God's Strength In Your Weakness - Shari Rigby & Natalie Runion

In this episode of "Called as Creatives," host Shari Rigby welcomes Natalie Runion, a USA Today bestselling author and speaker. Natalie shares her journey of faith and leadership, drawing from her experiences as a pastor's daughter and her role in founding the online community "Raised to Stay." This movement supports individuals seeking healing and restoration within the church. 

Throughout the conversation, Natalie emphasizes the importance of creativity in ministry and how God calls individuals to use their unique gifts for His glory. She reflects on her personal journey of discovering her creative voice from a young age and how it has evolved into writing and speaking. Natalie encourages listeners to embrace their calling, regardless of the challenges they face, and to trust in God's plan for their lives. The episode is a heartfelt exploration of faith, creativity, and the power of community, offering encouragement to those who feel called to make a difference in the world through their creative endeavors.

Connect with THE WOMEN IN MY WORLD:
Official website: https://thewomeninmyworld.org/
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Natalie Runion's Instagram - @raisedtostay

Song: “Blessing in Disguise” 
Performed by: Carlie Conner
Written by: Carlie Conner, Maggie Youngs
Produced by: Nick Lewkowski

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

This podcast is a celebration of women who are shaping culture, influencing the world, and boldly stepping into the entertainment industry to create God-honoring content across all media platforms. I'm your host, Sherry Reapy. Grab your coffee, settle in, and join me for an inspiring ride. Hey everyone, welcome to today's podcast. Today's guest is a voice that has been helping thousands of believers navigate one of the hardest tensions in faith. How to remain committed to the church when the church itself has caused deep hurt. Natalie Renyan is a two-time USA Today best-selling author, speaker, worship leader, and founder of the powerful online community Raised to Stay, a movement that has grown to more than 190,000 members seeking healing, restoration, and deeper faith. As a pastor's daughter who has spent over two decades serving in church leadership, Natalie understands ministry from the inside. Through her writing and teaching, she courageously tackles topics many believers wrestle with but rarely say out loud: church hurt, spiritual disillusionment, leadership burnout, and the long journey back to healing. In just a few short years, she has written multiple books that have resonated deeply with readers across the Christian world, including Raise to Stay and Her Newest Release, I Don't Even Like Women, and Other Lies That Get In the Way of Sacred Sisterhood, where she explores how women can move beyond comparison, insecurity, and past wounds to rediscover the beauty of authentic friendship. When she's not traveling the country speaking to churches and their leaders, Natalie lives in Kentucky with her husband Tony and their two daughters, continuing her mission to help believers build a healthier, more Christ-centered church. And today we're going to talk about faith, healing, leadership, and what it really means to stay rooted in Christ, even when the road gets difficult. So please, please, please welcome my friend Natalie Renyan. Hey, it is so good to be with you guys. I was so excited to have you on today. I keep thinking about these books and how exciting it's going to be just to talk about your entire journey, Natalie, and some of the stories that resonate so deeply with me as well that you have put your hand to. And so I'm so very excited about what we're going to talk about today. And so welcome, welcome.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Thank you. It's an honor to be with you guys.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

This is going to be great. So many ladies I know are joining us. In fact, I should say, even so many men. I was just at a conference recently and I loved it. I had multiple men walk up and go, man, I really love your conversations on called as creative the women in my world. And I thought that is a really, really cool thing. So anyway, I wanted to kick us off and just kind of ask you right out of the shoe, what does it mean to you to be called as creative personally and also in your ministry?

SPEAKER_00 3:01

I love how God calls us into our creativity when we're young. I mean, as early as being a child and exploring what it means to be creative with God. And for me as a child, it was writing, I would pretend to give sermons. I love to give speeches. I always told people I wanted to be a news lady. I wanted to communicate. And creativity for me personally was communicating the heart of the father through various forms of art artistry. And so that has followed with me into my adulthood, obviously now into writing books, but also into creating in spaces where we haven't had a lot of women Christian content creators who are telling the story through the feminine heart of the father. And so for me, that's really where this has come in my 40s has been not just creating for myself, but for creating for other women and to encourage them. Like we are all creators with the creator. And that has really been really kind of like an open-ended adventure with God.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Wow. I love that. That is so good. And I love that you're talking about how this time for women to be called into the creative space. You know, I've been now in entertainment and the media field for almost two decades, and I see a shift right now. I see the Lord really calling his women in and up to be the storytellers that he's created us to be. And I think he's really been navigating so many women that have just stepped in and said yes to that call. I think for a long time it maybe wasn't that way. You know, I think there was a lot of women trying to do that and be trailblazers, but I love that you talk specifically about that. What do you think? And I'll ask you about, you know, being called in as the creative today, as those women, what do you think that's going to mean to our culture, entertainment, and media? And how do you think that it'll affect the next generation that we're pouring into?

SPEAKER_00 4:56

For me personally, the Lord has taught me that as a woman, I'm not a one-trick pony. I don't just speak to women. I don't just write to women. Now the feminine heart of the Father is very unique in that he's given us a message to declare the coming of the Lord, to declare the resurrection of the Lord, to declare the birth of the Lord. I mean, from the scriptures, we see women were part of that story. But to also have this conversation with men included in that room with us where we're coming together and partnering with our brothers, not better than, but different, in partnering for this kingdom. And so it's going to shape culture as we become brave and say, I'm more than just an admin. I'm more than just a women's writer. I'm more than just a woman who acts or who writes. I'm a partner in this kingdom work with my brothers and sisters in the faith. And we are going to champion each other to make sure that the gospel goes out to the far ends of the earth. It's going to take both of us, male and female. And then prayerfully, my kids' generations, my daughters, will enter into a space where they're not having to jockey or compete for seats at a table, but they'll actually be pulling up chairs alongside of them, realizing that there's not just one or two seats for women, but that there is a grand buffet that has been set before us in the presence of our enemies, and that surely goodness and mercy will follow them all the days of their lives as they are obedient to do what God's called them to create and to do.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Wow, that is so good. I love that you just said that. That's been a scripture verse for me this entire year is diving into Psalm, you know, into Psalm 23 and being reminded that God does set the table for us and that he has anointed our head with oil and our cup overfloweth. And I think about those things every single morning before I get out of bed, just thinking about what he's doing and what he's preparing me for, and already that he's already been doing it in advance of me stepping into where he's called me. It's been an incredible journey to see how we as men and women can step into this industry and really use voices, our voices that God has given us. I think all the time when I'm I'm talking to different groups, I was just at a conference recently and I was speaking to men and women and a lot of storytellers there. And I was just always, you know, every time I could, I would remind them that God has given all of us, men and women, these distinct voices. And he called us individually throughout scripture and the way that he used his men and women to tell these stories, and they're so powerful. And I think about that just day in and day out of the folks that he's calling to the table really to tell these great stories. I would love to go back a little bit because I love when you said when you were a little girl, that you would stand and give sermons, you know, and I think, wow, I remember being in that space where I was like putting on, you know, whether I was creating a show for my family or whatever I was doing. Take us back a little bit to your story, your growing up, you a little bit of your testimony, who you are, and how have you come to be in the place that you believe you are or that you are today.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

I was a pastor's kid in a denomination who really championed women. I was never told women couldn't do anything. I was told that I'm a daughter of God and that if he's called me to it, I can do it. I had a father who believed in me and a mother who championed me, and there was never competition in our household. And so I truly did believe I could be anything that I wanted to be. I really did think that I could be Dora the Explorer, a scuba diver one day, a ballerina the next. And and I I took my liberty to explore all of those things. I remember growing up in church parsonages, we didn't have a lot of money, and we would go to yard sales, and I would pick out all of the baton costumes and the dance costumes and the sequins and the boas. And I would get in front of the mirror and I would look myself in the face and say, I like who you are, but there's more to you. And I loved creating characters. And then when it came time to start communicating in church and leading worship, being confident who Christ created me to be, yes, still dealing with the same insecurities that teenage girls do, but knowing that I was called to something. And even though I didn't know what it was, I was crazy enough to believe that if I prayed about it, if I wrote about it, if I journaled about it, if I believed for it, that God would do that. And it's been 25 years of really exploring what that looks like, being disappointed, being rejected. And, you know, I would love to say that it all has just worked out, you know, the way that it should. But what that's really looked like for me is just holding on for dear life with the Lord and saying what Mary said, be it unto me as you have said. If you want me to be a scuba diver, I'll be the best scuba diver for Jesus. If you want me to be a writer, I'll be a writer. If you want me to be a mom, if I can be all of those things, I'm just so grateful to be used in the kingdom. And that's really that childlike faith has really followed with me. And I pray I never lose that into my old age that I can still dream with God and say, if you want it for me, you have my yes. And that's really been a posture of mine since I was a kid is yeah, I'm I'm afraid sometimes, um, but God, you've never failed me. And so we can try things together and fail together, and he's still good and he's not mad at me. And I want to release that over a generation of women to say, if God's called you to it, you can do it. Um, well, it may not work out just like you wanted it to, but it's all going to work out for his glory and our good.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

That is so good. I think, you know, I love that. And I love how you you just sharing some of your testimony and really also about you had a father who called you up. You were able to be anything that you wanted to be. And I think that's such a powerful statement, especially for those who are listening, to think about that because, and and and I'm gonna just call out some of the men right now, you know, be those fathers that call up your daughters to realize that they have been, they've been created in the image of God and that they can be anything that God has called them to be. And um, and just to be an encouragement and and just that life giver. I was just talking to a dear friend recently, and we said we were so reminded of the scripture where it talks about you can speak either life or death with your tongue. And I think so often that's it's such a powerful reminder as we raise up our children to be those who are speaking life over their lives so that they can step into whatever God's called them to with that bold and courageous faith. You know, I was a teenage mom at um 16 years old, and I had great parents, but uh I had a dad who, you know, we didn't grow up with a whole lot and he was working around the clock. He was a police officer and gone most of the time. And so for me, there was a long time that I was looking for love in all the wrong places. But what I loved that the Lord constantly reminds me of is that I was at 13, I remember going into a church and um I was sitting there and I was listening to this pastor and he was talking about heaven and hell. And he said, if you don't want to go to hell, you need to raise your hand. And I thought, well, no, of course I don't want to go to hell. And so I raised my hand and I just keep looking at that so often and the reminder it was in that moment God saw me. And no matter even if I was walking with him at that point, he saw me. And that's when he became my daddy and really started to, in so many ways, walk along with me in my life. And I just think back to those times going, wow, that's where God was really starting to orchestrate my life and I didn't even know it. And as I started to grow as a young woman, and then finally at 25, rededicated my life to Christ because I really didn't know what that all meant. It was really the first time that the Lord stepped into my life and said, I'm gonna show you something far greater than you can have ever imagined. Your vision is very small. My vision is incredibly big. And I will never forget that moment of him going, I've called you into so many things. I will never leave you nor forsake you. And I will take every thing and turn it into for beauty, the ashes to beauty. And I just keep thinking about that. And that was really the moment for me as I grew in my faith that the Lord became that for me to call me up and out to say, you can do anything I've called you to. But what I also am reminded of, you said is you have to say yes. You have to say yes to whatever that looks like. And if wherever he's calling me to be, that's where I want to be, and that's where I'm gonna submit and do the best that I can.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Yeah, I do I do think too, like we have as women, and this could be for men too, but I I sense when I talk to women, there's such a fear of failure that if we fail something, that we won't be invited back into spaces because we have been taught that there's so few spaces for women. And so we operate out of a spirit of fear, which the Bible tells us that we haven't been given a spirit of fear, but a sound mind, a mind that is of peace and courage and um to tear down those strongholds. And so for those of us who have had things spoken over us, and I didn't have really word curses or words of death spoken over me by people until I got out of my home and unfortunately entered into the uh church world. But really, what was wild about that was having to go back to the word and remember who did God say that I am? Who does God say that I am, that I haven't been given the spirit of fear? So my yes doesn't have to be with fear and trembling in of man, but in fear of trembling of the Lord if I'm not obedient to do the things that He's called me to do.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Absolutely. I love that. Do you think that that's something that does that, is that something every morning that you have to step into and really remind yourself of? I know for myself, I feel like there's there's seasons that I go through that I really have to get up and go, okay, Lord, I'm gonna stand here and I'm gonna speak the truth that you say in your word about me. Do you feel like you go through that same thing seasonal or daily?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

I would say it's probably daily subconsciously, but then there are seasons that feel extra heavy or when there's when there's more spiritual attack, when we're in seasons where we're wearing multiple hats and we feel like we're not juggling the balls as well as we have in the past and having to go back to say, okay, Lord, if you've called me to it, you'll equip me for it. And what does that mana look like today? I might be being fed by ravens today. It might be little pieces of mana coming from the sky, but you're sustaining me just enough for today to get me through my yes, to get me through this identity crisis that I might be having, that Satan's trying to tell me I'm not good enough and that I'll never amount to these things. And so I would say before a big project, I'm always questioning before I submit, you know, manuscript, okay, God, am I actually called to this? And I go back to the garden all the time how Satan's number one trick is to make us think as women we don't hear from God. And he asked Eve, did God really say that? And so the question that I have to ask myself is, do I believe what the word of God says about me and what he's called me to? And if I can start with that question that yes, I do believe that God's promises are yes and amen. I do believe that I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed out begging for bread. I am not the tail, I am the head. Like if I can believe those things and I know the word to speak it over myself, yeah, there are some days it's minute by minute. I'm having to walk myself through that.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

I love that. No, it's so good. And it's such a reminder that when we are feeling that way, just step in and remind us that what God calls us to, and also just speaking those words of life over ourselves. There's many a times I've been in these places where I'm going, okay, Lord, I don't know that I can accomplish this. I don't know that I can do this. I have to literally just open the word and let it breathe because that's when I start to feel and kind of see this moment again of going, okay, that's right, that's right. You, you know, I'm reminded of what you've called me to, who I am. And that leads me to this question for you, Natalie. Is this a big one? And it's one of those questions I ask everybody, how do you define success?

SPEAKER_00 16:41

I used to say results. I used to say recognition, all the things that the world gives us as markers, but I would say success for me now is obedience. That if I can honestly say that I have been obedient to do the thing that the Lord has called me to do in the season that he's called me to, that it may not have been done perfectly, but I have been successful for the kingdom. The world may not think it's successful. Uh, you know, we know what metrics are in the world. It's awards, it's being invited to red carpets, it's having the big conferences and your name on the marquee. That that's all maybe uh symbols of earthly success. But to wake up every morning and say, I've been obedient to the thing that God has called me to do, not perfectly, not without consequence, not without accountability, but I've been obedient to wake up every day and say, be it unto me as you have said, for me, that has been a measure of success. And in almost the last five years, that has been the most freeing thing that I have found in my walk with the Lord is knowing that it's just saying yes to him and doing what he tells me to do. It's not just success, it's brave. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

I love and and and you know what you just reminded me too of is that it's the reminder that we have to get up every single day and be present. And we have to say yes every single day. Have you ever thought there's a moment and you just said, I'm done. I don't, I don't know where you're going with this. I don't know what you're doing, but I'm done. I'm tired.

SPEAKER_00 18:02

Yes. I mean, in 2019, you know, my family had moved across the country for me to be in this new position that I was in at a at a church. And it was probably the most unhealthy leadership I'd been under, beat down. And as a woman, you know, like it's really hard in this uh church world. There's very few spots for women in upper leadership. And so I was under a woman who was very oppressive. And I remember being on a walk with the Lord and saying, you know what, I have a degree in kinesiology. I could go teach children and not put up with any of this. If it's okay with you, Lord, I'd like to just go back to being a gym teacher and not deal with your people. And I was really honest about that. But it was on that walk, he gave me that phrase, raise to stay, which is now the ministry that I have. And I realized that when we're at the end of ourselves, when we have, when we come to the end of our rope, that is actually when God can begin. When we say I can't do it anymore, he's like, good, because I can. When you're at your weakest, I'm at my most strong. And so I thought, wow, I must still be connected to the vine, even in this barren season, because you're still producing good fruit, even though I'm dry and I'm empty and I'm at the end of myself. And so I would say the greatest gift he gave me was in a season of saying, God choose somebody else. Like this is too much.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Yeah, yeah. No, and that resonates with me. The closer we get to where he's actually calling us into, that's where we see so much just adverse stuff that goes on, right? I I mean, I don't know how if that's something that you've experienced, but I feel like as right when I'm about ready to launch into right where he has me and wants me to be, it's just a like a storm comes from, you know, out of nowhere. And all of a sudden I'm standing there, and that's when I'm going, you know, I just I don't think I can do this anymore. I just I don't even know how to hold onto this rope anymore in the storm.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

I mean, I was on an international trip in November and I remember crying in the room at 4 a.m. I was by myself, and I'm telling Lord, this is like six months ago. This wasn't even though I just remember saying, it's too heavy, Lord. If you're not in it, I can't be in it. If you're not there, I don't want to go. And I was looking in the mirror, I had scriptures playing, I was having an anxiety attack. If I'm honest, I just thought, Lord, it's too much. And it's so crazy. I saw that little girl standing in my baton twirling outfit in my bedroom, six years old, and those same eyes looking back at me, and the Lord saying, I have called you from the very beginning. I have called you. I don't make mistakes, I'm perfect in all I create. I just need you to one more step towards me. Just one more step. And it's a conscious decision, even in these seasons where we're feeling like we're getting ripped off the vine by the world, by our confidence, by the enemy, whatever it is, that he never leaves us or forsakes us. And at 4 a.m., he let me in that hotel room when I was once again saying, it's too much. And he's like, right, for you, it's too much. But for me, this is nothing. Watch me work. And sure enough, I'm six months later into this, and I'm seeing why Satan was fighting so hard to shut me up because there's been new fruit being blossomed in the season that he didn't want.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

You know, I was in a position last year as well, and I remember being many a times called into where I went into my prayer closet and it was early morning, you know, just the time and really on my knees. In fact, I don't even know if I want to do this. But you know, I I think you're calling me into something that I I don't really know that I want to do this. And I remember, you know, just being in that place where he was constantly reminding me of, well, you said yes to go where I called you to go. And if you really believe that I can do what I what I say that I can do, then you're gonna walk in that faith and you're gonna watch what I can do. And so I kept that perspective extremely difficult, to be quite honest. It was still very hard, but I remember getting to where I needed to be with this project that I was on. And I remember just daily having to wake up and really dive into the word to be in a place where I felt like I don't know if I can carry this. And I remember waking up one morning and the Lord. Took me back into the story of David, and he was just showing all of these different things that David had gone through. And the Lord just spoke to me and he said, Their weight will not crush you. My weight will actually sustain you because it's a different type of weight. And I thought, wow. And I had no idea what I was in for that day. But I remember holding on to that. I wrote it in my journal and I just kept meditating on that. And then when I got to set that day, it was just a reminder of God's like, no, they have no control over what I am about to do. Their weight will not crush you. And I just, I've looked back at that multiple times now and realized that in that moment, what felt like crushing was actually the refining process of what he was getting ready to do. And here we are several months later. And what he's built in me is this tenacious spirit. I thought it had it a long time ago, and maybe I have, but there's a whole new level of me going, oh no, no, no, no. When my father says I can do something and he's got me, you will not crush me. Hey friends, if you're enjoying today's episode, we'd love your support. Hit like, subscribe, comment, and share this video, which helps us grow the channel that directly supports the women in my world and our mission to develop, educate, and launch Christian women in the entertainment and media industry. Every action you take truly makes a difference in our ministry. And now we'd like to share a brief video about the heart and mission behind the women in my world. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us. Hi, I'm Sherry Ritby, the founder of the Women in My World. Our goal is simple but powerful. We focus on developing, educating, and launching Christian women in entertainment and media. Our aim is to train up emerging talent, empower them to craft impactful, God-honoring content across various platforms, and contribute to positive global change through leadership roles. We invest in women by providing opportunities to learn essential skills in their desired field. Through hands-on education and on-the-job training, we build a community of like-minded women who shepherd others to grow and flourish in their careers. The Women in My World has helped support and launch women into key positions, such as producers, group supervisors, production and costume designers, directors, makeup and hair artists, and so many more. These women have gone on to expand their resumes and their relationships, which have provided opportunities to work on major network television shows and feature films. Due to the small percentage of Christian women and decision-making roles and entertainment, believers must invest in their training, mentoring, and discipleship. These women can then become a voice to change in the negative narratives influencing our culture and shed light on topics we desperately need to tackle from a biblical worldview. The women in my world is honored to help support women and their careers in entertainment and media as they bring redemptive stories to life and uplift, encourage, and influence the world for Christ. Talk to me a little bit about the way that you're able to sustain in your times. Are there spiritual habits? Are there things that you go, you know what, I this is what has to happen every day for me to stand on? But have you developed a way that you really navigate life?

SPEAKER_00 25:32

You know, it's interesting because it's changed over the years. The constant for me has been that I have to be able to get to Jesus wherever I am. That there can't be a warm-up. I may not get a five-minute elevation song in the car before I have to get into the presence of God, that I need to be so close to him that when I yell Father, that I not only know he's there at the garden gate waiting for me, but I'm there, that I'm not having to be primed at the pump to get to the presence of God. And I believe that's one of the gifts he's given to me is that I don't care where I am, when I yell the name Jesus, I am instantly in his presence. And and this is the beauty of the Holy Spirit is that, yeah, it's fun to have the gifts of the Spirit, but that fruit of the Spirit, when you can just know that you know that you're gonna get in there and you're gonna find peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, that the minute that I say his name, that fruit is there. And how do we take care of that fruit? We show up every day and we we take care of it, we prune it, we nourish it. And so for me, that's having really strong mentorship and discipleship in addition to being in the word, fasting. I'm part of a local church, I'm in community, I have accountability with a senior pastor, my husband is involved. Like everything that I do, I have layers of accountability and layers of wise voices that I have taught, been taught since I was a little girl, the pastor's kid. My parents telling me the importance of having other women in my life to have coffee with, to bring into it trusted voices. And so mentorship and discipleship is a non-negotiable, as well as being part of a local church body, serving in the local church, not for money, not for a platform, but standing outside with signs, saying we're glad you're here, serving communion, going to prison, sitting at nursing homes. There is something about the practices we find in Acts chapter two that was good enough for the first church, and it should be good enough for us as the corporate church and the individual church. We're each ecclesias. And so those practices have changed and ebbed and flowed with the season of life that I'm in, but they've always been present, uh, some more than others in some seasons. But when your church calls a fast, fast with your church. When you feel called a fast, fast on your own and then pull a friend in with you and say, hold me accountable to this. But we all need that accountability, not only to keep us on track with this great commission, but so that we don't go weary and doing good.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

I love that. I love it. You just gave me so many reminders of the things that really the wise counsel, such an incredible reminder to be seeking that wise counsel, really having those conversations that you can share. Hey, this is what God is laying on my heart. And how does this person respond to it? You know, you you talked about mentorship. And has there been one piece of advice? I'm sure you've received tons of great wise counsel throughout the years, but has there been one that has stuck with you and really helped to elevate who you are and where you're at today? And then to talk a little bit about also your ministry and maybe is that something that kind of went hand in hand?

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Absolutely. Well, first of all, we think about Lois and Eunice in the scriptures. Talking to Timothy, and he he's talking about Lois and Eunice. This is Timothy's mother and grandmother. And the beauty of this is it's showing us a picture of multi-generational, uh, not just motherhood, the Titus II woman, but also looking at what it looks like for us to be mentored by someone and mentoring someone else. The advice I have is look for a woman whose life you would love to emulate in the word and in the Lord, and then be what you needed to a person who is younger than you. And so um, when raised to stay, the ministry God entrusted me with in 2019 was just beginning. I had an army of women who were five, 10, 15, 20 years older than me, who had known me my whole life, and some who were just starting to get to know me, but whose walk with the Lord I admired greatly. I knew, heard from the Lord, spent time with him, who loved me and my family, not just me, but loved my children, loved my husband. And women who would drop everything to come to my house and anoint my house with oil and and you know, really meet me in my office and ask me the hard questions who, when I would post things, would call me and say, Hey, Natalie, I don't think that's the heart behind what you're trying to say. You should probably take that down and the embarrassment of being rebuked by somebody that I care deeply about. And then as the ministry was growing, younger girls coming up to me and saying, How did you get started? Where did this all begin? You knew you wanted to write a book in college. You know, you you're 43 now. What does this feel like? How should I get started? And just the beauty of like, wow, we're really not alone. And that when God birthed something through his daughters, we have an army of not just like soldiers, but midwives around us who sit by our side and hold our hands and help us deliver the thing that God has placed inside of us, not in competition with, but in collaboration with the kingdom. To see the kingdom of earth come here right now. And so that's what my advice is is go look for someone whose life, who's raised their kids the way you want to raise your kids, whose marriage is healthy, ministries are strong. Go look for those people and then also be what you needed when you were 20 to that 20-year-old woman. And I I think this is how we're gonna see both personal and corporate revival happen is through the multi-generational mentorship.

SPEAKER_01 30:41

Absolutely. I love that. I think that's such a great reminder because I was thinking even, you know, we forget about that, even the Barnab Barnabas Timothy kind of aspect, right? And I'm always telling everybody, you always have to have that one pouring in and as you're pouring out. And when you don't have that, you're missing out on this incredible vision, this incredible way that God has aligned for us to not only be mentored, but to mentor others and to give back. Far as the ministry goes, talk a little bit about the ministry. Talk about how people can find out about it, how they can get involved. Because I know there's a lot of women out there that are going, I want to be part of something like this.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

You know, it was such a simple online community. For years, I was just getting on and writing about why I was staying with Jesus, even though I was having a hard time with my relationship with the church and God's people. And I think that's the tension a lot of people live in, women especially who are looking for community and family and friends, but they've been rejected or they've been wounded or are really bad abused. They've been sexually, spiritually, physically abused in a place that should have been the safest place on the planet. And so, how do we reconcile that? And so this ministry really was this very small Instagram account. And then over time, I started seeing more and more people coming in who were saying, Well, this is exactly my story. I can't believe we're talking about this. And really what we did is we we brought into light something the enemy hoped would stay in darkness, and that's offense and bitterness and pain and fear, that that's not who God is, and it's not who his church is. And so Raise to Stay exists to challenge the saints to say, hey, let's let's press in and also to champion the church because the church is God's idea, and anything that's God's idea is a good idea. And so, for those who want to get involved, you can jump in with us on the Instagram account. A lot of churches will use the books that I've written, Raise to Stay, the House that Jesus built, I don't even like women, as training tools for their staff, also for Bible study and small group content, because all of this ministry is doing is encouraging churches to be the safest place on the planet for the sheep to hold us accountable, not just shepherds, but sheep. Yes, there are shepherds who have wounded sheep, but there's also sheep who have cried woof. And as a pastor's kid, I'm very protective of pastors, but I also am not going to tolerate abuse. And so for us to start teaching women how to use your voice, it doesn't need to have a hashtag church to movement or a hashtag me too movement for women to be able to speak up and to not just protect themselves, but to be protector of others and to really be that first face that when women walk into a church, that they are known, that they're seen, loved, wanted, um, and that their voice matters and what God's doing in the church.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

That's so good. What do you think? What do you think a misconception is? Everything you just said, even about pastors, I think there's so often I hear people who start to talk about being wounded in a church, being wounded by a pastor, being wounded by somebody in their small group, and all of a sudden they've literally cut the church off. And so I think about those people so often. And also just you being in the place that you're in from ministry, what do you think number one is a misconception that people have? And number two, how would you, or what kind of advice or what would you say to somebody who has been hurt like this by the church? What kind of advice would you give he or she that would like to come back into the church or or feels like they're longing for something and they're just carrying an awful offense?

SPEAKER_00 34:09

I think the misconception is two parts. I think one, the misconception is that the church should know better, that we should just do better because we know better. And the truth is that I mean, Judas sat under Jesus' teaching and still did what he did. So we know that as humans, we are imperfect people carrying a perfect gospel. And the assumption should be that we're probably going to get hurt and hurt other people. Right. So I think the misconception is that all churches are gonna hurt me because one church hurt me, or all pastors are abusive because I know that I was abused by a pastor. And I also think we're dealing with what I call secondhand church hurt. Because of social media, you don't have to be hurt by the church to have church hurt be something that you're familiar with because we're hearing so many stories and other people's stories of church hurt. So pastors are already dealing with this uphill battle when people come into their churches, they're expecting to get hurt. And so they're almost coming in pre-offended. And that can be a really heavy task for shepherds and leaders to take on, knowing that they're already kind of in that battle before it even starts. Yeah. When I think for a lot of congregants, it's learning to trust again. I I know as a pastor's kid, my dad was my first pastor. So when I grew up and started going to other churches, it was really hard for me to trust other pastors because I hadn't had that. And so it takes time. And I would say to those who have been wounded by the church, first of all, I believe you. I believe that it happened. I believe that you were not only disappointed, but for some of you, I believe that you were abused, that you weren't just hurt or offended, that you were truly abused. And we hear you, and I'm sorry, on behalf of shepherds and churches everywhere, please forgive us for not accepting you and being the safest place on the planet for you. That I do believe that God's not done with you yet. That even though you were wounded, that even though you did step in and trust someone and that trust was betrayed, that God has a family for you. This is what God does, He puts us into families. And that if you are willing and bold enough to just give it one more try, that I do believe that the Lord will take everything the enemy meant for your harm and make it all work out for your good because that's what he does. He makes those beauty beauty from those ashes that you spoke about. And so give the family of God another try. Just like you would give McDonald's a try if the ice cream machine got breaking down every time. Like give the drive-thru one more chance to make it right. And I totally do believe that the Lord will, yes, hurt people will hurt people, but I also believe that God will use healed people to help you heal. And so I will pray for that journey for you because I've been there and it's really hard to sit in the back of a church with your arms crossed and think it's just gonna happen here too. And then being so amazed and in awe when God turned it around. And so give them, give God the chance to redeem what the enemy tried to steal.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

That's so good. You know, I because I I can I can look at several things in my life and just really thinking about the hurt that's come. And I remember something that happened many years ago. And I think, you know, for me, I was still walking in a place where I was still trying to get myself, you know, I knew that the Lord had already forgiven me as the East is to the West. And and really, you know, he was he was pruning and doing all of these things. But I remember carrying some heavy burdens. And, you know, there was uh an incident that had happened, and I remember just being completely broken over it, just completely broken. And, you know, I just cried out multiple times to the Lord and it was kind of a crazy time. And all of a sudden, the Lord just spoke to me and he just reminded me that that individual is a human being too. And just as this individual has hurt you, you must forgive. And as I have forgiven you and you've hurt in folks too. And it was this real, like eye-opening moment to go, that's right, that individual is human and so am I. And we're both, I, you know, we're both in this church. And it was really a moment. And so every time I think that I have something that lingers, or I get into a situation where I'm starting to feel a little bit of a anxiety or that pressure. I love that you said that about social media kind of pressure too. I have to take a step back and just take a deep breath and be reminded that these people are human beings. It doesn't excuse the behavior, but it does remind us that we're all human and that that's why we need a savior and we needed a savior, you know.

SPEAKER_00 38:27

And I would add that forgiveness is not linear. That's yes. That when we're on this journey with Jesus, he's not demanding that we just expect forgive and forget. No, that he's with us on this journey. And so it's okay if it's taking you a little bit of time to trust again, to you don't even have to let those people back into your life. But Jesus does tell the disciples that they are to give as freely as they have received. And this is in regards to forgiveness, that if we've been forgiven by the Father, then we too are to give that as freely as we've received that. And that's really how we begin to experience freedom from some of these things that have been holding us down. And I've had to do it over and over and over again. I think the scriptures say 70 times seven, and you can imagine how many times get on your knees and just, oh God, I forgive them. I don't have to trust them again. But I I release them from the prison of my heart. No being held back by these things that so easily tangle me and hold me back, but running full force with the prize. That hearing, well done, good and faithful servant. I don't want to be all like weighed down by the things people did to me. And so I release them into your hands. You do with them what you will. But as for me, I'm going to run free. We do it not just for their benefit because nobody deserves it, but we do it for our benefit and to tell the Lord, I trust you with them and with my life.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

Mm-hmm. No, that's so good. And that's really what it's all about, you know, that trust that the Lord has it and He has a plan. I want to talk a little bit about that because the plan for our life, I know that you've written multiple books and you're helping just a ton of people. And I think, well, first of all, I love just all the titles of the books. I'm just like, wow, these are just incredible titles. Talk a little bit about what it is like because you have women who are listening and they're thinking about, man, the Lord has laid this on my heart. And I really feel like it's time to write this down and to tell the story. Could you give the listeners, you know, maybe three to five points of, hey, this is what I how I would encourage you. And these are some practical steps that I would share with you in order to bring this story that the Lord has placed upon your heart into light.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

The best advice I ever got was writers write. Storytellers tell their stories. And social media has made it really hard because it's like you've got to hit these markers before you're taken seriously. And that's not true. Okay. When Raised this day started, here's what I did. And I'm just gonna give you my what happened for me, and it will won't be the same for all of you, but this is where I think these are pretty practical. Number one, you tell your story in a way that invites others in, whether that's through reels, TikToks, you just get on and you post. You don't post for followers, you don't post for views, you post out of obedience. You post for the one. So, my number one thing that I want you to say is I want you to tell your story. I want you to write what God's telling you to write for the one person that you think out there needs to hear it. And that's all I was doing with my 200 followers in 2019. I was saying, you know what? If one person receives from this, I'm gonna be obedient to show up. Number two, I would say don't get in competition with other content creators or people that you know. Don't look at their life, don't peer into their window and think that's what I have to look like. This is how I have to sound, this is how I have to do this for success. No, be exactly who God made you to be. If you want to have hot pink hair, have hot pink hair. If you want to dress in suits and blazers every day, do it. You want to be in your spit up clothes because you're still nursing a baby, do it. Number three, your family is not a stumbling block to your dream. Your family is a partner with you. So whatever stage of life you're in, single, married, with babies, older kids, God is not in competition with your season of life. So if he's telling you to speak it, write it, put it on, produce it, whatever it is, do it with the time that you have. I wrote Rays to Stay, my first book, from about midnight to 5 a.m. every day because I had little ones at home. And was I tired? Yes, but that word was burning in me. And if God's given it to you, he will give you the energy, he'll give you the time. It's just a season. And finally get into a group of people who are doing what you want to do. Get into a writing group, get into a creative group, find a mentorship, some sort of a creative space where you can bounce ideas off other women, find out what God's teaching them and showing them, share resources. We don't hoard things as sisters in the family of God. We're generous with our resources. And like I say, if you guys want anything from me, I will give you, I'll give you my templates for my books. I'll give you how to write a proposal. I'll introduce you. I've introduced people to my agents and to, if I believe in their in their message, we don't hoard things. There's enough for all of us at the seat of the table of the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

That's so good. It's so good. Well, too, I took this whole thing. I should be taking notes too. You know what I love, first of all, you just reminded me so much about we are to be doing this for the one. It doesn't matter how many followers, it doesn't matter how many likes, it doesn't matter how many shares, we are to be doing it for the one and how we can share whatever it is that the Lord is sharing with us. There is someone who needs to hear that message. I love that. And I also am just so reminded that, you know, in Nehemiah, and this this was Nehemiah was put back on my heart last year. And so I dug into Nehemiah. And what kept resonating with me over and over again was the ladder. The ladder. And the ladder is we are not to climb the ladder, we are to be the ladder. And how can we do that and do it well with all of those that God has. Placed before us. And I remember one of my dearest friends said, Your Rolodex is not your own. Your Rolodex was given to you by God and every single person that's in it. And so whatever that Rolodex holds, it's his. And so you are to be as free and open with that as you possibly can. And I just keep thinking about that because we do live in a culture where there are we're there's starting to be more women coming to the table. There's starting to be more female storytellers. There's starting to, there's a lot happening, but I do see that there's still this clenching of the fist to say, I'm not going to share this with you. You know, competition.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

There is literally no space for it. No. With what we are dealing with in our world right now, the amount of people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is enough ministry to go around. And I do often think about the two relationships, one with Deborah and JL, because I think about Deborah, who was where she said she was going to be, right? Like she's under her home. Like this is my this is my assignment. And then you've got JL. They're not friends, right? They're just two women. Uh JL, who's a tent-dwelling woman who's been literally picking up her tent, hammering in a tent peg into the ground. Deborah warns Barack, hey, look, if you take me with you, you just need to know that this battle is gonna fall to a woman, which wasn't Deborah, by the way, it was JL. And she trusted, I I try to like wrap my head around this that Deborah didn't micromanage JL. Deborah wasn't like, I gotta stand by the tent door and make sure my girl gets the job done, right? Like she had so much trust that just as she heard from God under her palm tree, that Jay L would hear from God and know how to use that tent peg and that hammer. And that that partnership, though distant, prophetically was woven together, brought 40 years of peace to Israel. When I think about what we could do as women, when we stop worrying about what our other sister's doing and just pay attention to what we've been assigned to, and we steward it and we are obedient to it and we're faithful to it. We could bring 40 years of peace to the church if we as women stopped competing and comparing. And then you've got the story of Mary and Elizabeth, who Elizabeth was desperate for a child. Mary comes running in and you don't hear Elizabeth go, Way to steal my thunder, Mary. Like I've been praying for a kid, right? What did she do? She's prophesies. Who am I that you would come to visit me with the Lord? And and this partnership, one carrying the Lord, one carrying the holy harbinger, and how John the Baptist would be a forerunner for Jesus and us carries, we could be forerunners for each other's ministries. And to think that we would abort what the other carries because we're jealous of it, like I'm so convicted over this. And so my heart is that we would be those women who prophesy over what the other carries and see it come into fruition.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

Absolutely. That's such a great word. Thank you for sharing that. Man, there's so many good nuggets here, Natalie. I'm gonna have, I have a lot to listen back to and think through. It's so good. Um, you know, and it it's such truly a reminder to be that, to be that ladder and to be the ones that are going to elevate another and be joyful in it. You know, I mean, I think about that and even thinking about just I've heard some folks recently and they were talking about jealousy and talking about how jealousy just will eat at your soul. And before you know it, you're so stagnant and you've been so stolen from from the enemy that there's not even, there's no even motion in you. So many good things that you just shared. Okay, I can't wait to go back and listen to this again and be reminded of how we need to cultivate other women because that's really what it's about. It's about cultivating these beautiful women that God has created to really be storytellers. I want to talk to you a little bit about on that note, what you're doing now because you have launched into some new things. And I love, love, love. It seems to be a time of new things. I keep seeing that throughout scripture. I keep seeing that in my own life and things that God is doing on a daily basis. Talk a little bit about some of the new that you're doing and what are you stepping into that has just been really exciting to share with us.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Well, first of all, they're putting raised to stay in Spanish, which is a gift because I just can't imagine the Lord trusting me with an entire different, like a different language. Like that, that has felt like such a gift and a sweet surprise. And so I'm gonna get to spend a lot of time in South America and our Spanish speaking churches, and I'm honored to be trusted with that. So uh that's new, fresh, and and super exciting. You're part of the new thing. We've we've just met recently. And I'm I'm kind of just dabbling in what it might look like to go back to some old dreams that I had when I was a kid, and I'm starting to maybe explore some fiction writing, see what the Lord wants to use me as as a storyteller. I don't know what that looks like, but I'm loving it. I'm loving the uncertainty. I not knowing, but just saying, okay, Lord, my my heart is like the ready writer of a pen. Like whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. And so it's been really neat to meet you guys and your team and see what God's doing in your space. And I'm traveling a lot right now and really just talking to churches and pastors about being the safe place that the church is. And so I get to be in different countries. I'll be back in London and working in an abbey at the end of June and spending time with the women over in London. I just feel grateful that the Lord has trusted me with what he's given me. And too much is given, much is required. And I don't take it lightly. That's why we battle a lot with the Lord and we say, Are you sure me? Are you sure this is what you want me to do? But just like I was when I was a kid, sometimes we just have to put that baton uniform back on. I don't do this, by the way, but figuratively. We just put it back on and we just look in the mirror and say, Remind me who I was when I was 12 and anything was possible. Don't ever let me lose that childlike faith because really, until he calls us home, anything's possible.

SPEAKER_01 49:45

That is such a good reminder. You know, I love that you were sharing about that because uh it just brought tears to my eyes when I was a little girl, one of the very first things, and then I remember back to was my mom was actually a baton twirler. So that's what, yeah, fire batons of all things. I mean, can you even imagine? She's like, you know, and my mom had this gorgeous hair to her waist, and she's, you know, flipping batons around that, you know, that was her big thing. Uh anyway, and so she when I one thing that just reminded me, and I hope every woman who is sitting here right now who's listening to this, just takes a moment to reflect on the vision that God gave them as that little girl to be able to dream of anything that they ever thought that they could be, that they could be. And for me, when you were sharing that was um, I actually there was a parade coming to my little town of Cooperstown, North Dakota, and I dressed up as uh, you know, a marching, I was the one leading the the parade and the marshal, I guess you would say it, the the band marshal. I was probably seven years old at the time. Um, and I was carrying a baton, but I remember to this day walking and leaning that entire that entire parade going through this little town. And I think about that moment right now, right here, and going, God was like, I was preparing you for something that you didn't even know.

SPEAKER_00 51:15

That's huge. Yeah, because she's still she's still in there and the enemy tries to take that away from her, but he can't have that. He can't have that you were literally leading people, but leading people with joy and triumph. And you know, we we think those are just little moments in our lives that are cute for pictures, but they're actually demarcations or altars that we can look back on and say, I see you got a see what you were doing. Great is your faithfulness.

SPEAKER_01 51:47

Yeah, great is your faithfulness. So I hope everyone who is listening right now takes that moment, just takes that deep breath and thinks back to say that thine is your faithfulness. I would say, you know, I would ask you as we're starting to wrap up, you know, what is one thing that you would want somebody listening today to reflect on and really think about as they continue to move forward in this place that they may feel as well as being called to the creed?

SPEAKER_00 52:14

I would go back to a moment where you knew that you knew that you knew that God had just moved on your behalf, whether it was a miracle, a healing, you got into college that you didn't think you'd get into, you were invited to a room you never thought you'd get into, saw somebody get saved, something that marked you as saying, I know God is real. And and I would journal on that this week. Or whenever you're listening, I would go back to that time because when you get discouraged, when you think maybe I'm not called, maybe God isn't real, maybe this is just all smoke and war. When we go back and we revisit the wonders and the works of the Lord, the scriptures promise us that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, but also by the word of our testimony. And I think the enemy has tried to mute some of our testimonies so that we won't go back and remember the faithfulness of God. And just like we went back to that baton moment, I could go back to my dad's healing from a heart attack. I could go back to these moments where the Lord was so obviously real, his presence so tangible that when I start to waver in my faith, when I start to question, can I hear him? I go back to that moment. So wherever you are, go back to the time that God was so evident in your life and and sit in that space, a scripture, a story, something, a memory, and and let him remind you again that if he did it then, he'll do it again because his promises are yes and amen. Just because he did a miracle once when you were a kid doesn't mean he can't do a miracle now. And so to go back to that child like faith and remember he is who he says he is.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

I love that. I love thinking about the miracles of God too. I just so believe that they are so relevant and so powerful today as they were in the days of the Bible, right? Uh, it's so good, it's so good. The listeners right now, I'm taking a deep breath and thinking, tell them where they can find you, follow, and just to join you in this journey because I think you have so much incredible, just a just a new journey, I even believe, ahead of you. And I know that there's a lot listening who are gonna want to be on that journey with you.

SPEAKER_00 54:17

Well, the main place we hang out is on Instagram at RaiseToStay, and it's a very eclectic group of people. Some who are still kind of would say they're atheists. They don't know yet that they believe in God, and others who have been raised in this their whole life and die hard. And we have very honest and very respectful conversations over there. It's a very safe place to ask questions or be part of a family. Instagram's there, Facebook is under Natalie Runyon, NatalieRunyon.com or raisethestay.com. I'm having my first conference this October on Halloween weekend here in Cincinnati. So if you are wanting to make a road trip, it's just gonna be a Friday night and Saturday morning, and we're gonna just see a bunch of church people together praying and worshiping. It's gonna be a lot of fun. So you can get all of that information on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 55:01

Wow, wow, wow, wow. Well, you may see someone in the crowd that looks familiar. I would love that. Well, Natalie, thank you so much for being here with me today. Thank you for being here with the listeners and just really reminding us of faith, the power of our journey, and just being reminded that when God calls us, that if we are obedient and say yes, we can step in and just watch his work. Man, it is so good. And just thank you for spending the time to share just all of your wisdom and just the word. Boy, you are just full of the word and being able to share it and speak it so authentically and just it's resonated deeply within my soul today. And I'm sure everyone who is listening feels the same way. So thank you so much, my friend, and I look forward to what he has in store for us ahead. Thank you. We hope today's episode inspired you. If it did, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with somebody in your world so we can reach more and more amazing women in entertainment and media. We'd love to hear from you. So drop us a comment below. Your support truly means the world to us and it helps us keep doing this important work. Also, don't miss out on signing up for our newsletter and you get our acting prep guide for free. It's packed with tips to help you step into your purpose. If you feel led, also please consider donating to support our ministry. All the links are in the show notes below. We can't wait to hear from you to join us next time.