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GraceFilled Community
The GraceFilled Community Podcast is a place where faith, connection, and community come together. We explore meaningful conversations with guests who share their unique insights, experiences, and stories to inspire and empower others. Each episode offers listeners practical wisdom for living out their faith, creating belonging, and building community. Whether you're looking for spiritual growth or ways to connect deeper with those around you, the GraceFilled Community Podcast provides valuable content that enriches both your personal and spiritual journey.
GraceFilled Community
From Trauma to Transformation: Dr. Linda Jones’ H.E.R.S. Healing Framework
What happens when God asks you to be the answer?
In this powerful episode, Dr. Linda Jones shares the defining moment that launched her ministry—standing in her backyard, frustrated by women who couldn’t seem to hold on to their spiritual healing. God’s response? “So what are YOU going to do about it?” That divine question became the foundation of her life’s work.
Dr. Jones opens up with rare authenticity about her journey through personal trauma—including domestic abuse and the heartbreaking loss of four pregnancies—and how those painful experiences became the soil for her calling. She challenges the “just pray it away” mindset that often oversimplifies healing in faith communities, and instead introduces a holistic framework she developed called H.E.R.S.: Healing, Equipping, and Restoring to Serve.
💡 In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How unhealed trauma often shows up as anger, reactivity, and emotional shutdown
- Why spiritual healing must be paired with practical tools like journaling, counseling, and community
- The myth of being “fully healed” before you can serve others
- How to move from emotional survival to divine purpose
- The power of leading while bleeding—and why your story matters now
✨ Whether you’re navigating deep pain or supporting others on their healing journey, this conversation offers encouragement, wisdom, and tangible steps toward transformation.
👉 Ready to heal, grow, and serve from a place of wholeness? Tune in and learn how your greatest wounds might hold the keys to your most powerful ministry.
🔗 Connect with Dr. Linda Jones
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorlindapjones/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lindap_jones
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-p-jones-ministries/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lpjministries/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_EQ72np32CrtxgJY_-GE5w
Mail: linda@lindapjones.org
Website: lindapjones.org
If you're seeking community, email grow@gracefieldcommunity.com and we would be happy to connect you with trusted community partners near you.
Connect with Us:
Visit our website at www.gracefilledcommunity.com
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Follow us on Instagram @gracefilledcommunity.
My name is Nicole Cater, your host, founder and servant leader of Graceville Community. I want to thank you for tuning in to Graceville Community Podcast. This is a safe space, a place in which we just share stories of how God has touched individuals' lives all across the world and how they are now impacting the kingdom of God. Thank you for tuning in. Blessings to you. Hello Graceville community, I am so excited to say howdy to you once again.
Speaker 1:Today we have an amazing guest and I know you guys are like Nicole. You tell us that every week, but every week it's been good, right? Yes, so I am so excited for today, as always, we're going to have just great conversation, conversation about our goodness of the Lord and also the reality of life. So I welcome you to tune in, listen in view, in from wherever you are. Welcome to Gracefield Community Podcast. So I'm not going to hold us up. As always, I'm going to dive right in. Let me just tell you actually, let me pause. I'm going to let her tell you a little bit about herself. Welcome today, dr Linda Jones.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for inviting me onto the podcast. It's a pleasure. It really is. I always count it an honor to be on anybody's podcast. I think that's an honor given by God. Well, you wanted me to share a little bit about myself briefly? Yes, please, okay. Little bit about myself briefly. Yes, please, okay. I'm Linda P Jones. There's another Linda P Jones, but I'm Dr Linda P Jones and I'm a transformational leader, mentor, life coach and speaker. I have a doctorate in practical theology from the University of Masters International University of Divinity in Evansville, indiana. I was born in Trinidad, west Indies, and migrated to Canada in my teens and, through a very Cinderella story, I met my husband and relocated to Barbados, west Indies, so back in the Caribbean, but not in my homeland, and I have several citizenships, so I consider myself a global citizen. I have one that I was born in and I have two that I legally have, so I think I have about three citizenships. Yeah, don't tell anybody, but I do. I.
Speaker 1:I'm like I'm sure that's a hot topic nowadays, like I don't let them know.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, actually I'm welcoming, I can go into any of these three countries, including the United States, actually without any problem because of my Canadian citizenship. Yeah, so my motto is empowering women to be hers H-E-R-S Healed, equipped and Restored to Serve. I'm the founder of Linda P Jones Ministries Women of Worth as well as Soul Survivors I spell survivors with the H-E-R-S at the end because that's the framework of the ministry Healed, equipped, restore to Serve, which is an online global academy, biblically based, to mentor women to help them overcome their past, especially those that are eager to move into their God-ordained destiny through biblical equipping courses and coaching. I'm an author of several books I think about 12 or 13 on Amazon and my superpower is biblical teaching and that's my superpower and I do enjoy teaching very, very much.
Speaker 2:My personal mission statement is Luke 4, 18 to 19. I figure you can do better than Jesus, because that was his mission statement and so it's mine to heal the brokenhearted, set captives free, open prison doors. That's basically what my mission statement is and basically that I've served in several capacities and in several different countries. I've spoken viral and I'm on location. I'm married to Oliver Jones for over 35 years Congratulations. Actually, we celebrated our fourth year last year, so I was married when I was about in my teen.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I was a teeny, teeny girl when I was married, when I was about, you know, in my team, sorry, and we have one adult daughter from that um union, yeah, awesome. Well, I mean, like your nutshell, there has a wealth of wisdom right there in it, um, so much that I'm sure of just wisdom right there in it, so much that I'm sure of just testimonies of how God has been with you through all these moves and through life. Right, I mean 40 years of marriage. Right there I'm hearing multiple citizenships. I can imagine what the process was like, for that You're a mom. I mean I can just imagine how much wisdom is flowing from you, and so I'm excited for today's conversation. Being that you are a transformational coach, I would say, right, share with me a defining moment in your life that led you to minister to women and help them heal from trauma, like what brought you into this or gave you this passion for this touch.
Speaker 2:It was a funny, it wasn't? You know? Some people say the Lord told me this and the Lord told me that it was one of those moments I was literally in my back veranda hanging out clothes and though I've been in ministry for many years in my church, when I was going to different the assembly that I came out from, I served at several capacities, several worship leader, intercessor, counselor, sunday school teacher. You know, I did the whole thing, but I was always running into women with a lot of issues and I remember one day hanging out clothes in my back veranda and just really fussing, fussing with God. I well, I was fussing, but I was really fussing with God and I said why all these women? Every time you meet them, they're broken, something is wrong. They come to church, and I was particularly referring to Christians. They come to church, you pour in, they rejoice, they're happy, and next week you meet them they're back to the same place. What you know, and I'm just really having this conversation. So he said, um, it's because they have leaky and the word was leaky leaky souls, because it's like a basket and you keep pouring into and because their souls are broken. Everything just drips right out, you know runs right out. So you're back to where they started.
Speaker 2:So I'm going on and I'm good, be careful when you're having conversations with God. So I am going on and on, like what I'm going to do about it, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. So he said so what are you going to do about it? And I went, oh, okay, like yeah, I want you fussing about it. It's something on your heart, it's something that it's a passion, obviously, and so you already have within you what needs to being about it. It's something on your heart, it's something that it's a passion, obviously, and so you already have within you what needs to be done about this. So, literally I just because I was not as adventurous as I used to be, but I was very adventurous I do crazy things on a whim and let the results fall where they may. So I said, well, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. He said, girl, go right ahead.
Speaker 2:So I started with seven women in my living room At that time it was called Women of Worth and I started with seven women, started to. I called them, I said are you interested? And seven showed up and I started to minister to them and teach. The word showed up. And I started to minister to them and teach the word, and, and that grew and grew until we had a um, a monthly meeting called women of worth, come in my basement. And that grew. And then I went into full-time ministry as a pastor and that grew Right here I am now. He took me out of full-time ministry, within the four walls, and put me on to the online space. It was like dropping me off the cliff into the deep unknown. I'm telling you. So that's how it started and I haven't looked back. Yes, well, I love it.
Speaker 1:I mean, we all have our stories of trauma. I've've done the study I'm not sure if you're familiar with it how we love where they talk about us coming from areas of brokenness, right, because we are broken people and we tend to be raised by broken people, right?
Speaker 1:So whether they're caregivers, whether they're parents there was some form of brokenness that happened in the home, just because we are imperfect people and so when we navigate through life and we take these things and we go into adulthood, there's a high chance that there is some trauma there that needs to be addressed, needs to be healed from, and so I love that you're doing that, especially with women to be addressed, these to be healed from, and so I love that you're doing that, especially with women. So many women struggle with these past hurts, these emotional wounds right, whether they're mother wounds, father wounds, caregiver relationship right Just all the various wounds. What do you suggest is the first step to breaking free and really embracing healing?
Speaker 2:breaking free and really embracing healing. Well, the first step I have found I'm talking from my own experience because I came from a whole lot of brokenness beyond words with an alcoholic father in a. He used to beat my mother up every week. You know a lot of physical and verbal abuse in the house. So I came from tremendous amount of brokenness and I remember when God accosted me and he said you know what it's time to heal? And I thought I remember saying I don't think so, I am not ready to touch this thing, and he said okay, and that was it for another few years I'm ashamed to say how many years until one day I finally said I'm ready, I'm ready. I was so broken and because of my brokenness I was negatively affecting other people that I love and in my inner circle that I realized I had to do something. So the first step I would say is acknowledging that you need help.
Speaker 2:As women, we tend to suppress our pain, believing that we are strong and we are capable and you know. But true healing begins when we allow ourselves to be honest before God and says I need help. And the thing about the Lord is that he always comes and ask a question, like with Adam, adam, where thou? Like, if he didn't know he wasn't asking about a physical location, he was asking about his emotional location. Where are thou, hey God? What in it thee? Well, hello, I'm in the desert here with my son, blind Bartimaeus. What do you want from me?
Speaker 2:So God always asks a question, first because he wants us to come to terms with the fact that there's something wrong. I remember him saying to me one time there will be no closure without exposure, and it is. He wants the honesty. He wants. He's not saying I want you to fix it, he just wants you to say there's a problem and acknowledge it. And he said well, now we can work together because we acknowledge in this you can't have someone who refuses to say something's wrong. You might see something wrong, but if they don't think anything's wrong, well, you can help them.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I think one of the things that I've seen over my time of doing the same and just serving individuals that are healing from trauma is that if they're not at a state where they've acknowledged the trauma, you tend to blame or think something's wrong with everyone else around you.
Speaker 1:Right, and so it's almost like the thing that you know, we think we should be obvious, of like, hey, if everyone else around you is having a struggle with you, you may be the common denominator, but often, when you're in that trauma, you don't see it that way, because we know that there's various attachment styles You're, you know, running into, avoid it. Or you, when things get hard, when there's conflict, you may avoid or pull back or cut, even cut off relationships, so you have no long-term relationships. I mean, there's various signs that we know can lead someone to recognize that, hey, I have some unhealed spaces and trauma. And so I want to ask what are some of the signs that you've seen over time that are clues that, hey, you need to sit with the Lord, let's embrace some of this trauma so you can heal from?
Speaker 2:Well, I always have to go back to myself because I am my own. I am my own example. Yes, because I am my own. Um, I am my own example. Yes, I am my own avatar. Um, it was anger. I would be enraged at the smallest things. And this slight trigger and I will go off, you know, like a hot balloon, you know, and um, not rising slowly, like a one that you pop and you go all over the place, right? Um, so anger was one of the always blaming. It was always somebody else's fault, it's. You know, you never take responsibility for anything. Um, unforgiveness is a biggie, right, you have in this anger and unforgiveness towards an individual and sometimes the person, like I said. But the trigger, especially, is not even the person. The person might look like somebody that did something to you, or some association, you mean, and then you, you, you just totally off the totally off your handle. You just have no control whatsoever. So those, to me, were some of the signs yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:One thing that I've studied over time is even the implicit memories. Right like you can sometimes respond to someone from a memory that you don't even consciously recognize, exactly like our god has designed our body, our emotions. I mean he created emotions right and so he has designed them in a magnificent way that the body naturally responds almost in what we know to be like. What is it? Um, flight or fight, right, like don't fight, yeah. And so our body will naturally respond, and often to circumstances that have happened that we may have consciously removed from our memory because of the trauma, or even times that were in early childhood, where we don't have vivid memories of. But our body, our mental, knows to respond in this way, and so those my husband likes to call it activating, because he's like trigger is triggering me. Using the word trigger he likes to say I'm being activated.
Speaker 2:Like someone said, the issues are in the tissues.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. I love that. So so, so true, but that was one of the things that I would say, even in healing from my own trauma. It was definitely anger. There, Anger and unforgiveness were the primary two. Anger is a secondary emotion and for our listeners, when I say secondary emotion, meaning that there's another emotion that lent into anger, like either there was sadness or there was disappointment or there was something there that lent into anger coming out.
Speaker 1:And so when I look at that, even for myself, it was anger at my circumstance of forgiveness, and much of it was. I was angry with God. I carried on forgiveness of not understanding why did he allow you know, my daughter to leave this earth, why did he allow me to go through these circumstances while I'm in ministry, while I'm serving him? And angry, feeling like I was, I almost think back to Adam and Eve, feeling like the Lord was withholding something from me, right. And so when I think of that, one of the questions I would ask you is like what are some of the biggest roadblocks that hold women back from stepping into their God-given calling?
Speaker 2:I would say fear. Fear is always paramount. Fear in all of its glory, if you could put it that way, fear of stepping out, fear of judgment, fear of failure. And for me it was insecurity, just totally lack of sense of self-worth. I was in my eyes, I was nobody, because I was told in so many ways maybe not directly that I wasn't worth anything. So one of the biggest roadblocks, besides fear, is that sense of low self-esteem, not having any sense that you're worthy of anything. God can't use you, that you're worthy of anything God can't use you. You're not worth, you don't have a contribution to make to life. What could you tell? What could you do? You're nobody. So I would say those are some of the major roadblocks Unhealed well, we're talking about unhealed trauma. So if it's not healed, you only spew out more of what you are. So I would say fear and low self-esteem, insecurities, fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection big big one, fear of rejection.
Speaker 1:Rejection, big big one, fear of rejection? Yes, absolutely, wow, Okay. So you know, even when you talk about that, I think about Philippians three, and I want to encourage our listeners. I always tell them like y'all, I will quote these scriptures. I'm like where exactly is it but Philippians?
Speaker 1:three okay, towards the end of the chapter, y'all, I will post it in the show notes, but I'm going to give you an overview of Philippians three. It talks about not having confidence in the flesh right. Confidence is in the spiritual things. Paul goes into discussing how he had all he carried some of the fleshy aspects right. He came from a family that followed the law right, so he was considered circumcision on the eighth day, meaning that they followed the law, they followed the practices. He came from a family that had the financial status right, so he talks about in his example leaving that behind, even though he could have taken that with him. But we also know that Saul was a Saul before Paul, so he was also one that persecuted Christians. And so when I think about like all that he did and having to leave that, I imagine it was a daily choice to pick up the mind of Christ.
Speaker 1:To verse 14,. It actually is to press forward towards the mark of the high quality which the NIV would say. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me. Heavenward in Christ Jesus. And so, as you were saying that, I just immediately thought of how many times, even for myself. I have to pass. I have to cast down the past actions, cast down the things that the times that I was rejected in the past, cast down all the insecurities and say I'm pressing forward towards the mark that he called of me Right, even in this podcast.
Speaker 1:This is pressing forward towards the mark that he called Cause there are things that I mean when you put yourself in, like you said, our line is a different beast, right. So when you put yourself in that component, it's really not sitting in the confidence of the flesh, but sitting in the confidence of the Lord. And so what are some of the things that you would recommend someone does to overcome that fear or those things that are holding them back from really walking in the God-given calling and the purpose of why they're, you know, even present?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, the first thing you talk about cast down and the scripture. Know we? I always say, if God's word doesn't have the principle, the strategy or the example or whatever, then I really don't have a basis for saying anything. So the word of God is transformational. You know Hebrews 4, I think 16 says it's powerful, it's sharper than any two-edged sword and it pierces in and divides bone and marrow. So it goes physically, it goes emotionally, it goes mentally. The word of God is that powerful sword that has the power and the ability to change mindsets, to heal in every dimension of our lives. So I would say get rooted in God's word, renew your mind with scripture. There's up to two days ago I was listening to a coach and she said it takes 21 days to change a habit, 21 days to change a mindset. One day is to change our mindset. So make it a daily habit to meditate on God's promises, because his words will anchor your identity, one of the things I used to do. I have tons of them, three by five cards, and I will literally write out scriptures about my identity or whatever issue I was going through, and a lot of it had to do with my identity. So who I am in Christ, and on and on, and I just read them, read them, read them so that would be one of the practical steps and surround yourself with the right people. Healing and growth happens in the right environment, in a community of faithful women who will uplift and not only hold you accountable but challenge you in your and taking small.
Speaker 2:I believe you cannot do this. This is not a one-man show. Yes, you get into the wood, but you really need the right people around you and taking small steps of obedience, whether it's journaling, praying intentionally or you know. Journaling was big for me, really, really big, and I still have journals from back in 1990 something you know, so that's a long time where I just used it to connect with God, to pour out my feelings, to say this and say that you know, a lot of it sounded like the book of Jeremiah, but it you know, but nevertheless, it was the way I healed.
Speaker 2:This was the way I made steps forward and also being able to um get coaching and counseling. Let me take out the coaching, counseling um from a good mental health provider, coach or something like that. Yeah, I need, I. I have one up to this day and that's a long time ago he started with me and my dream. My daughter is now 13, my daughter is 32 and he's been a friend of ours for the before she was born. So he's been my, and every so often I go for a little refresher.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely Absolutely. I tell people now I'm like, listen, I keep counselors aren't standby, like my therapist aren't standby. Sometimes I go and I'm like I don't have a big thing that I'm here for. I'm here for my mental health, I'm here to have that space to talk through. And often when I sit there I'm like, oh, I do have something, let's work through this, right? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, you have the intentionality to want to care for those things and we are absolutely emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually Like. Those are what create us as a overall, like in this human body being, and so it's important to take care of all aspects. I love even the using the three by five cards. I'm a post-it girl, y'all. So I keep a post-it and a pen, because now if you look at my wall, you'd be like this girl, what is going on here? But, like you said, sometimes it's words that come, sometimes it's even songs that the Lord that's right, it's his scripture, it is definitely y'all. I mean, obviously we're grace-filled community, believe in community. There is power in being around other like-minded individuals that will do exactly what you said, dr Landon just hold you accountable, challenge you, encourage you, even pick up those things that you don't recognize in yourself right and call those that's right call.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, and that was my saving grace, really. Beside my husband, I had a core of women at that time around me who just kept calling out the gold in me and when all I saw was tumbleweeds, they kept calling out the gold and at times I just thought, just stop, I don't want to hear anymore, because I felt like a tumbleweed. But especially my husband. He will keep saying oh, there's a rose coming out of you and I'm and I felt he's getting pricked by the thorns. I could tell you for sure, because there's no rose here. But he kept.
Speaker 2:He kept rehearsing that and rehearsing that to me over the years and eventually I started to receive it and believe it as, as I got more and more healed, one of the things I want to say quickly healing is a journey. It's not a one-time thing, it's not an event. It's a journey of intentional steps towards freedom. And once you're ready and you're saying I had enough of this. You know I've wasted enough of my life mourning and groaning over what was, who did what, who didn't talk to me, who rejected me, who are bad, I had enough and I'm ready to go forward, then this journey is an exciting journey, honestly.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I want to say the journey leads to a peace. When we talk about that, peace that surpasses all understanding with him, like the journey of healing leads to a peace that will surpass all understanding. I think of even how you see others. When you become healed, you're able to lend grace to others. When you become healed, you're able to lend grace to others. You know, our listeners know. If this is your first time listening, I'm going to give it to you my definition and yes, this is Nicole Cater's definition of grace the ability to understand that the reaction you're seeing today is from someone's past experiences, of their yesterday.
Speaker 1:And so not to lean into the reaction you see today, but have the empathy to understand that there was something in their past experience that is causing what you're getting today, and you can love someone in that manner, just as God loves us in that manner. It gives you the ability to be empathetic, to intercede for them, to even have healthy boundaries, but understand that they're maybe not lashing out against you. Maybe that cashier is definitely not angry at you today. She just had a very long day and that's right. It's triggered some things behind her. It gives you the ability to walk with people in love and so when you healed you, that comes out. That's what shows, just like, when you're hurting, when you're sitting with that trauma, that's also what shows. Right, what is it? What's inside of you is what we see outside of you?
Speaker 2:right, that's right, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think about even scripture telling us, like you know, to take our time in the secret place with the lord right is what we see outside of you. That's right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I think about even scripture telling us, like you know, to take our time in the secret place with the Lord, right, and I it's so true, I'm telling you kids will call now those are the people that will call the thing out of you. Okay, for real, yes, and so sitting here with my three teenagers, it's so funny. There are times where you know life is going and I'm like I didn't get up and do that worship time or I didn't get up and go into that secret place and so we'll get ready to go. Most days is, if that happens, it's a day that we have to be someplace early and I got up late and we're just going. So I remember one time we're like in the car and I'm just fussing like y'all. I'm just telling myself I was fussing, nothing seemed to be going right that morning. I'm like you forgot this. Where is this? I'm frustrated. And they just so gently said did you have time in the secret place today?
Speaker 2:and I was like, oh yeah yeah, yeah, something similar happened with my daughter. I remember she must have been about, I don't know, eight or nine. I also somewhere in there. She was in the couch and I was going through change of life at that time that is an excuse and I was in the kitchen because the the family room and kitchen kind of on t-shirts and she's watching me in the kitchen the family room and kitchen, kind of on teacher. Then she's watching me in the couch and I'm going on and fussing, fussing, fussing, fussing, fussing and she goes mommy, you need more of Jesus, you need more of Jesus in your life.
Speaker 1:I said, yes, I need more of Jesus right now. It's so true Like it's just that's in our home, right With our families and our children. It is a form of community and that community does the greatest thing of reminding you, calling that thing out of you as you can hear, like as our children did, right. Like you mentioned going through the change, I will say our listeners know I am in this perimenopause stage of life, right, and so even in that, I think, recognizing that the body there was a design and as women, our bodies go through change. But when you talk about going back to your first step of just acknowledging even acknowledging sometimes that you have some emotional dysregulations happening, and how do you sit with the Lord in that so that you also are not letting those affect those around you or affect your witness, right, and so even having wisdom in that and being around community of women has drastically helped me in that.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was first of all, I was sitting in space and when I didn't even recognize what was happening and then I was about around women and they were expressing like, oh, this, and you know, night, night sweats and this, and I'm thinking I've been having that, I've been having. Is this what's happening?
Speaker 2:right, exactly, just knowledge is power, though knowledge, yes, you're not going crazy it is.
Speaker 1:It is. So I have to ask when you hear about um others like, or hear about leading while bleeding right, how can women kind of use their personal stories to inspire, uplift others, even while they're still through this journey, walking through this process?
Speaker 2:Hey, let's take a quick break to tell you about Grace Filled Community, to tell you about Grace-Filled Community.
Speaker 1:Grace-filled Community is an organization that focuses on the primary principles of the Church of Acts, centered around building communities that impact the kingdom of God. We do this through three core extensions. One Grace-Filled Church Network, where we empower churches and nonprofits for God's success and growth. We offer tailored growth strategies rooted in biblical principles that will help you expand your reach and impact your communities. Just like the early church, we focus not on attendance and numbers, but on discipleship, providing leadership teachings and trainings to today's ministry leaders.
Speaker 1:Our second extension is Project of the Grace Field, where we provide biblical counseling, mentorship, workshops and events that are dedicated to encouraging individuals to live a life filled with grace and purpose. Encouraging individuals to live a life filled with grace and purpose, rooted in the understanding that all have fallen short and are a working project. Let us help the individuals in your community grow as they walk with God and experience the fullness of his love. Our third extension is Grace-Filled Business. Grace-filled business is here to help small faith-based business owners develop their business in a way that honors God, that brings increase and allows them to pour back into his kingdom through marketplace ministry and financing his kingdom. We do this through our 15 years of experience of virtual administrative work, digital marketing, business development and consulting.
Speaker 2:Welcome back. Wow, I can talk about leading while bleeding. You know, sometimes I thought I had to wait till everything in my life was just proper before I did what I did. You know, I went and I realized that God will bring me to a certain space of certain level of healing and I'll be used, and then he will. Then there'll come a transition point. I need to deal with something and then we can move on. So there's always a place where we are always healing, but you know, we can use it.
Speaker 2:It doesn't take away from our personal stories to inspire and lift others up. So our testimonies often have the very thing that bring healing to others, like we were just talking just now about menopausal. When we start to talk and say, oh so this is what is happening, oh so I'm not going crazy, so I'm all right, even in that space of being able to share your story with someone else, you haven't arrived. Thank god, I'm still in the process. Yes, at least my story is impactful, because when I go back to tell my stories it's like I have.
Speaker 2:My biography is called Soul Survivor and I remember when it first came out, one woman said to me the person on this, the front of this page, the cover of this book, is not the person on the inside of this book and I said, no, she's not. Is not the person on the inside of this book and I said no, she's not. But at that point I had not been fully healed. But my story was impacting women across the world, across the region, and so your story carries power, even when you feel like it is unfinished, sharing what God has already done, even if you're still in the process. Others will see God's face, faithfulness in real time, you know. Then they'll look and you say, well, she doesn't have it all together, but look where she's come from yes so, even if you're still in the process, you, you can still.
Speaker 2:Your story still has impact. It's not about being perfect and polished, it's about being authentic, and women want to see women that are like them. They want to see someone who been through it and could say I've been through it, I had an abortion or I was in an illicit affair, whatever the case may be. That's the problem with our churches. We have learned to be so pious, at least in my time anyway. I don't know what they're doing now you're right, let's.
Speaker 1:I might keep going with it, yep we, we want to.
Speaker 2:We want to do all the glam, we want to have the nails, the tips and the hips. We want to have everything and and look perfect and polished, and inside we are falling apart. Our homes are full and we don't want to say this is what I'm going through, right, so vulnerable. There's a place for vulnerability, and when we do that, we give others permission to do the same. It's not like we sit crying over our soup and it becomes a community of cry babies over the same thing. We are learning and growing and developing out of it, but at the same time, we want to say this is where I have been or this is where I'm at right now. I don't have it all together, but I am aspiring and moving forward. So I think it's important that people be able to share our stories in safe spaces with safe people.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Because someone is waiting on the other side of our story or our testimony that, and it may be the key to their breakthrough Right.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. I mean when I think about, as we talk about the church and how we manage even the broken that step in, like the church is the hospital. Jesus said I came for the sick right. And when I think about how we go into the doctor's office or we go into the hospital like I don't know about you guys, but when I go to the doctor I'm like you about to hear it all. I'm going to tell you everything that's going on, cause I want you to have all the information so that you can help me in this Right. And so when I think about the church being a hospital, a place for the sick to come to, like there we don't need the the pretense, we need to be able to bring it all, just like we should be bringing it all before the lord so that he can walk us through the process of healing in it.
Speaker 1:But when we try to cover the information, we try to make it seem like it's one thing versus another thing, then we can't get the help. I mean, we're talking to women, so I'm going to go with the basic thing. That often is a thing for women is like weight, right, there's so many women that talk about weight when I think about it. You don't go to the doctor and then they say what do you weigh? And you try and tell them you're a hundred pounds less. You know that you're going to step on a scale and you know that the accuracy of your weight can affect how medication is received.
Speaker 1:It can affect even what they may choose to prescribe. It can affect the treatments. It can affect, if you're going to physical therapy, what type of movements they can do, and so, because you're conscious of that, you'll say this is where it is right. They may get the most accurate number to the T I'm 205.67, right. You want the information out there and I believe that's something that we need to do in the months of safe space, which the churches should be, should be safe space, so that we can bring all that and put it before the Lord and be open to receiving the process, the treatment of the healing process in it. So I love how you brought that into play, because that's very important. That's an important space of being able to share your testimony, as it is in the finishing process, because we're going from glory to glory. So until we're in that space, we are still a process ever being worked on.
Speaker 2:And I think it's not only just for that, because when people come into the church and they see us looking like we have it all together and then one day pop goes, the weasel and everything is blown, they are shocked. I thought, well, I thought these women, and so there's a disillusionment that happens with with people, and then they come out and say the people in church are fake, because right, so with not that we go in and we we air all our dirty linen all over the place, but they need to see authenticity from from us in the body of Christ, and also see the power of God that is healing us in the process, in the journey, like you said, going from glory to glory yes, yes, there's this, um, I don't want to call it old school song, because I may say old school because it's from my childhood, but there's this song about you see the glory, but you don't know the story Exactly.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I bring that up so often because even for myself I mean, isaiah and I just celebrated our 20 years of marriage. People see our children and I'm so grateful that I've been blessed, but it took work. Right, it took work. We have a story that led from separation, of coming back together. We have a story of loss. I mean we have. I mean there's multiple traumas in there.
Speaker 1:Like when we look at our timeline which is something I suggest people to do is really pull up a timeline from as long as you can remember, you know, put the the great things up here and the things that you recall that weren't so great, and you see that timeline and you're able to sit with the Lord and see and ask him like where were you in this? And see where he was, take those things before him. But I often tell people like you see, this stage of life which has has not arrived, lord knows each day there is still work to be done has not arrived. But there's so much to this story and if I don't tell you the story, you just think that you get the glory. Yes, I would think we just arrived.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's where journaling comes in. You know, um, I can go back and to any timeline in my life over the last 30 something, plus years, maybe even 40 years, because I have a big box of journals. I don't know what my daughter is going to do with them when I'm gone, but all my stories are in there and that's how I was able to write my, my, my, when God told me to um, put my story on paper and I thought you've got to be joking, you want me to tell this story. And um, I fought almost 10 years over it. That's how bad it was and um so, but my journals were able to help me to go back to, to put the whole story together, because you, sometimes, you, you your memory, you can't always trust it, but once it's written down in black and white, you know that it happened.
Speaker 1:You didn't make it up, yeah, so yeah right, absolutely, um, so as we talk about, I mean, we definitely tapped into some spiritual steps that these women can take when we're going from trauma to healing. Um, what are some? I'm just asked for three practical steps that women can take today and start walking in confidence and healing in their purpose.
Speaker 2:I think I shared those earlier, but I'll give them again because, okay, no, it was a different question, but I think this answer just about suits it as well. Like I said, community, community, community. You can't go wrong with the right set of people around you, because one you're not going to think you're going off your rocker and, um, the scripture talks about he who separates himself. Um, I'll just paraphrase it is did he say it's a fool? But he did say that person wants to do what they, they want to do what's on their own mind and their own agenda, and that's really dangerous. So it's as tough as it could be sometimes, because if you're not, um, an extrovert community could be a little tenuous for you. But at least find people, the right people, around you, even if it's two or three.
Speaker 2:Do not isolate yourself. Do not isolate yourself. It's the worst thing, because your mind and the enemy goes in the mind. It's going around and around and around and before you know it, you could just about lose a sense of perspective so quickly and so easily. Get into God's word yes. If you don't like to read, then do audio. Yes, right, get into the word. There's so many apps and stuff around for the word, in all forms, shapes and fashion and in every, every translation, and you can see if I'm a reader as you can see back here, I'm a reader and I have more. This is just a one 16th or less of the books. I have not counting the hundreds that I have on Kindle.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Hundreds on Kindle. I'm ashamed to say everything. Oh, I want that book. I want that book. Read, build yourself up in the wood. Read other people's story. Who has gone through similar things you're going through? Find that community in the word as well, because that's a kind of a community and a kind of coaching in the word in people's stories. So get together.
Speaker 2:Transformation begins with the renewing of your mind through scripture. So make it a daily habit to meditate on god's words and, you know, take small steps of obedience. You don't have to have it all figured out one step at a time. Yes saying, saying yes to the next step. You might do it perfectly.
Speaker 2:Don't worry about perfect, there's no such thing. It's just keep on putting one step before the other and if you fall back, well, heck, get up, dust yourself off and go again. Because if you've seen a baby, you ever seen a baby fall and said that's it. I'm not going to walk for the rest of my life. I'm going to stay here and bowl and score. Well, they'll be 30 something years old and still sitting there bowling and scoring because I haven't learned to walk. You don't give up when you fall. You get right back up and you try and you try again, and always reach out to community, always reach out and spend and time spent with the lord. I know you asked me for three, but I I cannot underestimate, um over overestimate how important time spent with the Lord.
Speaker 1:Yes, those are some amazing tips. I know that you yes, you gave. I need a conversation. You shared those things with us, but even just breaking them down as such I love the term you've used Just, it's progress over perfection. It's uh, you said, steps of faith, right, steps of obedience. I'm sorry, and so just taking that step of obedience, one step at a time, right, um, I love that because so so many times we can, we could get caught up in the big picture. There's so many little steps that lead to that big picture?
Speaker 1:yes, yeah, yes, well, I sincerely, I'm like, once again, I look at the time and I'm like time flies, but I'm so grateful for you coming on today, lending us your wisdom, your knowledge, your experience. Thank you. I do not take it lightly and I'm so grateful that our listeners could tap into such. Before we go, I just want to ask one more question Is what is your why? What is your why?
Speaker 2:What is? Why do I do what I'm doing? Yes, besides the first, when we opened up, I talk about when I was fussing with the Lord about the women, it went beyond that because I came out of severe brokenness, um, dire brokenness. The story is like a take your breath away kind of story and I didn't have the community and the people who understood. They were of the type that pray it away, just pray to Jesus and everything will be solved. You know, I came out of that kind of old-fashioned Pentecostal go to the altar and pray and everything will be solved. So my husband is beating the crap out of me. Pray and it will be all right, don't leave him, just stay and God will take care of him. You know, my mother is verbally abusing me. Just pray and so.
Speaker 2:So I came out of all of that and didn't have the assistance. Didn't have the support, didn't have the know-how. That's why I turned to books, because nobody was giving me answers and the praying wasn't helping. I'm sorry to say it was helping, but it wasn't going to the deeper issues. There are things that just praying about it will not, I hate. I hope I'm not saying anything that's wrong, but there are things we have to go deeper.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:We have to unearth some stuff. And so I suffered long and really deeply and I thought another woman shouldn't have to go through this. You know Another woman. She needs to have somebody who can say been there, done that, I'll hold your hand, your husband beating the crap out of you and abusing you. I understand you lost four babies. I understand you know and and help to walk with you through it. So I wanted to be that wife for someone else. Because you name it. I've been it.
Speaker 2:I literally have five children, but I only have one that's alive, and four of them were lost in pregnancies and one was ectopic. So I almost died not knowing that it was there and it's just a strange thing that happened. That made me go to the doctor and he found that the pregnancy was in my tube and wouldn't be a matter of hours I would have died, um. So I did have at that time the kind of help I needed. So I wanted to be the hand reaching out. I'm not for everybody, I know that, but for those who are looking for me, who are looking for my story, I wanted to be there for them so that they didn't have to go through what I went through to get the kind of help that I needed to get where I am today.
Speaker 1:Yes, I absolutely love it. I mean, I'm sitting here listening. I'm like you're talking into my why? Like very similar. I grew up in the church and would see things and see like the prayer, seeing the shouting, seeing like one thing happened on Sunday, and then I'm like, by Sunday night I'm seeing something different the week and having experiences, watching people walk through things. I'm like, well, where, where is God in this? Where is God in this?
Speaker 1:And it wasn't that God wasn't present, it wasn't even that he wasn't available or willing to answer prayers. But we have our part. And there was the aspect of having to walk through the process right, taking some of those practical steps, having people around you that's willing to share how they've overcome and the things they overcame. And so when I was able to heal from my grief process and heal from the damage it did to my marriage and heal from all the pain that I had, my first very thought was I don't want someone else to do this alone. That's right, because I think of all the times that I thought that I was crazy. I thought that there was something wrong with me. I thought that like, oh my gosh, who can be angry at God, like all those things, versus being able to openly say, hey, I have some issues and I need some help walking these, walking through these issues right and they wouldn't tell you it's because of sin.
Speaker 2:You know, I remember when I lost my first, I was told that well, you must have seen, you must have done something wrong, oh god yes.
Speaker 1:I almost committed murder, you know right, oh, I'm right there with you. So we actually, I will tell you, my husband and I were told the same thing. We were asked what, who we did, and I said and I, I sat in this place because, having been taught that that works was earned in a sense, right, your righteousness was earned. I sat in a place evaluating and blaming myself for so long and then blaming him, and then we're blaming each other.
Speaker 2:That's right, right, right, and then blaming god, and then blaming the lord.
Speaker 1:I went through the full circle, right, yeah, um, to find to realize that, even when the lord um performed the miracle, performed the healing, and they asked like, asked like, well, what did this man do? What did this man's parents do? What sin did he? Commit Exactly what sin did he commit Nothing, and the Lord said nothing, and so there are some things that come through the trials and tribulations of life because we have an enemy out there that has come to steal, kill and destroy.
Speaker 1:Yes, and so, man, I'm like we could definitely go down a journey with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, there's so so much, so much, yes, so much.
Speaker 1:This has been awesome though. Yes, oh yeah. Well, thank you again. I mean, this has been a true pleasure. Every time we do a podcast, I sit and I say, yes, listeners, this is for you. But Lord knows, I sit and say you know, this is the goodness of God, just encourages me, it strengthens me, and I pray for you, listeners and viewers, that it has inspired you, it has encouraged you as you're sitting and you listen to this podcast and you're saying, hey, I need to connect with somebody that can help me in this phase of life. Dr Linda, please just tell them how they can connect with you, how they can locate you, find you.
Speaker 2:Well, the easiest will be wwwlindapjonesorg. That's my website, and once you get there there's an automatic drop down where I do a monday uh, a weekly monday devotional and if you sign up for that you'll be getting um. I write them myself and um just send them out. And then I have other things going on, like I'm doing a six-month group coaching starting March 13th. But definitely the wwwlindapjonesorg, my website. I have free resources, so once you go to the tab you'll see where the free resources are and downloads. You can have my books, et cetera. My website will be the easiest, or you can email me at linda at lindapjonesorg. Linda at lindapjonesorg.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, listeners, as always, we are going to put the contact information for Dr Linda in your show notes. So, please, if you feel an inspiration to connect with her, if you've been encouraged by today's podcast, if you recognize that you would like someone to walk you through your journey, I encourage you to connect with Dr Linda. As always, Gracefield Community is a resource here for you to help partner you and connect you with others, just like Dr Linda. That will walk you through your journey. If you are in a space, connect you with others, just like Dr Linda that will walk you through your journey. If you are in a space where you need community, trust me when I say you were not meant to do this life alone. Please reach out to us. We would love to connect you with the community in your area, a safe, trusted community that we have partnered together with for you in your area. Dr Linda, thank you once again.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you my pleasure, really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. All right, graceville listeners, until next time. May the Lord be with you. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Graceville Community Podcast. We would like to invite you to visit gracevillecommunitycom.
Speaker 1:Gracefield Community is all about doing church the way Church of Acts did, using five main principles that we see in the book of Acts Sharing resources, as believers pooled their possessions and resources to support those in need, as we see in Acts 2.44. To support those in need, as we see in Acts 2.44. Through hospitality the early Christians practiced hospitality by opening their homes to others, as we see in Acts 2 and 46. By financial aid the church in Antioch sent financial aid to believers in Judea during a time of famine, as described in Acts 11 and 29. Prayer and encouragement they supported each other through prayer and encouragement, as we see in Acts 4 and 24. And finally, spiritual guidance the apostles and elders provided spiritual guidance and teaching to help strengthen and build the community, as we see in Acts 1530. I would like to encourage you. If any of those areas are areas in which you are in need or can contribute, please reach out to Graceville community. We are working together across the world with ministries and individuals alike to help bring back the Church of Acts.
