Hey everyone. My name is Justina Stevens and I'm the art director for the

Caves just Birds. We just released our fifth volume of Cultivate called The

Art of Connection. We are so excited for you to receive encouragement and

tools to help you in your day-to-day relationships with family. In this

podcast I got to sit down with Melissa and ask her about how she's personally worked out what healthy

connection looks like with God and people.

Much of what she shares is featured in the content of volume five. My hope is that this podcast would leave you

inspired to practice the art of connection.

So my first question for me most is why is connection with others important beyond our relationship with God?

I'm glad you asked just to you.

I'm just kidding I have to get out so funny. I mean I think it goes

back to even if you read Genesis 1, it's full of closeness and space.

And so I think when you look at the creation of man and woman and the separating of it that God, creator, father, in the beginning, very intentionally on purpose, said it's not good for you to be alone it's good for you to need somebody and

I think that in that like you just see the heart of a creator that's thought through human connection.

He said I'm going to create space so that I can create need and I'm going to pull you apart because actually it's not this isn't good and I want I want it to be good. I think that's a profound part of even reading like

that God Creator even had enough read it identity to say good good good not good you know and and in

that not good he's like I'm gonna I'm gonna actually change the plan is what I read you know like I know

we don't like to think like that but scripture kind of points that way like I'm gonna

create like mmm this isn way, like I'm gonna create, like,

hmm, this isn't good, actually.

I'm gonna pull you apart, I'm gonna create distance

so that I can create need.

...