Finding the Beauty in God’s Creation: Amy Kennedy & David Degler and John Sowers
06/30/22 • 26 min
As we celebrate the origins of America with 4th of July events, it’s a great time to reflect on the beauty of God’s earth, the people He created, and the ways we are gifted to serve and be served by others. Amy Kennedy and David Degler are part of a ministry called A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, formed to meet the faith needs of national park employees while also helping visitors find the most beautiful manifestations of God’s creation in the parks. John Sowers is an author who developed a love for writing when his grandmother wrote him weekly letters while he was away at college. He carried that legacy forward by writing special letters to his daughters, which he shares in his latest book entitled Say All the Unspoken Things.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Rick Steves
Upcoming interview: Sara Gruber
A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
Interview Quotes:
“That summer, I learned so much about who I was, what God was calling me to, how to love people, and just really opened my mind for a bigger world.” - Amy Kennedy
“The heartbeat of [the ministry] is that we would provide a space for people to use the national parks landscape and the beauty that's there to reflect the love of this great Creator.” - Amy Kennedy
“Our team members are intentionally working on their own leadership development while trying to be a great example of Christ in the place that they live, work, and serve.” - Amy Kennedy
“I left that summer, and I realized what ministry should be. It's not sitting behind a pulpit and speaking to people that you never interact with. It's being a part of a community, showing up daily, interacting with them, getting to know them, and figuring out how to share Christ's love through your actions on the smallest level.” - Amy Kennedy
“Writing to me has just been a real blessing and a real fulfilling thing that I feel like that's why I was put on the earth.” - John Sowers
“I have a whole stack of these beautifully cursive written letters from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. And so it's been really neat to be from a family of letter writers and then get to carry on that tradition to write these letters to my daughters.“ - John Sowers
“Do my friends know how much I love them? Am I holding on to grudges? Have I expressed my full heart to my children or to my spouse or parents? Have I said all the unspoken things to them? ” - John Sowers
“[When I lost my mother and grandmother] I had some really great friends who showed up for me and who helped point me to God and, in some ways, helped be the hands and feet of God to me.” - John Sowers
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
As we celebrate the origins of America with 4th of July events, it’s a great time to reflect on the beauty of God’s earth, the people He created, and the ways we are gifted to serve and be served by others. Amy Kennedy and David Degler are part of a ministry called A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, formed to meet the faith needs of national park employees while also helping visitors find the most beautiful manifestations of God’s creation in the parks. John Sowers is an author who developed a love for writing when his grandmother wrote him weekly letters while he was away at college. He carried that legacy forward by writing special letters to his daughters, which he shares in his latest book entitled Say All the Unspoken Things.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Rick Steves
Upcoming interview: Sara Gruber
A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
Interview Quotes:
“That summer, I learned so much about who I was, what God was calling me to, how to love people, and just really opened my mind for a bigger world.” - Amy Kennedy
“The heartbeat of [the ministry] is that we would provide a space for people to use the national parks landscape and the beauty that's there to reflect the love of this great Creator.” - Amy Kennedy
“Our team members are intentionally working on their own leadership development while trying to be a great example of Christ in the place that they live, work, and serve.” - Amy Kennedy
“I left that summer, and I realized what ministry should be. It's not sitting behind a pulpit and speaking to people that you never interact with. It's being a part of a community, showing up daily, interacting with them, getting to know them, and figuring out how to share Christ's love through your actions on the smallest level.” - Amy Kennedy
“Writing to me has just been a real blessing and a real fulfilling thing that I feel like that's why I was put on the earth.” - John Sowers
“I have a whole stack of these beautifully cursive written letters from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. And so it's been really neat to be from a family of letter writers and then get to carry on that tradition to write these letters to my daughters.“ - John Sowers
“Do my friends know how much I love them? Am I holding on to grudges? Have I expressed my full heart to my children or to my spouse or parents? Have I said all the unspoken things to them? ” - John Sowers
“[When I lost my mother and grandmother] I had some really great friends who showed up for me and who helped point me to God and, in some ways, helped be the hands and feet of God to me.” - John Sowers
________________________
Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Letting Go
This monthly special edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they learned to let go, start over, and find healing from difficult situations. Sometimes we may not understand why we face times in our lives when we need to move on and begin anew. Letting go of something we’ve been a part of for a long time—good or bad—can be painful. Letting go of relationships, whether through a loss or through changing circumstances can be especially heartbreaking. Many of the stories you’ll hear in this episode are from those who responded to either dire situations where letting go was required, or who purposefully chose to start something new that led them to a place where they could fully discover who God wanted them to be.
Links To Full EpisodesBrett & Brad Warren
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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Next Episode
Living in the Present Moment with God: Jim Sonefeld and Sara Gruber
Recent attention to mindfulness through the popularity of prayer and meditation apps reminds us how important it is to stay in the present with God. Our perspective is transformed when we are more able to recognize God in each moment. Scripture backs up this premise with the statement “pray without ceasing.” [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV]. When we open our hearts to the presence of God in every moment, we begin to look at life differently. Today's guests both pay special attention to the present by emphasizing the importance of a daily walk with Jesus. Both wrestle with conditions that require ongoing attention. Jim Sonefeld, drummer for the rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, addresses his alcoholism on a daily basis, noting that his spiritual growth blossomed, "When [he] made that decision to practice a daily surrender, a daily prayer, [and] a daily devotion." Our second guest, Sara Gruber, deals with chronic disease. After the initial and very scary discovery, she has found that the daily impact of an ongoing illness presses her into a complete dependence upon God.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: John Hill
Upcoming interview: David and Tamela Mann
Interview Quotes:
“My first experience meeting Hootie and the Blowfish [was] a great enactment of love—unconditional love, giving, and using their position on stage to influence--giving to somebody who really needed it.” - Jim Sonefeld
“In a rare moment of motivation, I decided to face the truth, the truth that I was not in control of my life. And I needed to ask someone else for help.” - Jim Sonefeld
“I needed to go out and follow Jesus. And that led me to bringing my spiritual music to audiences—smaller audiences than I was used to—and giving them a message of hope and redemption.” - Jim Sonefeld
“All of that busyness, I couldn't do it anymore. And it was just me and God and John and the girls and we had to figure out a new life, a new way to approach things, a shift in our household.” - Sara Gruber
“Nobody understands what it's like to live inside my body except God and I, and it led me to this complete dependance on God. I could explain all of my symptoms. I could explain what I felt and what I was going through. But I felt like God was the one I was living it with.” - Sara Gruber
“I've spent a great part of my life being a caretaker and now I have to learn how to receive care and receive it with grace and know that in some way I am gifting others by allowing them to care for me.” - Sara Gruber
“Isn't it so amazing when you have those moments, those little brilliant moments where you have these small miracles that maybe aren't so small, and you realize that God worked this just for you, all these little things that we take for granted?” - Sara Gruber
“I absolutely believe in the power of pra...
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