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The Keeping the Citadel Podcast
The Keeping the Citadel Podcast exists to embolden women to transform their homes and their lives into shining citadels for the glory of Christ and the spread of His Kingdom.
The Keeping the Citadel Podcast
Why Beauty Matters
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Does beauty really matter to Christians? In this episode, Heather sits down with Jordan Sparks of Fruitful & Fearless to explore a biblical theology of beauty and why aesthetics are far more than a matter of personal taste. Together they discuss beauty as an attribute of God, how our homes can reflect His glory, the relationship between beauty and suffering, and how Christians can pursue beauty without falling into materialism or legalism. Join us as we rediscover why beauty isn't just an accessory to the Christian life—it's a powerful witness to the beauty of the coming Kingdom.
Several years ago, we read the book The Green Ember as a Family. And the moment I read this quote, it became forever etched upon my heart. Here we anticipate the mended wood, the great wood healed. Those painters are seeing what is not yet, but what we hope will be. They are really seeing, but it's a different kind of sight. They anticipate the mended wood. In the story, the characters are facing devastating loss and brokenness. Their beloved home has been destroyed and is now only a shadow of what it once was. And their hope of restoration is a king that has not yet come. And yet, despite the ever-looming shadow, they are not defined by their lack, but by the hope that they anticipate. They know that their world is not as it should be. But they are ever clinging to the promise of a restored world called the Mended Wood. When times grow especially bleak, the refrain, It will not be so in the Mended Wood echoes on their lips as a testimony of their faith. The book goes on to explain how the characters live their daily lives in such a way that radiates that hope. The artists, the farmers, the writers, etc., all persevere in their daily work because they know that it is not in vain. They are able to see what the rest of the world cannot see because they know what is coming. These ordinary workers, the artists, farmers, writers, etc., are often referred to as heralds of the mended wood. Though the mended wood has not yet arrived, they are heralding its coming in the way they labor to create beauty and goodness in their everyday lives. They are pointing toward a beauty that can't be seen in its fullness, but they know where it's sourced from. This story has always deeply touched me because of the way it mirrors our own roles as heralds of the Mentedwood. Matthew 28, 18 through 29 gives us our marching orders to go into the world as heralds of the kingdom. It says, And Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. And in 2 Corinthians 4, 16 through 18, we read of how we are given sight to see an eternal glory that far surpasses the suffering here. Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away. Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. As believers, we are to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. We have been given eyes to see an eternal glory that the rest of the world can't see. With these new eyes, we behold him, the source of beauty itself. And in beholding, we become transformed more into his likeness. This process is for the purpose of making us into his heralds. We are to proclaim and display the glory and beauty that we have beheld to a broken world. How do we do this? Through discipleship and a life of ordinary acts of worship. Or in other words, acts of beauty. We do this by proclaiming to a broken world that though we have much reason to fear, much reason to grieve, much reason to weep over homes that have been destroyed, relationships that have been lost, or illness that has knocked at our door, our reason to hope is all the greater because we get to live with the anticipation of a kingdom that is coming. We know that one day the king will return, and all the brokenness of this world will be healed and mended in a way that will satisfy the longing in our hearts more than anything in this world could ever do. More than anything we lack. Sometimes, in the face of suffering, we get so focused on our desire for answers that we forget that we as Christians are part of God's answer and solution to the problem of suffering. God doesn't always give us a why to our suffering, but He does use us to be the light that illuminates the way to the only Savior who can rescue us. Through the work of our hands, we get to reflect the beauty and hope of that world into this one. This is why beauty matters. In this new series, we will be discussing why beauty matters, especially to us as Christian homemakers. And what does it have to do with suffering? Isn't suffering enough of a battle as it is? Why should we bother battling for beauty when faced with the more pressing and immediate issue of suffering? I would like to argue that beauty is the most important thing to battle for in the midst of suffering. And hopefully this episode and this upcoming series will explain just why and how. In a world that is obsessed with productivity, efficiency, minimalism, and ease, beauty either seems like a frivolous luxury for the most privileged of souls, or like a pursuit of shallow, self-obsessed vanity. As Christians, we need to reclaim the meaning of what true beauty actually is and what its purpose is. And as women, we especially need to learn how to think biblically about beauty because one of our biggest roles is to be beauty makers. If we as women aren't getting this right, then we are failing in our duty to rightly represent the beauty of God to a broken world. So, how should the Christian homemaker view these things in light of scripture? And how do we even have the courage to pursue beauty when life feels like more than we can bear? In this new series on beauty, we will be discussing several topics that pertain to the theology of beauty and how to practically apply it to our homes and our lives, especially in the context of suffering. My prayer is that it will encourage you in your battle against darkness by helping you to embrace small acts of bravery that light candles of hope in your citadel. So we're starting this series on beauty, and it ties into our spring issue, which, if you didn't get it, is called the Battle for Beauty. If you'd like to follow along with this series, the print edition of The Battle for Beauty has sold out. However, you can still go and get the digital version at our website, keepingthecitadel.com, and you can um read along with that as you're listening to these episodes. We also have our summer issue on sale right now. So if you've been thinking about picking up a print copy just to try out, or if you miss that issue and you really want to get it, which you should because it's so good, you still can do it right now and use the code SUMERSALE at checkout to get $10 off that issue. Also, we are currently opening subscriptions for our fall issue. So if you'd like to make sure you don't miss out on our upcoming issue and just this entire year's worth of issues that we have coming up, now is the perfect time to subscribe. Subscribers receive each issue delivered right to their door, and we've got amazing plans for this upcoming year. So you guys are not gonna want to miss that. Go, like I said, keepingthecitadel.com and get your subscription today. Finally, if this episode has encouraged you, would you please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review? It truly helps more women to discover the podcast and encourages the work that we're doing here at Keeping the Citadel. You also can send me a message through your podcast player if you have a question or topic that you'd like to ask me about or that you want to see covered in a future episode. So don't hesitate to send those in. All right, with that out of the way, let's step into today's conversation. All right, today I am delighted to introduce you all to Jordan Sparks. Jordan, can you go ahead and introduce yourself to our listeners?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast. I'm very excited to be here today. Yeah, like Heather said, my name is Jordan Sparks, and I live in Southern Illinois. Not to be confused with the plain old Illinois, but we are very specific Southern Illinois. We are very proud of that. Um, and my husband's name is Jared Sparks, and he's a pastor here in Carbondale, and we planted our church uh almost 11 years ago now, and it's been a huge blessing um to be a part of Christchurch Carbondale. And I homeschool four kids. I have Ransom Valor Providence in Oak. And uh we just started an academy at our school. It's like a homeschool supplement program, and I'm very involved in that. And then I also host a podcast called Fruitful and Fearless that started. I don't know. We were talking about that before we started. I'm not exactly sure what year it started, but it's been going quite a while now. I think it was before 2020, so maybe like 2018, 2019, something like that.
SPEAKER_02Wow, that's that's longer than I thought.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's been going for quite a while now, and um yeah, I I am just very thankful to get a to be a part of that and all the things that God has opened the door for in my life. But yeah, that's kind of a brief overview of some of the things I do in my life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, and also Jordan is a writer for Keeping the Citadel.
SPEAKER_00So I am, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Those of you who get the magazine uh have probably seen uh some of Jordan's articles. She's got an article upcoming in our fall issue, which I'm very excited about. And so um, yeah, yeah, she just is a blessing in many, many ways.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_02All right, well, uh today Jordan and I are gonna be talking about beauty, why beauty matters to Christians, but also to homemakers in particular, and um just the theology of beauty and some of some of the pushback that we get in the Christian community when we talk about this subject. And so I'm really excited to talk about this because I think this is really important for us as homemakers to learn how to think about rightly. So um just to start with, Jordan, when we talk about beauty, what do we actually mean from a biblical perspective? And how would you define beauty?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm I'm actually really excited that you asked me to talk about this topic because it's something that I've I've always been a person that is very drawn to aesthetics and it's like the way things look and feel has always been very important to me. Yeah. Um, to a degree that my husband makes fun of me. But like I just I have always very much appreciated a beautiful building or like very much appreciated artwork. Um, even from a really young age, my mom is a tremendous homemaker and always kept our home really beautiful. And I had an art teacher growing up that really cultivated creativity in me and um and just an appreciation for beauty. And so when you asked me to talk about this, I was actually quite excited. Okay because this has always been something that is is really important to me. So, anyways, I was thinking about this. So, beauty, in my opinion, is a quality of being pleasing, excellent, or something that evokes delight, admiration, or awe. So when you look at something, um your mind is perceiving how you feel about it. So um it's creating a feeling within you. And in the scriptures, we have beauty in creation and beauty in things that we are observing, but we also see beauty in things that are not seen. So that's where we get scriptures like charm is deceitful, beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. So there's this internal beauty that we also observe, and there's beauty in holiness. So here's my working definition of beauty. Beauty is the visible or perceivable expression of truth, goodness, and God's order that stirs delight and points us to the creator. So it evokes feelings within us, but it doesn't stop there at those feelings, but it produces this gratitude and awareness that there is something even more beautiful than that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, which is God. Yeah, yeah, that's really good. I like to say that it is um a character trait of God, that uh he is the source of beauty. And so all the beauty that we see in the world is meant the the entire purpose of it is meant to draw us back to him. It's meant to reflect him and his goodness and truth, like you were saying, that beauty is a is a reflection of those those attributes of God.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. When I was in high school age, I had a little clothing design business, you know, where I was like learning to sew and selling random things that I was making. And a friend and I set up a booth at music festivals and stuff and would sell our little goods. Um super fun. But anyways, our tagline on it was reflecting the beauty of the creator for his glory. So it's like all that we are doing, realizing that there is a source outside of the beauty that we are bringing to the world, but like we are harnessing this beauty from God and reflecting his his beauty for his glory. So yeah, I think that's great.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And the other thing is too, is that you know, we um are used to hearing this whole beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which I think gives the idea that it's uh subjective. Um, so I like you were saying, it does um provoke an an emotion in us, but I think it's important to also think about the fact that beauty is objective because God is unchanging. And so he has um there's lots of different expressions of beauty that we see throughout creation, but how um it isn't a matter of like with truth, truth is truth, you know? And um I think with beauty it's the same thing that we can't call something that is ugly beautiful. Does that kind of make sense?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that of course as Christians we're all very unique and we're gonna have unique giftings, unique abilities, unique preferences towards beauty. But yeah, there is definitely like this is beautiful and this is not, and I can't look at something that is obviously a rebellion of God's order and created goodness and be like, I actually love chaos and I think that chaos is beautiful. Exactly. It's like, no, that's actually really contrary to the way that God created the world and God created humankind. Um, we're drawn to beauty and order and goodness and truth. And so um yeah, I I don't think I don't think that we can lie to ourselves and others and be like, no, actually, this really dark existence over here, I actually it's okay if you find it beautiful. It's like, no, that's actually rebellion.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, that's really good. Okay, so one thing I want to talk about is some Christians are uncomfortable with conversations about beauty because they worry that it's worldly or materialistic or superficial. And pursuits of beauty, such as a decorated home or feminine beauty, are considered too extravagant or a distraction from Christ. And as a result, many Christians end up gravitating toward this very um simplistic or sterile environment. Why why do you think that this concern exists and how is this a problem for Christians?
SPEAKER_00Well, I I think it exists because as Christians, we aren't supposed to be things like vain or extravagant or like over the top or consumed with our outward um appearance that is all legitimate concerns because we aren't supposed to do those things. Um and I think also sometimes it can be a caution because we have verses and warnings about finances and like the borrower is a slave to the lender. And sometimes with beauty, there can be this like um a perfectionist mindset that I have to have these certain things for something to be beautiful, and then it can turn into a financial trouble. So I think that there are all of these concerns that can be legitimate, but however, um none of those things actually have to do with pursuing the beauty, um, in my opinion. Um, so I wanna I want to talk about the verse why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. And these are Jesus' words uh in the Sermon of the Mount in Matthew. Um and consider how lilies grow so they don't decide, I am going to be beautiful today. It's they are absorbing this magical energy from the sun, they're receiving water that God has poured out onto the earth, they don't toil and spin. Okay. Um, yet even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. So God cares really deeply about these lilies, and he's not just telling them be a colorless blob, which he could. Yeah, um, God could have done a lot of things far less beautiful, beautiful than what he did. Um, God cares so much about the lilies that he not just provides for their material needs in a basic way, but in this like really beautiful, lavish way. So don't be anxious. So the section ends with Jesus saying, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. That's Matthew 6, 33. So there's this connection to be made with beauty and the contentment with what her God provides for you. And God, whatever he provides for you, whether it be in your outward appearance, um, with the things that he provides for you financially, um, to have a mindset with beauty of like this is what God has given me, and I'm gonna do my best with what he's given. So not to be lavish, not to be extravagant, not to be vain and consumed with it, but God gave me a five-foot tall body. I am not gonna bemoan that I'm not a like six-foot supermodel. Like I'm yeah, this is not this is not what God has given me. So I'm not gonna be like, well, I cannot be beautiful and I will not even try because I'm not okay. That's so silly. And um and the same with like getting totally consumed with what your house looks like because it's not a million-dollar mansion or it's not the houses on Instagram. Um, what has God given you? Okay, now these are the resources that he's given. This is the house he's given, the family that he's given you, the creativity and um the ideas that he's put into your mind. Now, for all this provision that he's provided, how can I, for the glory of God, now reflect the beauty of God in what he's given? So, how can I do the very best that I can with what he's given? And I think that's far different from some of the concerns that people have um with pursuing beauty and thinking that like this is gonna be like a completely vain situation now. But if it's just God, you provided me with things, I want to be the very best steward with the things that you've given and create beauty with these things, with it may it be with my myself, my family, um, or with the things that you've given. My home, my church, my garden, my yard, whatever. How can I make this be as beautiful as possible without let it being so consuming that I am no longer glorifying God, but I'm trying to glorify myself in it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, I think what you're speaking to really goes back to how as women we are created to be translators. So we uh we take what we are given, like ingredients for a meal, like the provision that our husband brings, and we turn it into bread, we turn it into a meal. And and this also makes me think of like the the parable of the talents when the master um gives the workers the the talents and then he tells them to go and do something with them. And uh we either have the option of being faithful and being a good steward and translating those talents into something beautiful that glorifies our creator, or we can bury him in the ground. But I think I think as Christians, a lot of times we get hung up on the the spiritual only, and then and we think that that doesn't apply to the physical. And um it it makes me sad because all of these things are meant to point back to his character and tell us about how good and kind God is. Like we see that that God is creative because Of a sunset, or because of the way a flower is designed. And all these things show us just how artistic and and thoughtful and how all these little details matter to him. And so I think it's important for us as Christians and as homemakers to be reminded of that and to embrace that. That if God thought it was important for us to have all the this color and all this these different expressions of of detail and and beauty and art, then then why should we be trying to avoid that? You know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I think that there are very few humans on the earth that are completely unmoved by a beautiful sunset that are just like blah or unnoticing when there's like a what strikingly beautiful orange or pink sunset.
SPEAKER_02It's meant to evoke awe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It's because God made us in this way to where our brains literally react to beauty. We have receptors in our brain, and whenever we see beauty, things happen in the brain and in our emotions and in our hormones and all the things in our body. It's because God made us this way. And I think that the appreciation of beauty can be cultivated to greater and lesser degrees. Like since Jared and I, just for example, um, since Jared and I got married, he has said so many times, like, I appreciate an old building in a way that I never did because I love old buildings. I love beautiful old buildings. Um and and and that's just from the people that you're around that help you to start noticing things. And that's why Christian community is so important to encourage one another and spur each other on and love and good works. Because as we are um as women building each other up in this, it's like, let me bring you a beautifully crafted meal because I love you and I know that this would bless you. And then you feel the feeling of what it feels like to receive a beautifully crafted meal that was thoughtful and b delicious and looks nice. Um, or let me invite you into my home for a cozy dinner and let me light a candle and let me put the kettle on and let me play some music and let us have a lovely time together and inviting each other in to what that feels like. And and that is how we spur each other on, and that is how we invite others into this, too. Of like, this is a very um contagious thing of like as I expose you to this beauty, you then want to have this beauty in your life, and and that's why beauty is also evangelical, and I may be going in a different direction than what you may be going into this. This is great. Okay. So, but that is also why beauty can be so um evangelistic, is the right word here. Um, is because whenever we are inviting other people into this in our life, we're saying, taste and see that the Lord is good. Yes. We're like, look at this. God has been so kind to me and um so kind to my family, and so just provided above and beyond what we have ever deserved, you know, just so generous to us. And I want to invite people into that to see, like, God has been so good to us, God is so good to you. Let me tell you about him.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, amen. Yeah, that's why um in my cold open I talk about how we are heralds of the kingdom and how we herald his goodness and his glory and his kindness in the way that we make meals and the way that we decorate our homes and the way that we um uh show hospitality and invite people in. All these things are meant to reflect that so that people can feel that Christ is where the good stuff is, you know. Yeah. I when I was growing up, um I was blessed to grow up in a really beautiful, joyful home that exuded the love of Christ. And when I would go to other people's homes, I would feel the difference. And it wasn't necessarily because um I I was recognizing that like, oh, they aren't talking about Jesus all the time or or not, but it was um I knew that our home did have Christ, and I knew that that's why our home was beautiful. And that's what made me realize that this that that life with Christ is where the good stuff is found, you know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I um rode the school bus grow growing up and I had uh friends, they're a year younger than me, and they're twin brothers, and we're still friends. One of them married one of my very best friends, and we're all still buddies. But anyways, now as adults, they told me that um as we were kids and I would get dropped off the bus. I also grew up in an amazing home. My dad is a uh pastor, and I had a wonderful family life and really good examples to grow up under. And they said that as I would get dropped off of the bus, they had a rough childhood. They would peer out the window being like, Oh, it looks like heaven on earth. Just the yard, the way that our yard looked, the way that my mom and dad might be outside waiting for us to get off the bus. And the way that, you know, just simple things like that that you don't realize um just in everyday graces and kindness of God to your family, how that can be so different than what someone else is growing up in and someone else is experiencing. Um, so yeah, I think the impact that just simply making your home beautiful can make on someone is bigger than what you realize. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it's and it's why we as Christians should prioritize that because people do see that. That is that is a big part of what they see and and um what their impression is of what it is to know Christ.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So another concern I hear often is that focusing on a certain type of beauty, uh, like we were kind of talking about earlier, with holding up um a certain type of aesthetic as being holier than another, uh, many are concerned that this would lead to legalism. So, how do we avoid, especially as homemakers, creating a Christian aesthetic that would make um people feel pressured to imitate? And and what does it look like to make even our preferred aesthetics reflect a Christian worldview?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think this is an interesting uh question. And I definitely have seen, like, do you see this, just uh just out of curiosity, do you see this? Like on Instagram, as you're scrolling Instagram or something, do you see like a Christian aesthetic or like a general um that certain people in our tribe go for or something?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, I mean, there's certain things I gravitate toward, uh, but I I think that in general that the kind of vintage aesthetic or the cottage core, you know, and and it I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with them in particular. I love that kind of stuff too. I do too. But I do I do think that that can kind of become in people's mind, like if you're going to be a good Christian, then your home is going to look like this with the vintage wallpaper and the you know, whatever it is.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like if if you are a submissive wife whose husband is patriarchal and all the words that um people in our tribe have, then this is what color your kitchen is. Like so silly. But um I do I do think that that is an interesting observation to make. Um, but again, with the flower analogies, we'll just continue on that. Um so God did not only make lilies, but he made dahlias and daffodils and senias and even poinzettas, who many people consider a weed in a lot of parts of the um in a lot lots of parts of the world, but at Christmas time, like we love poenzettas. So it's interesting to remember, like, that everyone is unique and God was completely unbound in his creativity. That it there is infinite creativity when you look at the world. And not just like in southern Illinois, there is a lot of different kinds of flowers that grow here, and we have some really, really beautiful hiking and trails, and you can see so many different kinds of flora and fauna if you so choose. But then if I were to go where you live in California, you have a whole nother set of beautiful things that God created. And then if we both travel over the ocean, like there's all new, like I have no idea how many species of flowers there are in the world. It would have been interesting of me to uh Google that before I podcast. But but but just to remember that we are not bound as homemakers to fit into like any kind of weird trad wifery mold or anything like that. But but we are free to express beauty in as many ways that God has enabled us to be creative and to do it beautifully. But like if you are into some really cool Spanish tiles and bright colors, do it. Like you don't have to do the muted neutrals, like muted earth tones, muted earth tones are not the standard of beauty if you're a Christian woman. Like you can you can be as creative as you can be, and um, this is actually one of the ways that we reflect God's character is being all unique and being um unhindered in our creativity, but pushing it further past what we just see on the internet, but like actually pulling within ourselves, what do you find beautiful? Um we built our house 10 years ago now, and whenever we were building, I was trying to be really careful about not picking things that were trendy at the time, but really thinking about like, what does Jared like? What do I like? What are things that we think are beautiful? Um, because if I pull from within our own interests, then I'm not gonna be sick of it in 10 years. Yeah. You know what I mean? And I'm generally not sick of anything that I did in our house. But uh, like I said earlier, I've always been really interested in old buildings. I love like early 1900s, like hardwood and trims. And whenever I was young, it was like my very biggest dream to old an old building, own an old building and have a shop. Really? Yeah. Okay, in another life, in eternity. Perhaps we will own an old building together. And I wanted a shop in the bottom of it, and I wanted to live in the top of it, okay? That was just my little dream life that I'd conjured up in my mind. But it's because I love old buildings so very much. Um so the floors that we did in our home, um, we did uh just unfinished pine floors and then stained because it's a really soft wood, and then stained them really dark, and then they have naturally gotten very beaten over the past 10 years. And I love them because they look like floors in an old building to me. Um, so just just finding out what do you think is cool and interesting and beautiful, and what inspires you that you see in the world around you, and then pulling from that beauty and not like how boring would it be if we all go to each other's houses and we all had the same four Hobby Lobby pictures because we're all the same cottage core. Yeah, or or like the magnolia section at Target and that's our only option.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, which which is really making us into uh it's the factory mindset where we are all just mass producing each other. But God has given us imagination, he's given us creativity, and we are uh we're supposed to translate that into um the expression of those character qualities that we see about him. And so um, yeah, I think that that we get stuck in that that factory mindset too much, and then we think that that everything has to look this way. And especially those of us who are um, I think rule followers, you know, um, or or maybe uh are prone to envy or comparison. Um, I think that that it it can be easy to fall into that trap of thinking that it has to look this certain way. Um, but the idea is more that we are reflecting the character of God and his worldview and translating that with whatever he's given us.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Like there's a beauty in Alaska that is so different than a beauty in California or Hawaii or Florida or like a tropical kind of like there's just so much variety when it comes to beauty, and you can look at both and be like, whoa, that is so beautiful. Um or like thinking of I don't know, you could just go on and on with the examples of God and his variety of beauties that he has made on the earth.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um I I was thinking about something you were saying just about the the old building thing because this is this is a big passion of mine. I love old buildings. I lie.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. We need to do a whole nother podcast just talking about old buildings.
SPEAKER_02All right. Sounds good. Um but I live in a neighborhood where um it's tons of old buildings and all these big mansions, and it there's always been something in me where when I go by one of these homes and they're just completely run down and dilapidated, it makes my heart sad. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that is a real thing. So I Jared and I were just in St. Louis yesterday. Um that's like two hours from where we live. And St. Louis has an amazing history, like a huge boom in um the early 1900s. They did a World's Fair and like millions and milli millions of people came to the World's Fair, and they have like incredible architecture because of this big boom during that era, which is the era that I especially like architecture from, like early 1900s stuff. Yeah. Um, so yeah, there is this ache when you see it. It's like, ugh, it's an ache within me. And what is that apart from like an eternal ache of I want to see it beautiful? I want the beauty. Like I want the beauty, it's within you. And C.S. Lewis talks about this, this like ache that you feel for eternity um whenever you see things like that.
SPEAKER_02So Yeah, I think it's also because we know that that God is remaking the world. Yes. And he is redeeming all the things that have been broken, and that um because we have his spirit, we um are now instruments of life. And so when I see these buildings that have been run down, that I just have this yearning that I want to transform them and restore them into and bring life back into them because that's what we're made for, you know? And it probably sounds silly to the people who are listening who like aren't into this. Like, what are you talking about? I have never had that, I've never had that yearning. But but it is, I just I see those things and I'm like, this needs life brought into it, you know? Yeah. Um, yeah, that's fun. Okay, so uh what would you say to somebody who might push back to all of this? That God cares about the spiritual atmosphere of your home, but not the physical one. And um, how would you say the physical and the spiritual work together?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so this is a perfect question to follow up what we were just talking about with eternity. Um so uh I I think the two, the spiritual and physical, they can't be separated, that the spiritual atmosphere of the home is what is beautiful, um, but that is what in turn creates more beauty. So this healthy spiritual atmosphere of your home, Christ has forgiven us, He has come, He has bore our sins, and now we are forgiven people, we are striving to live in harmony with one another. Um, there is truth here, there's goodness here, there's beauty and love. That is what then has this outworking that you can't help it but create beauty now because we are this forgiven people. Um and I think that whenever we start thinking about um the fact that Christ raised bodily and that we live in a physical earth, and all of that matters, and that physical beauty will be here for eternity, that Christ will reign and rule, and a new heavens and a new earth will be established, and there will be the city of Zion, and all of these things will be tangible to us, that we really will be bodies forever, and that there really will be beauty forever. This isn't something that's going away. We can't just be like, sorry, only the spiritual matters stop thinking about those old buildings. Yeah, it's like, no, it's actually like within my eternal soul and will be in my eternal hands things to create beauty with. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I I um I wholeheartedly agree. I I think that's so good, and I think it's really important because um I do think that that a lot of times people can get um confused and worried that that is going to be somehow sinful for them to be focusing too much on the physical, um, but just remembering that Christ had a body and that he made us to be in bodies in a physical world and um and that that is not uh sinful in and of itself, you know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was actually really encouraging me to me as a woman, whenever I first started figuring some of this out, of like God revealing that we really are spiritual people, that um, as Doug Wilson says, our theology works at our fingertips, that it's connected, it's all connected because there were times in my life that I would feel guilty, like you said, almost guilty for finding so much pleasure in worldly things like re redoing my mantle or you know, like uh or spending so much time and making my home beautiful or making artwork or sewing or doing things like that. And and when you realize that those things actually aren't separated from our walk with Christ, but they're outworkings of the love that we have for Christ and the way that we serve and bless others and the way that we glorify him and invite people into that, it's really freeing, actually. Yeah. Because you can be rid of this weird, like false dichotomy that you have about like, well, if I'm loving God a lot, then I need to not be spending so much time on this like worldly thought. Yes. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And but at the same time, and and I think this is important for um people like us who who do have this passion for beauty and who do understand the goodness of it, that we do uh also need to remember to not um idolize those things or to love the thing more than the giver. That um these things are meant to point back to the to God and reflect his glory, but ultimately these things will pass away. And, you know, the our our physical beauty is not going to last forever. The flower will fade. And um, and so we we find goodness in them, um, but we don't ultimately put our hope in in these physical surroundings that we are in.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and not finding identity in the things that you create or the things that you do or the hobbies that you have. Um, because for me, I spent the majority, well, at this point I'm getting older, so I can't say the majority of my life, but a big portion of my life making things, like I said, and sewing and selling things. Um, and that was and doing alterations, and that's who I was until I had kids, and then that season was done for that time, and and there's a I mean, it's still kind of done. I don't do it hardly at all anymore. And that's totally okay, but you kind of have to wrestle with for a minute of like, I don't do as much in this area of creating beauty that I used to, but now God has provided me with this other area of creating beauty, which is raising children and cooking them meals and teaching them math and different things that may seem far um less obviously beautiful. Where if you used to do a lot of flower arranging, which is another thing that I did, and where that is like it feels obvious, but you're like, I don't have time for all that stuff anymore. I'm basically just like keeping the ball rolling here. I'm like doing the overnight feedings and I'm just cooking another dinner and I'm just like keeping the laundry going. And you may have to be reminded that like there is beauty, like we talked about at the beginning, those things that aren't visible, those invisible works of beauty that are um sometimes what you have the opportunity to do. And so not not being discouraged or sad if like certain areas that you used to really thrive in are off for a season, and then now you have like this new opportunity for beauty that you're creating. And it might be like a cozy setting where you're reading books at night. And that might, you know what I mean? Just being creative with like God, what again, what are you giving me? What sunshine are you pouring on the lily? And what water are you giving me? And let me steward that the very best that I can, and God help me to glorify you in creating beauty in the season that I am in.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I I think that is extremely encouraging, especially for for the the woman who might feel like what she is doing is not enough in terms of creating beauty or people who feel limited in terms of monetary um resources or or time, that it doesn't beauty doesn't have to be complicated or extravagant. It it can be simple and that because we are made in the image of God, we all can do it. Especially as women, that is one of the things we're created to do. And so um we shouldn't be discouraged that if it doesn't look the way it used to or um the way somebody else is able to, that that we still don't have the capacity to create it w how we can.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, I've had a couple babies born around Christmas time, and I've I've always done a ton of decorating at our house at Christmas because I love it. And it's just kind of my thing. I love it. Um and during those seasons where our baby Pravi's birthday is December 17th, and um and I remember feeling like, wow, this was far less decorations than normal. But knowing that, like, that's totally fine, because look at this other beautiful thing that just happened in my life. Um, and so and just just being cautious with that, because I think that is a tendency with women to bemoan the season that you used to be in or something and like not notice the beautiful thing that is in front of you. It's like I may not be getting to do that, but there is so much more beauty here that God is giving now. And just to look, just to look for it, to be aware of it and look for it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, that's really good. Yeah. Um, another reason that I am so passionate about this topic is I believe that beauty is isn't just something to enrich our lives, but it actually is a weapon that we use against fighting darkness. And so what would you say to that? And how have you seen beauty cultivate hope, especially in seasons of suffering?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, again, like what I was saying earlier, it is this taste and see situation where it administers to people um as we invite them in. But um, during seasons of suffering or trials, it can be such a comfort um to have something beautiful around you. It's the reason why we bring flowers to people in the hospital. Um, it's because something beautiful strikes hope in you and it strives, it strikes this positivity in you that maybe wasn't there a second ago. And yes, you can be going through something really difficult, and that is still there, and no one's ignoring that, but there is this image of beauty in front of you that your brain really likes to look at, and it can just be just a practical um way of helping and an offer of grace and hope to someone of like, here is a small tangible way that I can bring you beauty, um, or even if it's in your own family, in your own life, it's a way that we can um remember God's goodness through this. As I put this vase of flowers that I cut from my hydrangea bush on the middle of my table, it's a small reminder to all of us that like God is good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah. And so in the spring issue that was talking about this whole topic of beauty and and suffering. Uh in my article, I talk about how in 2020, when the world was going through all of this darkness and just feeling that oppression of the enemy, like it was palpable, you know. How I would go on walks in my neighborhood and I would see these little chalk drawings on the sidewalk. And do you do you remember those? Where people would do like little stencils of things on the sidewalk just as a way to like bring cheer to you. No, I didn't know about this. Oh, okay. Um, maybe it was just uh like a trend around here, but I would see that in the neighborhood, or people would put like signs in the window or little stuffed animals to put smiles on the kids' faces. And that kind of stuff always would bring me to tears. Um, because it just seemed like these are people who are not going to let the darkness overwhelm them in this time. They are fighting, they are fighting and looking for the way to still um pursue joy, to still find the goodness in a situation and getting outside of themselves. So they're not just thinking about, oh, how awful this is for me, but how can I still bless others, even if I am removed from them in some way? And um just little things like that, I think that those are that's a kind of a a silly example, but it's how we can take beauty and use it as a way to serve and bless. That it's not just like I said, for our own enrichment where um you know, we make a beautiful home and then we get to see the the goodness of God. But like you were talking about earlier with with hospitality and evangelism, that um that we are using it as a way to communicate hope, the hope that we have.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. Um my husband just recently shared with a couple who's going through something very difficult and said, This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. And it's like good days and bad days, this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. So, what are ways that you can rejoice and be glad? Sometimes your physical self, it's really hard to conjure up. Be glad, be glad. Sometimes it's really difficult. Um, but God still commands us to do it. And so sometimes a great step in the right direction is doing something like that. Like, yeah, how can I bring some hope to myself and some people around me? And sometimes beauty really is the way to do that. Um, whether it be like you said, the chalk drawings or whatever. Like, what is the opportunity that you have in front of you to rejoice and be glad?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm not gonna sit here and wallow. I'm not going to let this steal my joy. Yeah. And I'm going to remind myself of what is true in this moment. Okay, so we're gonna shift gears a little bit here, but uh in this topic of beauty, I wanna talk about minimalism. Minimalism has almost become a moral virtue in our culture. Why do you think that we're so drawn to this promise of less is more? And what is minimalism functionally saying from a biblical worldview?
SPEAKER_00Okay. So I had a couple thoughts on this. So one thing is I think minimalism is so attractive to people deep down because clutter is annoying. I mean, get all we all agree that clutter is annoying, like we don't like it. And um, and even that is because because God has created the world ordered and our brains like ordered. Um even when a tree falls in the forest, it doesn't just stay there. Like God has created um microorganisms that go in and literally break down the tree um and clean itself up. And it's amazing. And God made that because he cares about order and cares about clutter. Yeah, yeah. And and even when there is um roadkill on the road, there is like this self-cleaning system that God has made with the animals that go, and their job is to go to be the vultures, and you go and you get the dead animal. You know, even in a cursed world. Yes, it's amazing. Um, and I'm just like, think how much even cleaner it's gonna be in eternity. It's gonna be amazing. Like just the way we can learn from nature, like clues about God and his nature. So, um, and so, anyways, as we see that nature, we see that our brains naturally are like this. We don't like clutter, and so our ward is actually with laziness because we don't want to do anything about the clutter. So we're like, I don't want to go up into the attic in this place of deep darkness and despair. So let's just burn it down and get rid of everything we own, and we'll have one Christmas decoration, and that is everyone's festive Christmas thing to look at, you know, and it's like it's ridiculous, but it's because we don't want to do the hard work to be organized. Yeah. Um, and how much better would it be if we had ordered abundance that we are able to share with others whenever they are in need? And I can't tell you the amount of times that God has been generous with us and we've had like an abundance of something, and someone comes along and is like, oh, we're really needing this thing. And I'm like, Oh, I have an extras. My neighbor just gave me this and I don't need it. You can have it. Um, so being diligent with ordering what you have and being organized with what you have is a war against minimalism in and of itself because you're not like the clutter is driving me nuts. I have to just burn it all to the ground. It's no, I'm gonna be ordered with my abundance so that I can be a blessing to the people around me. When someone comes to my door and needs this or that, I can help them. Or if my children one day are moving into a new home, I have an abundance and I can give it to you. I have this extra crock pot that I stuck in the attic and I have it perfectly ready for you. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. So I I have so many things in my house that were my great grandma's. And if you go full minimalist, what are you gonna give to your grandkids? Like if you have gotten rid of all the things, what are the heirlooms to be passed down? Do you have the bureau? Do you have the pie safe that you can pass on? Or have you long since gave that away? And now I've created only a sterile, white environment that is easy to clean, and I no longer have any dust buddies to war with, and um, I have nothing also to give you. So I just think it's important if you if you want to not be influenced by the minimalistic, because I think we all have been in seasons, you're like, I just gotta get rid of so much, which is fine. Like be some and sometimes being a good steward is getting rid of the things that no longer serve you. It's just a normal part of your life. But it's also not getting rid of so much just because you're overwhelmed and and keeping that ordered abundance.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, it makes me think of the verse that says, He has enriched you so that you can enrich others on every occasion. But you brought up um generosity and how we like you know the the Kanmari, isn't that what it was called? The that method where you have these things that bring joy to you.
SPEAKER_00But it's yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it was like super popular a few years back, you know, everybody was doing it. And but it's what is that thinking of like what brings you joy? Um whereas we are supposed to be generous in in giving of others. And minimalism, it doesn't take into account the generosity of God. This is something that um what one of my writers, she wrote about this, um, Morgan Alexander, in the spring issue, about um the virtue of maximalism and how maximalism re reflects our generous God. And so He is generous to us. So, like I was saying, we can be generous on every occasion. And uh when you are only thinking from a purely minimalistic or functional mindset, you're not thinking about how you what you can pass down to your grandkids or how you can bless the person who um is in need. You're only thinking of how do these things serve me and bring me joy, um, which is a very like self-focused type way of living.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. A good man saves for his children's children, scripture says. So we need to be living with our generations in mind all the time. Um, so whenever you're getting rid of your stuff, it's fine. If it's broken, if it doesn't serve you, whatever. Um, but don't just get rid of it because you think that you don't want it, but will your daughter want it, or will your son want it, or were their will their son want it? Um, it's just something to think about.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, that's good. So as we're kind of coming to a close here, some women might be listening to this feeling like they don't have the finances or and skills or resources available to create uh beauty in their homes. What would you say to encourage those women? And how is it possible to still have a home that is simple yet still rich in warmth and beauty and craftsmanship and delight?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so again, beauty has nothing to do with finances. Um sorry, I'm hearing an echo on my thing. Um uh the story of my life is just the amazing provision of God. And I wrote a little bit about this in the article that I did for Keeping the Set at all. Um, and the last one that I wrote for you guys. But was that the fall issue? I can't remember. Winter maybe? Uh I think it was the winter when.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Um, but I told a little bit of my story of when Jared and I were getting married, he had a 1973 trailer. Yeah. And um, he had two guys also living with him, so three bachelors in total living in this 1973 trailer. So it was as gross as you could possibly imagine three bachelors living in a 1973 trailer could be. Um, to the point that whenever my mom came and like saw it for the first time, left crying. So you can imagine what it was like. That's where my daughter is going to live. Yes, exactly. She's like, no. Um and and so um, I didn't mind. I was in love and I was gonna clean it. It was fine. We were gonna get it clean. Um, and so uh it was not a big deal. Jared was kind of like finishing off a bedroom that he was doing, and again, we were young and he had minimal skills, but he was learning and he was willing to learn and willing to work. And I think that's a big part of this is like being willing to learn and being willing to work. Um, commit completely denying yourself the opportunity to be lazy about it and taking away all excuses. Um, and a lot of the things that we've talked about in this episode are excuses of not wanting to do the work to create beauty. Um, but anyways, Jared was willing to work and um and I was willing to work and we were gonna do this. So, and he was working for that time, he was a pastor, and he also was working for a roofing company, and they announced at their Christmas dinner that they were gonna do a giveaway for a TV, like a 32-inch TV, and um, and he won the TV, and we were like, Oh my gosh, mine's blown. We want a TV. And he called me back like an hour later, and he was like, Okay, so now I won a home makeover. They're gonna come and redo my trailer, and we're like blown away. Like, what? So, um, and so, anyways, they came like a month before we got married and put a new roof on the trailer, put new floors down, painted new cabinets and countertops, finished off the room that Jared was working on. Um, and it just abundantly blessed us, and it was incredible. But it was God at work through them abundantly blessing us, and we lived there for seven years, and it was the most cozy, amazing, beautiful home. And there's still times that I like miss parts of it that I was like, oh, it was so wonderful. We brought our first baby home there, and he lived there. We lived there with him for two years. Um, and I have the best memories um just of us being there and starting off our life together. And it was not about the fact that it was a nice place. Okay. Yes. Like, no one would I bring over and you'd be like, what a nice place the Sparkses live in. But I hope that you would say, like, what a cozy and cute place this is. Yeah. Or like what a lovely home they have. And those things can be absolutely true, even if you live in a 1973 trailer that was actually not that nice, you know? Um, because love was there and God had provided for us. And it every single day looking at it was a testimony of God's provision. And my entire life has been that. Like I can tell story after story of God just providing for me. So I can't stress enough. If you have things that you need, pray and God provides. And um, and I can say that because he's done it for us so many times, and um, and also being content with what he provides. He didn't provide us with a mansion when we were first more born, like that, born, married when we were first married. He didn't like that's not that's that's not the prayer that I didn't even pray that, you know what I mean? Yeah um, and and what he did provide was making it a nice place for us to live for us and contentment that grew there and love that grew there and wonderful things, and um and just a side note also that I think is important to say is that cleaning takes zero dollars. So, so if you're like, I don't have the skills, like maybe you just need to start with really cleaning your place. Like you can create a lot of beauty by like giving your house a real good deep clean and declutter, like just getting a place for the things, getting homes for all the stuff, making it look orderly can be beautiful in itself, period. Like if you don't have the nice things to put on the walls, that's fine. Like, start with cleaning your place, and there's no one that can say, I don't have enough money or skill to do that. Like you do, you can grow in your skill in cleaning, absolutely, and you can grow in your skill in decorating and in organizing and all the things, but there's no one that cannot do that as a starting point.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and this also is what where it comes back to stewardship because if you have a beautifully decorated home, but the floors are disgusting and you haven't dusted in weeks, you know, you're not exactly being a good steward of that place. And so going back to what I said earlier about the talents that the master gives you, if you are only um using those to create beauty, but not create order in your home, then you're not actually creating beauty. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, you're putting the lipstick on the pig where it's like you really actually needed to scrub your floor instead of doing that. Yes, yeah. Um, I I remember I was leading a Bible study maybe 10 years ago, and asked the question, is it sin for a wife to uh keep a dirty home regularly? Like if you is your home, if your home is regularly dirty, is that sinful? And that's such a hard question to ask because it's so offensive. It's so offensive because there's seasons of our life that it's messy and it's dirty and it's hard, and we have newborns and all the things, and the dishes get piled up and um all the things. But it is a reflection that we should ask because it's like if this is a regular habit for me that I'm just not cleaning and I'm wanting God to just bless me with a new home, and I'm not gonna clean this one, and I'm wanting God to bless me with the beautiful couch and the decorations and the things that I think it would be beautiful, but I'm not actually just cleaning my house, then then we're not being faithful what with what God has given us, and we're wanting Him to give us more, but we're not being faithful first. And and I think that it is important for all of us to reflect on am I being faithful with what you've given? Am I being a good steward?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and what excuses are you creating yourself for yourself? What is behind that dirty house? Is it true you have six kids and a newborn, and you know, your your capacity is just going to be naturally limited more in this season than than it was in another season? Well, have grace for yourself in in that regard. But are you just making a bunch of blame excuses because you've been sitting there on your phone all day? And you know, that you have to be honest about that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And maybe, maybe you are in a season that it this is like going a whole nother topic, I'm sorry, but um maybe maybe this is a season that you can't do as much, and maybe you need to be a better manager where maybe you can't do the things because you're recovering or whatever, and maybe you just need to manage the people better, maybe manage the children, manage the chores, manage a housekeeper, manage something better because you physically can't in the season, and that's okay. That is totally a thing that sometimes there are seasons that I've had four c-sections with all of our kids, I've had a c-section with every baby. And there are seasons that you physically cannot do the things that need to be done, and there is no shame in that. And during those seasons, how can I manage still? Like, how can I set up things that other people can do for us or that I can enable my kids to be able to do, or um making space so the husband could maybe help out, or whatever it is, so that we can get a still a good working order to the home.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and that in itself will create beauty in your environment. Yeah. And you you can look for for inexpensive things or or things that you just own. You can go through your house and uh with fresh eyes and be like, wow, I have these jars over here that I could use to um, you know, make some arrangements from the yard. And it doesn't have to be elaborate, it doesn't have to be expensive, just simple things that that um are ways of stewarding what you've been given. Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this is kind of a funny story, but my brother, whenever I was in college, my brother had moved out and got a new place and he was wanting something like a some kind of an art piece for above his bed. But, you know, we were poor and didn't have money to go and just buy something. So um, so I was like, what if we just get sticks and hot glue them together and take this tiny uh copper wire that we had and like wire it all into a big 3D structure of sticks and hang it on the wall, and it looked very cool in my opinion. And he left it for like 10 years until I mean he even got married, and his wife is an amazing decorator, and they even left it. So, I mean, there are ways they just they just moved a year ago, and just a year ago, whenever they moved, is when it finally came down. But I'm just saying that that cost zero dollars, and it was a cool little thing that we did. So be unlimited in your creativity to make something for something that you need. Like you have sticks, you have hot glue, what can happen here? What can you do with it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, I love that. That's such a good example, too, of like the creativity that we are uniquely gifted with as women, because how many guys are gonna think of that, you know?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, maybe some, but typically that's something that a woman is going to think of like, how can I what can I do with this here? You know? Yeah. One of my favorite stories. Is of um Betsy Tenboom, you know, Cory Tenboom's sister from uh The Hiding Place. And she there's this scene in the book. I'm not sure. Have you read this book before?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So there's this scene where she happens to walk by her cell when they're both in solitary confinement, and she gets a glimpse of Betsy's cell. And her cell is, she said it was almost charming because she had it um so orderly, the way that her shawl was kind of hung up along the wall, and I I don't know, the way her boots were arranged, and um just the way that she had kept it, even this solitary confinement cell in the middle of a concentration camp, that she was able to take that and turn it into some kind of beauty, that just has always stuck with me. I I read that when we were first married, and it stuck with me for years, that it really doesn't matter. We have no excuse. We must look for those ways that we can create beauty. And regardless of what circumstances we're in, regardless of what suffering we are going through, um, that that is how we reflect the character and goodness of God and how we um fight against the darkness.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I think that that probably was so closely tied to Betsy's contentness. Because if you remember in other parts of the book where she's like content about the bed bugs and like God using the bed bugs, and then like there's a later scene in the book where um they're talking about when they're gonna get a place one day and they're gonna keep the windows really clean. And they're and that's that's the part that I was thinking of was they're gonna make the windows so clean that all the sun is gonna be able to shine in, and they're thinking of the beauty that is gonna be surrounding them and and just imagining it in their mind. And there's just such contentment that they both showed during intense, intense trial and suffering and lack of s uh resources to do anything to their cell or and their spirits to content them, but they had God's spirit, and that's why they were able to be content, that's why they were able to do something like make a cell seem you know almost cozy or almost quaint or whatever word that you said. I think it was charming, almost charming.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, and they were constantly giving thanks in in that circumstance. I I Betsy especially was reminding Corey, you know, what do we have to give thanks for here? And that is just I think a challenge that we should all take to our hearts of how we can do that in our own lives.
SPEAKER_00So yeah.
SPEAKER_02All right. Well, Jordan, it has been so wonderful having you today. Thank you so much for sharing with us. And um, it was just a real blessing to have this discussion with you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you for having me. It was so fun.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. All right, friends, that's all we have time for today. I hope you enjoyed that episode. Be sure to follow Jordan at Fruitful and Fearless and go listen to her podcast. Her podcast is so good. If you guys like this one, you definitely will love Fruitful and Fearless. So be sure to go give that a lesson. Also, um, if you enjoyed this episode, please review and spread the word about keeping the Citadel. We need you to help get the word out. And it just blesses me so much and helps me and my family with the work that we're doing here. So thank you for sharing and helping us get the word out to everybody. As always, as we do here, I'd like to leave you with a charge to encourage you to go further up and further in your calling. So here is my charge to you. That thrill in your soul when you see a sunset, that ache in your heart when you think of home, that wonder in your soul when you hear a melody are all evidences of beauty. They exist as evidence of the master artist, whose paint strokes are invitations that beckon you to notice him. Will you notice him? He creates for his glory. He creates for the joy of it. But unlike most of the Lone Ranger artists that we are familiar with, our master artist gets the most delight when we join him in his work of creating beauty. The master artist, the source of all beauty, has specially designed you as a woman to be a beauty multiplier. What a privilege, what an honor, and what a tragedy to take for granted. Will you take it for granted, or will you join him in the task? This world is full of suffering, full of brokenness, loss, and pain. You might feel like your small acts don't matter, that they will go unnoticed. Don't believe that lie. Every act of beauty that you create is a tiny act of resistance against the darkness. Every act of beauty is a weapon that declares to the darkness, you don't have any claim here. You might find yourself in the midst of deep suffering. You might feel a shadow over your life hanging heavily upon your soul. Light a candle in the darkness. Bake a loaf of bread. Plant a garden and watch it bloom forth from the cold, dead ground. And tell your suffering that death has no victory over you. This is your battle, the battle for beauty. In a world full of pain, ugliness, androgyny, and perversion, you are to raise your sword by multiplying the Maker's beauty. Spread it everywhere you go, like little seeds, so that one day your life, though filled with the pain and suffering of this world, will be an overflowing and glorious garden. And when the ink of it all is too much to bear, when you feel you have nothing to give, then rest your gaze on his beauty and let it fill your soul. Take courage, dear heart, in the work he is creating in you. At the proper time, he will reap a harvest if you do not give up. Until next time, embrace your high calling, live a better story, and keep the flame of your citadel burning brightly.