece of of God's story, you know. And so when we steward that well, it's because we are um being reminded and actually becoming a conduit for what God's doing.

SPEAKER_03 30:46

Oh dude. Isn't that amazing? Yes, and I'm I'm picturing I had heard about this pottery, but what a what a tremendous I had to pick up a pull up a picture.

SPEAKER_08 30:56

I think I still have one on there. Yeah, yeah. It's in a prominent place in our Tennessee and come see us. I mean, you know, more on that later. I heard, yeah. Oh, you know.

SPEAKER_12 31:11

Well, have you guys um so as you've like entered into this new, I don't know, just embracing what this means. And I think fully starting to, you know, because Richard sent me that post as well. And there's there's just I mean, so there's a that is a book, by the way. I mean, I was like, that's a chapter. Yeah, that's a chapter, that's a set of chapters right there. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, there's even in that post, there's so much to really kind of reflect upon. And I and I'm just curious, if have you guys had the opportunity to to I'm not talking about a book, but just encounter other couples or or family members or individuals to be able to, you know, engage in this conversation of stewarding scars. I mean, I think there's absolutely I mean, I'm not a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I mean the Lord's working through that, you know what I'm saying? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:05

Well, I'd love to see what happens, but um, I think we're in a big pivot, uh, to be honest, uh, Trey and I. So I think that there's some new things coming up for me. I'm a health coach, and so you you heard a little bit about the you know the spiritual thing, but also sort of in the physical. And so actually that's a passion of mine is um to bring glory to the Lord through how we steward our our our bodies, how we how we handle our physical life in general. And so I'm writing something actually about that, so it does sort of start to start to intersect a little bit. So we'll see what happens. But my um passion is along those lines and all of those encompasses all those things, and I really want to bring that resource to like at least our church soon. And I've already made making some contacts about that. So that's so to if that answers your question. So there's I think things are thinking.

SPEAKER_08 32:59

She's gifted with um the body wants to heal itself, and just she's taught me so much about how we were designed and how we were created, and how so much of how our food and all the things that go against that, and even she's big with the circadian rhythm and light, and you know how by the light, you know, being up late at night, and how it impacts sleep and digestion and all the other the other things. So I haven't quite got out in the sun with her in the mornings, but um staring at the sun in the morning. But I but I'm I've done it a few times.

SPEAKER_12 33:39

She was grounding. She was grounding. She was off. Yeah, a hundred percent touched. No, I love that. And I'm listening I'm not deep into that journey. I want to be the season of life with three kids, five and under, you know. But but how do you establish a healthy rhythm? Not just with what we eat, not just with how we work out, not just with the water that we consume, the hours of sleep that we're getting. It's it's a lifestyle approach to health. And as I'm having these conversations, and I don't have them nearly as much, and I haven't implemented really hardly anything, you'll be very upset with me, Shelley. But I have had the thought where, man, there is so much spiritual truth that runs parallel with this. 100% because you know, it's not just about a quiet time, it's not just about going to church, it's not just about being faithful and disciplined to have a community of people that you open, you know, that you confess that you live life with, and you know, it's about a lifestyle approach to our walk with the Lord.

SPEAKER_05 34:49

Well, we can you know we can glorify the Lord in all of those things and not working against his actual design of our bodies. Like, do you see? So in the natural world or the healthy, you know, wellness space, there's a lot of woo-woo, um, a lot of new age stuff that's just been hijacked. And honestly, you can uh you can get lost in that stuff. And so, okay, I'd love to say, okay, here's some actual scientific data around these things, and actually here's what God's word says about it too. And so here we can actually intersect those two worlds and say, uh, you know, if you're if you're spiritual and you're a Christian and you're trying to live your life in a in a oriented way that says that you know, God has a good design and our body, like you said, wants to heal and it's designed for thriving and all these things. And how do we do that in our modern lifestyle and all that kind of stuff? And that God's word has a lot to say is still relevant today. We can do that and still be actually in sync with science, like true science. Right, you know, and so they don't have to be mutually exclusive. And so, but in the in the wellness space, you have a lot of this new age stuff that people just think, oh, oh, that maybe even the circadian piece or something like that sounds a little like I don't know.

SPEAKER_08 36:12

Or or even the mindset in the church often that well, it doesn't matter, we're going to heaven, we're losing these bodies anyway. That's right. You know, so why why do we but to be able to be a steward of our health and and because you know God has, you know, obviously we're all in God's hands, but uh tell a little bit about your journey um and how you got on this with your thyroid and having six c-sections and all that.

SPEAKER_05 36:34

I had six C-sections, and it was my sixth C-section that um I had a a pretty severe um could have died, you know. Like I had four transfusions, four blood transfusions just to bring me back up to life kind of thing. And an internal bleed, right? Internal bleed that they didn't catch. And anyway, big uh big deal, but um it sent me into just a my body just was like woo woo, you know, it was um I I my thyroid, you know, just swelled up and I started having all these different problems. During that same period of time, we didn't have health insurance. Uh there was uh bankruptcy and different things happening in the financial realm. And uh so baby and moving, um all the things. So so much stress and then no insurance. So I was like, well, um, I don't know what to do, but I started doing this. Well the doctor said you need to take out your thyroid. So yeah, so I started researching, but then yeah, we my father paid for me to go to an internist and he said, Well, you let's check it for cancer, and it wasn't cancerous. Okay, we'll just have it taken out. People live without their thyroid, no big deal. But I'm thinking it's an organ, you know. I I don't know that that's really if it's not cancer, whatever, even if it was can't, I'm not sure what I would have done. But point is that it sent me on the the research, you know, um, looking into okay, so what maybe my thyroid is trying to, you know, it's needs something or whatever. So on the other side of that, it's been all these years, it's been 16 years now, but um fully healed that and learned that gosh, your body wants to heal. And all of these things that we're we're we kind of want to suppress, we want to blunt signals and things like that. But those are actually our body is very intelligently communicating with us. Why? Because we have a very intelligent creator who at the cellular level is giving us all kinds of stuff that we ignore, and so maybe we can bring a little more uh you know conversation around that and learn and uh and actually support our bodies the way that God made them.

SPEAKER_03 38:38

Golly, that's good. Well, I want to ask uh if our listeners, some of our listeners might want to connect with you guys or follow what you're doing, uh what how could they how could our listeners find you guys?

SPEAKER_08 38:55

Well, I'll I'll give that for both of us. So on for Shelly, because I'm I'm sure with what she just went into, there may be especially hormonal balance, and she does works with a lot of women, you know, that are being told all kinds of things, you know, that are in midlife and hormones are out of balance. And um, but Shelly Christancoaching.com um is her um her website. And um, and anything else you want to say about that and how to get in touch with or Shelly at Shelly Christian Shelly Christin. I'm a chameleon and a comedian, and I can't say Christian or Kristen. Shelley Christan, K-R-I-S-T-E-N coaching.com, and and then Shelly at Shelly Christon Coaching.com. I'm at uh Trey Lovern.com is where I still do some coaching. I'm actually I've got a um uh growth agency that I have a partner in now Knoxville. We do a lot of um website design, logo design, just helping companies grow, finding out what's in impeding their growth and and helping them um, you know, whether it be capital infusion or talent infusion or just need everything to look better and messaging. So but yeah, still love working with men and kind of I'm gonna be hopefully here this year uh launching a new podcast. Uh, still have a passion helping men uh find their heart. Um, but ultimately uh men, I think we've got a a um a crisis in our culture of uninitiated men. And I think um that recovery journey becomes an initiation for a lot for a lot of us, and even finding out that what was leading to a lot of the unhealthiness was you know not knowing who we are because we never have been properly initiated. And so I have a podcast that I'll be launching called uh Savage Saint, um talking um about the the Savage and the Saint part.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

Hey, did you pick out a logo yet? Because I remember you I was one of several people you're kind of getting up.

SPEAKER_08 40:55

A long time ago, because that was fun, and it was just one of those things with getting married and all the other things going on. It just because when I launched something, I do a deep dive and I knew I'm still got a new company and you know, got to get that guy off the ground before I I start doing um the podcast. But really excited about that. And oh, that is cool.

SPEAKER_03 41:14

Well, when that when that stuff is up and running, please let us know because we want to we want to champion you and and get the word out. But the things that you just mentioned, the websites and the and the connecting points, we'll have that in the show notes of of these episodes so you guys can so you guys can uh connect with our listeners perhaps too. Well, we can't thank you guys enough for this time that you've invested. You've been so generous with your stories. Thank you all so Brad, do you have any thoughts before we wrap up?

SPEAKER_12 41:46

Man, I yeah, my heart is full. I'm very grateful. Um Trey, I know I shared about it a little bit in the in the first part, but um just God's faithfulness that's kind of come from not kind of that has come from your story that has um penetrated Richard's heart and that Richard has brought towards Columbus. Um I'm just eternally grateful. I truly am, brother. And uh and I rejoice for God's goodness. I rejoice about God's goodness um that has that has flowed through you. And uh and Shelly, I just it's such an honor to get to meet you. And uh I'm so I'm very grateful that you guys decided to to stay way later on the day that we're recording this, this Sunday afternoon, uh, before heading home. So yeah, um Grace waste nothing, right?

SPEAKER_03 42:34

Oh, Grace waste nothing. Man, well said now, Shelly, we can't let you go without putting you through the no-huddle rapid fire questions. She's already been overthinking. Okay. So uh here you go. Are you ready? Well, it doesn't matter if you're ready or not, it's happening.

unknown 42:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:52

The clock is ticking.

SPEAKER_03 42:54

I retract the question. Here we go. Shelley Lovern, what is the worst job you've ever held?

SPEAKER_05 43:02

Okay, so um I think that when when you say worst job, like maybe the hardest or maybe messiest.

SPEAKER_03 43:08

Gnarly hard, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:10

I would say parenting is probably the girl.

SPEAKER_12 43:16

Oh, I've ever had in the whole history. I love my kids.

SPEAKER_05 43:24

It's messy.

SPEAKER_12 43:27

And we're potty journeying my boy right now. Whoa! When you say messy, pray for your boy.

SPEAKER_03 43:34

Okay, great, great answer. Now we're gonna mix things up just a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 43:37

Okay. Um I forgot the questions anyway.

SPEAKER_03 43:40

Oh, good. I'm glad. I'm glad there's a lot of overlap, but a couple of a couple of curves we'll throw. Or listen, so um, is there a worship song that is like would be a favorite or super resonant with you right now?

SPEAKER_05 43:55

I can the title Tasha Leighton's song um that we talked about. I mean having having a lot of things.

SPEAKER_08 44:03

Look what you've done. Look yes, that's what it was.

SPEAKER_05 44:06

Look what you've done. That's and I was a great idea.

SPEAKER_08 44:08

And I didn't realize. Can I tell a little bit?

SPEAKER_05 44:10

Yeah, you can tell the story.

SPEAKER_08 44:18

And I've been listening to that song. They've been ministering to me. Look what you've done. And um and I didn't realize when I and it came up who sang it, because I didn't know who sang it. And I was like, Tasha. Um that's my friend Keith's wife. They stayed with us at our house in Birmingham. What? Like what years ago when they were coming through Birmingham. And I knew she was a singer. She was a backup singer for Britney Spears for a while, and now she's doing the song. And I texted my friend Keith. I said, Tell your wife your song that her song has been ministering to me. He said, Dude, I wrote it. Um he wrote it out of his own, you know, broken story. So anyway, it's neat. But yes, that's great.

SPEAKER_03 44:58

Oh, thank you. I'm listening on the way home. Yeah, we're gonna plug that one in.

SPEAKER_12 45:02

Yeah, that was like a that was like a referee timeout. That was a that was a booth review right here in the no huddle. I love it. I love it. Sorry, I didn't ask for the rules of it. It's all good.

SPEAKER_13 45:13

It's all good.

SPEAKER_03 45:14

All right, so uh the world needs to know cat person or dog apperson.

SPEAKER_12 45:19

Ooh, I mean the the assertiveness of that, I mean bound for freaking up right in.

SPEAKER_07 45:26

We we do not have a cat in our house.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

No hesitation whatsoever. Okay, so this is a a Bible character related question. And as we told your husband last week, the only rule is you can't answer this question by saying Jesus, or by you can't choose Jesus in this particular he can choose you.

SPEAKER_13 45:55

Well played.

SPEAKER_03 45:58

All right, so what what's a Bible character that is that you feel most connected to or whoa that's cool? I feel you. Yeah, that's awesome. And the and the even the story, I love that. I do too. That story, but y'all's story.

SPEAKER_04 46:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 46:19

Whoa. So cool.

SPEAKER_04 46:21

My my boaz right here.

SPEAKER_07 46:23

Oh she was gleaning in the field.

SPEAKER_06 46:30

Grounding, grounding on my feet. Grounding at my feet. That was that original picture. She was laying at my feet.

SPEAKER_12 46:43

My favorite Ruth Joke is like she's always looking for, you know, somebody with some stability and some money, you know. She holds a bow and is not a broken end.

SPEAKER_08 47:10

The listeners have said they've gone off the reservation, they've broken all the rules. Leave it to the lovers. We gotta, we gotta we gotta live up to our reputation, right?

SPEAKER_03 47:22

Excellent, excellent. Okay, so I am gonna ask you if uh if you could choose a superpower, like a comic book character or um a superhero movie, what would what superpower would you choose?

SPEAKER_05 47:35

Oh, okay. See, I forgot that one. Um I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 47:38

I can make it easier.

SPEAKER_05 47:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 47:39

If you could he didn't make it easier for me. Well, but he's being nice. You're darn right, buddy. Uh no, I uh would it be uh would you want to be able to fly or be invisible?

SPEAKER_05 47:53

Be invisible.

SPEAKER_09 47:55

Invisibility. There you go.

SPEAKER_05 47:57

But that's not a good thing. I don't know. I don't know if that's a superpower. That's that's like what I want because I don't want to disappear.

SPEAKER_03 48:05

Yeah, I know. I I I understand that. I understand. Okay, final question in no huddle. If you could imagine your children at some point in their lives uh being interviewed, and somebody asked them to tell us about your mom, what would be something you would hope that they would say?

SPEAKER_05 48:31

And I think they would say that.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

I mean what that says it all. Thank you for sharing that. And thank you for your answers. That was fun. I had a lot of fun with the no-huddle there. Two touchdowns of course, right? There you go. Back to back week. Well, we do appreciate again you guys being here, having this time with us, and sharing your hearts with us. Our listeners are gonna be blessed by this. Thank y'all for having us. Brad, what a gift that conversation was. Am I right? And uh again, like you said, we didn't know nobody no nobody had any idea what what was gonna be going on in the storm and uh that Trey and Shelly were going through when we sat down and recorded that, but God put it together. That's right. And so we would like to close this really special episode and a special conversation with uh with something that Brad wants to do. Unfortunately. But as we roll into that, I'd like to delete us all in bread. We're just gonna need your help. Lord, our hearts are heavy. For our friend, for training, and for their family. God, we we are asking you, we're we're binding together all our faith, all our listeners, everyone listening to this, we're just lifting up this request to you. And we're saying, please God, please, God, intervene. God, we're asking for miracles in Shelly's life. We're praying for strength that you would carry her through, and Trey as well, and all the family members. Lord, there's so much we don't know right now. But here's what we do know. We know that no one loves Shelly more more than you do. So we're asking. In your great love, just make sure she never doubts that for a second. And please, God, make sure that she always senses your presence with her and that you are carrying her. And we ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_11 51:50

Look what you've done. How could you fall so full? You should be ashamed of yourself. So I was ashamed of myself. The lies I believe.

SPEAKER_09 52:08

They got some roots. I let 'em take a hold of mine, I let 'em take control of mine.

SPEAKER_10 52:20

Standing in your presence, Lord, I can feel you digging all the roots up. I feel you healing all my wounds up. All I can say is hallelujah. Look what you've done. Look what you've done in me. You spoke your truth into the lies I let my heart believe. Look at me now. Look how you've made me new. But look what you've done. Suddenly all the shame is gone. I thought I was too broken now I see. You were breaking new ground in me. And in your presence, Lord, I can be digging on the roots up. All I can say is Hallelujah. Look what you've done. Look what you've done in me. You spoke your truth into the lies I let my heart believe. Look at me now. Look how you've made me knew. The enemy did everything that he could do. Look what you've done. Look what you've done in me. You spoke your truth, and true the lies I let my heart believe. Look at me now. Look how you've made me new. The enemy did everything that he could do. The enemy did everything that he could do. The enemy did everything that he could do. Oh, but look what you've done.