You Can Stay Grounded Through Change, with Joy McClain and Ray and Robyn McKelvy

How do you remain unshakably calm in the midst of change? Find out in this unique edition of Grounded. This episode includes a familiar line-up of guests who all share the same goal: to give you tips for remaining grounded in Christ when the world around you shifts. Hear from Joy McClain and Ray and Robyn McKelvy. Then stick around for a significant announcement from the Grounded team that you won’t want to miss. 

Connect with Robyn

Instagram: @mommamac51
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynmckelvy.author/

Episode Notes

Revive Our Hearts Podcast.

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Dannah Gresh: Well, hey there, friend. I don't know a lot about a lot of things, but one thing I know pretty sure is this: life is full of change. Now, some of that change is a natural part of life. Like, your kids going back to school in the fall, right? Or, are your kids growing up and moving out on their own? These things are natural. 

Erin Davis: They are, but we all face other kinds of changes that are sometimes unexpected and disruptive. Maybe you're facing a diagnosis that you never wished you'd hear and it has turned your world upside down. Maybe you're facing the death of somebody you love, and that's just a change you didn't ever want to have to face. 

Dannah: We're here with you today to minister encouragement to your heart, because we all know change can feel unsettling no matter how small or big it is. I imagine there's some mama still with their tissues from that kindergartner going off to school for the first time, right? 

Erin: Oh, man, my last baby went to kindergarten for the first time this year. Whoo, yeah, doozy. 

Dannah: There's some tears. But here's the thing, Erin and I have learned that you can remain unshakably calm, even in all of the tears, even in the unsettledness right now. How? How do you remain calm? By being grounded in Christ.

Erin: I want to hold on to those two words, Dannah, unshakably calm. That's what we all want to be.

Well, welcome to a unique edition of Grounded, a production of Revive Our Hearts. I'm Erin Davis, and I'm joined by my cohost, Dannah Gresh. 

Dannah, there’s lots to think about when it comes to change, right? 

Dannah: Well, you know this is trite compared to some of the heavy material we're gonna hit today. But you know what? Laughter is good medicine. 

Erin: Always.

Dannah: So, one of the changes that you have pointed out in my life as of late is that there is now the addition of a neck cream routine in my life. 

Erin: I didn't say you needed neck cream. I just said that all of us have a certain age where you need neck cream. But you're on the bus, huh? 

Dannah: I'm doing the neck cream thing.

Erin: Me too. 

Dannah: Can't say I needed that one more thing to do. 

Erin: This discussion already reminds me of one of my favorite moments with my oldest son, Eli. He was at school one day, and I decided to deep clean and rearrange his bedroom. I thought he would be thrilled. He walked in, opened the door to his bedroom and yelled, “I hate change!” Don't we all, Buddy, don't we all from next to other things? 

Well, today we have a lineup for you, a familiar guest, one. We all have one goal: we want to give you tips for remaining grounded in Christ. The name of the podcast, Grounded. When things around you are changing, because we know things around you are changing. We also have a significant announcement to make. 

We're not going to hold you in suspense for that after this episode. Grounded is going on pause for an undetermined amount of time, and this is the last episode that Dannah, Portia, and I will host together. Talk about a big change in each of our lives, and we recognize probably in your life too. We're going to let you in on the whys. We're not going to keep that a secret either. We're going to talk about the reasons we made that decision at the end of this episode.

Dannah: But first one thing we've long celebrated here on Grounded is that even when the news in the headlines or in our lives is unsettling, we can be grounded because God is good. There is always good news to share. Portia Collins, get on here, girl. You got any of that good news to spread today? 

8:45 - Good News (with Joy McClain)

Portia Collins: You know I do. I come ready all the time with good news. And if there is one woman I know who has navigated the changes of life well, it's Joy McClain. She wears many hats, but one hat that she's worn well for a few years now is being the leader of what we like to call the Grounded Underground. Isn't that a fancy name? This is a team of women who pray faithfully for Grounded and for you. We knew that we could not do this episode without her, so it is my joy to welcome back to Grounded, Joy McClain.

Joy McClain: Thank you, Portia, so good to be here today. So good.

Portia: I know, likewise. Okay, I'm gonna get straight to it. When we asked you to take on the responsibility of leading the prayer team, the Grounded prayer team, you said yes enthusiastically. You have been so devoted, but you've also been sensing the need to shift some priorities in this season. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? 

Joy: Yes, I have had a priority shift just because I have 11 grandchildren, number one. We still work a farm. But there's some things in my life that God is calling—get more back to my own writing. Some things that I need to do, in ministry. But I gotta say, those women that have prayed, this is an amazing force that this team has been. They have not only prayed for you—the hosts and the tech people, and all the people behind the scenes—they have so been on their knees in warfare, steady, earnest prayer for the listeners. When those concerns would come on the thread, they were all over it. It's been a joy and honor and a great privilege to serve alongside. So, I want to give them a deserved shout out! 

But yes, God has called me too into a new season, which I've been through many seasons. I'm always excited. I've learned don't be sad, but to be anticipating and excited about where He's going to take my hand and lead me next. 

Portia: Amen, I love that. I heard you say something as you were responding to this last question. You said that you have a farm joy. You know, I'm an inside girl. I live in the Mississippi Delta, but I am an inside girl. I've known that you live on a farm, and you really embrace the farm life. So what has God shown you about changing seasons through your farm life? 

Joy: Oh, that is everyday Portia. I feel like I get this beautiful opportunity to have a living, breathing Bible before me, because it is not just with seasons, but with livestock. You've got some babies, you've got some being weaned, you've got some being sold, and obviously crops that you grow. The seasons change is part of it. When we have the dormancy of winter, there's a time of rest and excitement of spring, when things come to life and turn green. We're just bursting in the summertime. In fall you're harvesting. Every single season has its own unique beauty, and that's just like the seasons of our life. It's not one is greater than the other.

Now, I've got all of these grandkids. I thought I had this season where my windows and my front door were actually clean between kids and grandkids. And now they're all smeared and sticky again, which I love. But I'm going to go back to what I say. I've learned to embrace, to trust the Lord. He is what I'm grounded in, not anything here on this earth, because it shakes and quakes and shifts under me all the time. But those seasons on the farm, oh, they are rich, rich, rich. I always say, “Come on down and let me show it to you. Let me prove it to you.” Emmy would love my baby, my lambs. Oh, we need to hook that girl up. 

Portia: Look, we gotta plan a trip. We need to come see you. I don't even think I've taken Emmy on a farm once. She's an inside girl like her mama. 

Joy: We need to change that. 

Portia: Yeah, yeah. So, Joy you've talked publicly about your marriage and some really hard seasons and some really beautiful seasons. You've navigated many different seasons of motherhood and grandmotherhood and laughing grandchildren. Wow, I want to be like that when I grow up. And your family has also had some truly difficult seasons the past couple of years, and I am sure also, coupled with that, some seasons of great joy. If you have learned one kernel of wisdom that you want to pass along to a woman who is facing a change in seasons, what would that be? 

Joy: I think, hold fast to Jesus. I think just what you see, what you feel, the hopelessness or despair you might be walking through . . . “Oh, Lord, is this it? Is this all there is in this life? What is coming?” What's waiting for us so far surpasses this. You know, after two minutes in heaven, we won't even remember this or think about this. And the bottom line truly is your relationship with Jesus. He is everything. 

I’ll tell you, in all these seasons . . . You know, my husband was a raging alcoholic for twenty-two years. I waited and prayed, and it was not a fun wait. It was very difficult. I know the grief, the anguish of losing a grandchild and watching my daughter go through that. I have an adopted son. I know what it's like to watch a child struggle through trauma and that healing. But through all of these things and actually just day to day stuff when I'm just annoyed, I have learned the most important thing is Jesus. 

I know we say that and we throw that out there, but no matter what . . . Any woman whoever's watching, and whatever your trial, or whatever it is right now that you're enduring that you think, God, do you hear? Do you see? Not only does God see and hear. He is using this very thing to make you bear His image brighter in a more clear way, not just for the world to see, but for you to fall more deeply in love with Him. There is nothing greater in this world than a relationship with Jesus.

Portia: Amen. You are speaking truth, truth, truth. It is something that I've been experiencing a lot in this season of my life. Life is hard. We’ve got ups and downs, but God is so good. He keeps us grounded no matter what comes our way. Thank you so much for reminding us of that. Thank you so much for leading the precious GroundedUnderground team. God has held us up through your prayers. And guess what? We think that is some of the best good news. 

Dannah: Amen, Portia. Amen. 

Portia: Thanks Dannah.

17:13 - Grounded with God's People (with Ray and Robyn McKelvy)

Dannah: Thanks, Portia. Thank you Joy for your prayers. What a blessing you are. Well, it's time to get grounded with God's people. With me today are Robyn and Ray McKelvy. They are the parents of count this up, seventeen children—seven in heaven and ten amazing souls here on earth. They are Lolly and Pops to several grandchildren. I don't know how many; we might find out in just a minute. The McKelvy’s were our featured recurring guests on Grounded until Robyn's strokes brought unexpected changes to their lives. We have watched them navigate that grounded in Christ. Welcome back to Grounded, Robyn and Ray.

Robyn and Ray McKelvy: Thank you.

Dannah: Ray. Why don't you go ahead? First of all, tell us, what is the tally on the grandchildren? I had a tally, but I'm pretty sure it's probably not up to date. Where are you now? 

Ray: We have seven grandsons. We don't have any granddaughters, and we have a daughter who is expecting right now. So, number eight is on the way.

Dannah: Do you know if that's a boy or a girl? 

Ray: They haven't found out. They want it to be a surprise. 

Dannah: Well, I hope it's a pink surprise.

Ray: We do too. 

Dannah: Ray, can you give us an update on where you guys are in this hard journey you've been on? 

Ray: Well, the whole thing of speaking about change is definitely something that we are experiencing. Initially, Robyn had five strokes. Our Grounded family’s familiar with that. But two months ago she suffered another stroke, and that just really set her back, maybe about a year back. It's in a different part of the brain. But you know, she is continually fighting forward. She can speak for herself now. She’s emotional right now. 

Dannah: I’ve got questions for Miss Robyn. 

Ray: I am trying to speak as she gathers her emotions. 

Dannah: I know, this is emotional for all of us. We love having you back here. Robyn, tell us, what has been the hardest change that you have faced through all of this?

Ray (to Robyn): What did you say? You said you were learning peace. Tell the emotional part. You can do it. 

Dannah: The emotional part is hard. Understand that. 

Ray: Take a deep breath. This is her first time speaking publicly. 

Dannah: She's saying no, no, right? I'm reading as a girlfriend. She's saying,”Baby, it's time for you to talk.”

I know one woman to another. What do you think's been the hardest thing for her, Ray?

Ray: Well, you know, I was asking her yesterday. Obviously, there's the physical challenges of being able to walk, being able to do a lot of the same things that she normally could. The hardest thing is her not being able to talk. 

Dannah: Yes.

Ray: And she has so much to say, you know?

Dannah: She’s nodding her head yes. We know. I mean, Erin sometimes calls herself a double type A woman. I would say Robyn McKelvy was up there in that category—moving, being, making things happen, hosting children, grandchildren, mentoring women. I imagine it's not just the talking, but just the doing. God slowing her down just has to be difficult. 

Ray: And you know, it's been amazing to us, because she is still who she has always been.

Dannah: Yeah, and we know that.

Ray: We just went through a church murder—which would take a whole other conversation. 

Dannah: Please explain. You can't just pass that. Are you saying someone in your church was killed? 

Ray: Oh, merger not murder.

Dannah: Merger! Oh, thank the Lord. Church merger. So, churches coming together and doing together. That’s a much better change, but still a difficult change nonetheless.

So how does that fit into all of this? 

Ray: Well, I was thinking with our church merger there everyone that's part of what I would consider the new church. They only know this Robyn.

Dannah: Yeah.

Ray: But here's the incredible thing. They have connected with her in so many ways I wouldn't have ever imagined. Because I'm like, “Yeah, but if you only knew me, everyone's old and is on a walker.” We merged with an older church. One of the things Robyn says…

Dannah: So, Robyn's sense of humor is still intact?

Ray: Absolutely. 

Dannah: Well, talk to the woman who's listening—the change she's experienced in her life has been sudden, severe, unwanted. Give her some Scripture. Give her some hope. What's kept you grounded? 

Ray: This is a passage out of Psalm 59, verse 16. It says, “But I will sing of your strength.” Because we can't sing in our own strength. It is just not there. But it says, 

I will sing of your strength,
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. 

For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
Oh, my Strength, I will sing praises to you.
for you, oh God, are my fortress. (vv. 16–17)

Yes, and we're learning every day that our strength is not in ourselves. It is not in our abilities. It's not in how well we can talk. It's not in how well we can be what we used to be. But our strength and our joy is in the Lord. And so, I know Robyn would say this if she could. For any woman who's going through a change that's unexpected or unwanted, to know that the joy of the Lord is your strength. 

Dannah: I love that. That's beautiful. When you talked about the fortress, I have to add this. I've been studying the concept of fortress in the Scriptures. I just went on a vacation with my husband for our anniversary. We got free tickets and a really good deal to go to Italy. There are fortresses everywhere.

Ray: Yes. 

Dannah: And that took me on a Scripture study of the word “”fortress.” Well, as God would have it, there were some sudden, unexpected changes in some things related to my husband's ministry that have left us reeling. I don't think you experience the fortress quality of God, except through sudden and severe changes that leave you reeling. It's the discomfort that makes you run to that fortress. But as I run to that fortress, I feel safe. I feel secure when I'm spending time in the Word, when I'm worshiping, as you just mentioned, when I'm lifting songs even in my heartache. I feel the fortress of God, and then I come out, and I do my life. I get away from the Lord, and I feel a little bit insecure and unsafe, but I run back to that fortress. What an invitation hard times and change can be for us to run back to that fortress. 

You guys have done that so well. As you've walked through this, you haven't skipped a beat in continuing to minister to us. Thank you for being here with us today. Robyn, we are still praying for you. We see you. We love you. The GroundedUnderground is praying for you, and the Groundedabove ground just got let loose. Because, let me tell you, the Grounded sisters love praying for you, and they'll continue to do that. God bless you. 

Ray: Thank you, guys. 

Dannah: Erin, we are already getting grounded in God's Word today. But would you take us even deeper? 

26:09 - Grounded in God's Word (with Erin)

Erin: I'm not going to rush past what we all just experienced. Grounded sisters, you've just been in the presence of true greatness. True greatness stands firm on the rock of Jesus, when life is hard, and stands firm on the rock of Jesus when life is unfair, and stands firm on the rock of Jesus when the enemy is winning battles that He doesn't deserve to win. You and I only know a fraction of what Joy McClain and Robyn and Ray McKelvy have endured during these years we've done Grounded. But they have done it with eyes on the prize and giving God all the glory and committed to the saints. I know that when they stand before the Lord, their reward is going to be great. That is rare and beautiful and worth emulating. 

So, Joy McClain, I love you. I'm a better follower of Jesus from being near you. Robyn and Ray, I love you. Don't tell my pastor this, but you are my pastor, Ray. I have grown so much under your shepherding. And Robyn, I am a woman more in love with my husband and more committed to my children because of you. I’m really, really grateful for your examples. 

Well, we're just going to cry through the rest of this. You can cry if you want to. I'm not going to apologize for my tears, because they are evidence of God doing a tremendous work in my life. Some of it's good, some of it's good hard, but all of it is ordained by His hand. So I'm going to follow Him as He leads me. We'll talk more about that changing season in a minute. 

But I did ask Dannah and Portia, would you let me have the honor of teaching one last time on Grounded? They're both gifted Bible teachers. I am confident they both would have loved this honor, but they're my sisters, and they granted me this opportunity, and I don't take it lightly.

So grab your Bible if you haven't already. It is our source of hope, and we're going to look at it together this morning. 

Change is constant. So, is God. Isn't that a comforting thought? 

As soon as we finish recording this episode of Grounded, I will turn off the lights and cameras I used to record grounded. I will celebrate the gifts and sacrifices of the Grounded team, who I have had the joy of serving beside week after week, month after month, year after year, for over 200 episodes. I will close my laptop. I will flip off the light switch in my little studio slash office. And I will head into a brand-new season of life, one that I am sure the Lord has ordained for me, so sure. But that doesn't mean that it isn't filled with countless unknowns. 

But I am not afraid. I am not spinning wildly out of control. I am not anxious about tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that. Because, you see, Grounded is not a podcast. It is a reality for those of us who live our lives on the granite foundation of Jesus. I'll tell you a little bit more in a moment about the changes in my life, but I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about Jesus. You've heard that over and over from our team. That's what Groundedhas always been about, and that is what Groundedis about as we make this transition. Jesus told us, of course, that we could build our lives on Him and be safe. 

Listen to Matthew 7:24–27 Jesus' words here. 

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. 

You know, there's many parts of the world. Joy was talking about her farm. I think Portia is our only non-farm girl. Dannah and I both live on little farms ourselves. So you do notice the implication of the seasons ordained by God. There's many parts of the world for which rain is a season. I'll talk about this as our rainy season. There are parts of the world where even floods are a season. There are parts of the world where windiness increases for a season. And by God's meticulous and sometimes mysterious design, those seasons of intensity are necessary for the coming seasons of abundance. But if your house is not built on the rock, any change of season will upend you, and here's why: because it will expose that your life was built on predictability, that your life was built on the false sense that you are in control. 

Is that shifting sand that your life was built on things going your way, according to your plan? Sand, every bit of it. It could never hold you up. So, if changes in your life have exposed that you are on a foundation of sand, it's actually a tremendous mercy. 

Did you notice whether you built your house on the rock or on the sand? The rain is coming; your house is going to get pummeled. You're going to be shook at one point or another. And God mercifully prepares you by exposing your sandy foundation. He's preparing you so that the next time the rain comes, you make a different choice, and you build your house on Him. 

We can be women of hope in every season. And man, what a witness to the world. That is women who are unshakably calm, as Dannah said in the opener. Not because we are so stoic, not because we are blind to what's happening around us, but we are unshakably calm in every season, in the midst of every change, because of who our life is built on. 

Listen again to Jesus' words from Matthew 7:24–25: 

Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man [You won't mind, I don't think, if I say wise woman] who built her house on the rock, and the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. 

Did not fall. What a beautiful thought. Did not fall. I can endure this changing season, but I'm not going to fall. I can endure this hard thing, but I'm not going to fall. I might feel like I'm in a free fall, but I'm not. I'm not going to fall. Why? Because my life is founded, grounded on the rock, and the rock is not a place. The rock is not a circumstance. 

Listen to Psalm 18:2. 

The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

I've been holding on to three little words out of Hebrews 1. They are this: “but he remains.” It's about Jesus and the fact that His throne will remain forever. His rule will remain forever. His love will remain forever. That's why He's our rock. That's why He's our fortress. Your body's going to change. You already know that you might need some neck cream. At some point, your job's going to change. Your family is going to change. I think probably for all of us, our families change in ways that we don't like. Our world is changing in ways none of us feel good about. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

And because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, His goodness and His mercy will dog us all the way to glory. His gifts are going to remain constant. You can bank on it. You can count on it. You can set your feet on the rock and be confident that your hope will not be put to shame, because hope is not a place. Hope is not an idea. Hope is not a platitude. Hope is a person, and we can build our life on Him. 

Jesus' character will remain constant. He cannot change. Not only will He cannot. Jesus' love will remain constant. It doesn't go up or down based on your circumstances. It's everlasting from before He poured the foundations of the world. He loves you. He always has. He always will. His will, will remain constant. His will is for you to know Him and love Him and share Him with others. Jesus is your source of hope and perspective, not the Groundedpodcast, all other ground is sinking sand.

It has been one of the great honors of my life to navigate this season with you, to pray for you, to hear from you, to teach you. I started saying I'm not a crier, and Dannah told me once, “Yeah, you are girl.” But I promise, I mostly just cry on Grounded. That's because God has blessed me with such a soft heart towards you. It has been a true honor to teach you, and I hope I've just pointed you to Jesus. Every chance I got you have been a profound source of joy to us. 

We love you, but you've never needed me to be grounded. You've never needed Dannah to be grounded. You've never needed Portia or Joy or Robyn and Ray or our stellar guests. You've never needed us to be grounded. I wouldn't want us to spend our final moments together pointing you to anything or anyone other than Jesus. He's worthy of our lives in every season, and He will be with us always, even to the end of the age. 

And guess what? Beyond that, when He ushers us into the New Jerusalem, we will see Him face to face. So He never leaves us, no matter what else changes. We have Jesus. He will be with you in every season. 

So, we're not quite ready to wrap up this episode, but I'd like to say something to you that we've said for more than 200 episodes, you can wake up with hope tomorrow and next week and next year and the next decade. Not because it's all going to go according to your plan. God forbid that life goes according to our plan. And not because change will not come, it will. But because Jesus is already there, and He is our rock. 

So, I'd like to pray for you. It's not one last time. I will continue to pray for you, and you will continue to pray for me. Those things go on forever. They never come to an end. But in this way, in this format, things are going to change. So I want to just pray for you,

Jesus. I pray for every woman who hears my voice. I pray that she would build her house on the rock. I pray that if she has built her house on the shifting sand, that she would see the tide come in, that she would see it washed away, and that she would rebuild on the only thing that doesn't change, and that's You, Lord. I pray that for me. I pray that for every person who's been on this episode. I just pray it for women everywhere. Lord, help us to build our lives on You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You, Jesus, that You never change. Where would we be apart from that hope, 

Lord, we love You, and we want to live our lives built on You. It's in Your name I pray, amen. 

Portia, I don't know how you’re doing emotionally, but you’ve got a job to do. 

Portia: You know, I have a profound sense of peace. I'm carrying my sadness in one hand, but my joy in the other hand. They are not mutually exclusive. So, I just praise God for the word that you, that the Lord just used you to bring to us. Thank you Erin Davis. I love you. 

Erin: I love you so much. 

Portia: Well, it's time for us to give you the good stuff. Listen, y'all already know you already got the good stuff. There's not much more that I can add to this good stuff that you've received today, but we always want to point you to ways that you can stay grounded in God's Word. 

Today, we want to point you to the old faithful, the Revive Our Hearts podcast. For more than twenty years, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has been helping women to find freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ by teaching from God's Word. Revive Our Hearts will be on the air and in your podcast feed tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. We hope that you will be listening and learning and growing in your walk with Jesus tomorrow and forevermore. 

So go ahead and subscribe to the Revive Our Hearts app. Make sure you get it on your podcast feed. If you can get it on your radio, I think there's something nostalgic about listening to it on the radio, but tune in. You can listen at ReviveOurHearts.com. I pray that the Lord will richly bless you through what you hear. Now, Dannah and Erin, you promised to share a bit about why this is the last episode of Grounded for the time being. So do tell, tell me your business. 

40:50 - Special Announcement & Closing Goodbyes

Erin: I'm happy to give you my business. 

Dannah: Time to spill the tea. 

Erin: Spill the tea. We did tell you we'd let you in on some of the reasons. I never profess to know everything God's doing in any given moment, but I think we have some insight of why Grounded is going on pause, so we want to do that now. It's not really one reason, it's more of an ongoing conversation, one that has happened over many, many months, with a lot of prayer and a lot of discussion and a lot of seeking wise counsel. 

But I'll let Dannah go first. I like to push her to the front of the line. Dannah, this decision kind of began with you more than a year ago. You shared with the team about some limitations you were feeling. Can you tell us more about that? 

Dannah: Well, it's change—changes that we have to look at and pivot to respond to, as the Lord would want us to. When we started Grounded, I was a brand-new grandma, twins Addie and Zoe. Many of you prayed us through the NICU. I’m telling you, those little ladies whose lungs were precarious at birth can scream and make some noise in Nanna Dannah’s house! 

Erin: Praise God. 

Dannah: They're headed off to kindergarten, and we have had two more grandchildren since then, what I'm discovering is that leaving a legacy of faith in their lives takes time. So rather than continuing in what was our empty nest freedom, that was a few years, you know, just of not the fingerprints on the windows. We had a lot of freedom for a few years between empty nest and grandchildren. Well, that's gone. 

Now, if we're going to pick up the mantle of helping our children plant truth in the lives of those grandchildren, we want to do that at the same time my husband was kind of probably in our last decade of full-time ministry. I actually don't believe the Bible speaks much to retiring, so I don't plan to retire. But I do recognize that my body will change, and in about ten years, we will probably be doing a whole lot less. But there's one more dream, one more vision my husband has, and I'm his helper. And so those two things were just creating some bandwidth changes in my life. I was coming to you, I was coming to some of the other leadership at Revive Our Hearts, and saying, “Something has to give here. I'm not quite sure what it is,” but the conversation progressed. 

So, I asked you, Erin, this summer, since it had been almost a year. I was feeling that tension. Could we possibly have this past summer off—the months of June, July, August of 2024 from producing the weekly program as we normally do. That's what ended up in us pre-producing some previously recorded programs into what you heard this past summer. It was beautiful. But we ended up producing more than some programs. The rest produced something in your heart, Erin. 

Erin: Yeah, looking back, I can see God's preparation in pieces that I didn't even know were preparation. He's so faithful. But God's been speaking loudly to my heart for many months, maybe longer than that, about the need to really prioritize first things. My relationship with Jesus is a first thing. My husband, Jason, whom I adore, loving him and being his helper is a first thing. And my sons—Eli, Noble, Judah and Ezra—they're a first thing. He's really been convicting me about stewarding what I have better than I have been. 

There have been some object lessons I think I've shared here that felt like the Lord led me to give up shopping entirely for the year. And now eight months into that, I can see that that was about learning stewardship and about learning how to take care of what God has already put in my hands, instead of are always wanting more and new and shiny. Grounded is a beautiful thing, but it's not a first thing in my life. I know you're feeling some of that same tension, Dannah, and you too, probably, Portia. 

Then a job opportunity came my way. So I will be leaving my full-time position at Revive Our Hearts. I'll be staying connected to the ministry in many ways, but I'm moving to a position at Moody Publishers that is a great fit for my gift. But it's also a good fit for the season of parenting that I'm in. I just really need to keep the main thing, the main thing. My sons are becoming men before my very eyes, and I know I don't get another shot. I've never parented young men before. They need my hands and feet a little less. I'm not making every snack and cutting up hot dogs and all that. But man, do they need my mind. They need me to be present. That's been hard for me because of how many plates I've been spinning. 

So, I read a quote this week that said, “Your new life is going to cost you your old one.” And that's the challenge of it. I know that God is moving me into a new season. I know that He's honored by me putting first things first. He's been so faithful to confirm that. He's giving me a beautiful opportunity to make better choices than I have in the way that I prioritize my time and energy. But it's uncomfortable at times as changing seasons often are. 

But what I see in the Word is that God does call us to things in seasons. There aren't examples of people in Scripture other than Jesus, whose mission, you know, was to save the world. For all of us, the call is real, and it's clear, and it's a season. There are so many people in the Bible that they just disappear off our pages. That doesn't mean that they walked away from the Lord, or they had a moral failure, or God stopped using them. It just means that was a season. 

Part of being obedient to the Lord is when He changes the season, I go with Him, and I don't dig in so much and get entrenched in something that I won't follow Him. So, He's doing a lot—change of job, change of responsibilities, really speaking to me about how I order my days. But it's all really good. He's in all of it, and I'm grateful. 

Dannah: Well, we've blessed your transition, Erin. We can't let go without some grief. You probably wouldn't want us to. Nobody's over here saying, “Shoo that Erin Davis.” You wouldn't want that. So, there are some tears as you move out of our full-time team. But also, it has been just so good for me to have a front row seat to see that this whole Revive Our Hearts team is the real thing, because there's not a single person that I haven't heard speak blessing over your life and this decision that you're making.

Erin: That's because they want me to live what I've taught, and more than what I've taught, they want me to live what the Bible teaches. I'm grateful, Dannah, you sent me a special gift this week. I feel like I should tell the Grounded sisters. By mail Dannah sent me cookies and ice cream and the sweetest note about how when we're sad, sometimes we’d eat some cookies and ice cream. When we celebrate, sometimes we’d eat some cookies and ice cream. Both can be true. It doesn't mean you're on the wrong path. So, I haven't eaten any of that yet, because it's special.

Dannah: You do know you're supposed to make ice cream sandwiches out of them?

Erin: Yes, I got that idea, but I'm going to, I'm going to. I love that we can celebrate and be sad at the same time. That honors the word bittersweet. 

Dannah: Portia, you're not facing a major life change the same way that Erin and I are right now, or some of the pain points in terms of time and capacity. Although, who am I kidding? Every woman everywhere is facing some pain points with time and capacity, but the Lord is shifting us to make some changes. But losing Grounded stings a bit for you. What are you going to do to stay grounded? 

Portia: I'm gonna take the liberty to tell this quick story, simply because no one can kick me off of Grounded—guys, laugh. Erin has heard me tell this parking garage story when I go to the airport. Previously, I loved parking in the parking garage. And so, one day I got there and you can't park here. And I was like, livid. It was packed. They had blocked it off. They said you’ve got to park in the side parking lot. So, I go in a park in the side parking lot that I had never considered doing. And honestly, it was a much better fit. It was a quicker walk. I got to take the shuttle to the airport instead of walking and dragging all of my bags and everything. 

And so, I have been, likening this moment to God pushing me out of the parking garage. Because I was like, “I can record like 400 more episodes. I'm great.” So, yes, this does sting a little bi. But God is sovereign over all things, over change. While I've grown so much through Groundedand I've loved every episode. I started this when Emmy was a baby. She'd be crying in the background, and now I got a barking dog in the background. But I have been so blessed by this experience, and it has been sanctifying. 

Of course, I'll still be here at Revive Our Hearts serving our Revive Partners, but I don't really know what else is next for me. I just know that God is pushing me out the parking garage and maybe going over to the side parking lot is exactly what He wants me to do. I probably would not have done it on my own. So I am just holding life with open hands and an open heart. However God leads, I will follow. 

Erin: Man. It's beautiful. Portia, thanks for sharing that story. Groundedstarted during COVID. I know we all like to pretend that COVID didn't happen, but it did. It happened to the whole world, and that's where Grounded was started. That was a season when we needed a daily dose of hope and perspective in a unique way, and we've adapted through the years. 

But it's time for a new season. We do need and desire to live what we've proclaimed for so many episodes, which is that you don't need a podcast to stay grounded. You need Jesus and His Word if you have given your life to Him. If you haven't, He's with you, and His Word is always there for you to open and find that hope and perspective. 

Portia: Amen. Amen. So, as we wind down this special episode, we want to tell you what a blessing you are to us. I can't say that without smiling really big, because we love you Grounded girls. We love watching you live your lives for Jesus. 

Dannah: We sure do want to say thank you for being a part of our lives and for letting us be a part of yours. That's not going to change. We are still writing books. We're still cheering you on. We're still praying for you. I'm still going to be on the daily Revive Our Hearts flagship program. I hope you'll join me over there every single day. But this was never about us. No, in fact, let's say it together. Girls . . .

Erin: Wait a minute before we do. Let's get Robyn and Ray and joy back on. I feel like we need all the faces on the screen. Then let's do it together. One last time together. You start Dannah.

Dannah: You can wake up with hope . . .

Portia: . . . and perspective.

Erin: And because of Jesus, no matter what changes come, you can stay grounded in Him. We love you. Goodbye. 

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