Hi, everybody and welcome to the messy table, which we like to say is an ordinary space for real

women, imperfect stories, and the God who's at work in our mess. I'm Jen Jewel, the host of this

faith-fueled conversation-style podcast, which airs a brand new episode every other Tuesday.

And today I have my great friend and co-hosts here with me, the incredible Cindy Beale.

If you happen to miss her

powerful story of redemption that happened within her marriage, do yourself a favor, go back and

listen to episode 11, and you will not regret it. Y'all, we are partnered with the women of

our church, Life Church, where our husbands happen to be on staff, where we're also huge fans

of the U-Version Bible app, because hello, it's free,

and with us at all times on our phones.

And our very favorite thing is locking arms

with brave women from all over the capital C church

who willingly and courageously

share some of those raw pieces of their own stories

so that we might take a deep breath of truth and encouragement.

So have you ever heard that story Jesus told about scattering seeds?

Back in his day, most of the people listening were either farmers or fishermen.

So this analogy made perfect sense.

Basically, the seeds represent God's word.

Some of which fell on a path.

Some on shallow dirt with rocky ground. Others fell in the middle of thorns that choked out the plant so they couldn't fully grow. And finally, some

thrived abundantly in good, healthy soil. Well, Jesus went on to explain the backstory of this

...