Jesus Said Love – Details, episodes & analysis

Emily hosts author and leader Ashlee Eiland live at Fabled bookshop about her new book: Say Good - speaking across hot topics, complex relationships, and tense situations. Ashlee talks about discerning your own unique voice and how to use it by laying out a four part process. She explains it’s a lot like walking a tightrope. Ashlee is a wise and loving leader who is fascinated by people, words, leadership, faith and justice.

Brett & Emily host Baylor alumni, writer and spiritual director Claire McKeever Burgett for a conversation about her latest book, Blessed are The Women: Naming and Reclaiming Women’s Stories from the Gospels. Claire shares her journey from justice work into liturgy, poetry and finding her authentic voice and the power of believing women. Topics include: liturgy, patriarchy, women, faith, belief, song.

Oof. This week has been a doozy around the Mills family home. We lost our beloved Bear, a big mini Aussie, who saw us through so much life and heartache (you have probably even heard him on the podcast barking a time or two, saving us from mailmen). Bear had surgery after an obstruction from eating underwear (yep, anyone else have a dog who does this?) and could not recover. It was excruciating to witness Bear's suffering post op and eventually his death. Mornings have been hard and teary as my sidekick is gone. Our little Bruce (1 year) is left behind and has struggled to eat and find his own way without his big bother to lead. Everyone of us would say we have survived some sort of heartache, but how many of us are bold enough to name it trauma? I get it. The word “trauma” has become trivialized in some ways. We know more about it today, there’s more education than ever before on the topic of trauma and often when this happens we become desensitized to it. The truth is, there are all sorts of traumas, little “t” traumas (microagressions, moments of fear and panic, stitches in the knee) and big “T” traumas (fires, death, divorce, natural disasters, physcial, sexual, emotional, spiritual abuse). Funny thing is, sometimes our body doesn’t always know the difference if we’ve not acknowledged our heartache. This week, Cathy Loerzel of the Allender Center, guides us through the topic of her new book with Dr. Dan Allender, Redeeming Heartache, how past suffering reveals your true calling. This book explores the archetypes of Orphan, Stranger and Widow and their transformed roles of Priest, Prophet, and King/Queen.  Brett and I have gone through this book with our small group and it’s been a beautiful journey of sharing stories, insight, and witnessing one another’s pain but also potential.  For me, the journey of grieving my own myriad of unique traumas has provided a more integrated connection to my work at Jesus Said Love and Lovely - it’s also exposed my failures and shortcomings.  Cathy encourages us to look at our stories of heartache with faith, hope and love wrapped up in the kindness of God.  Want to get a FREE copy of the book? Share this post on instagram, tag @jesussaidlove as well as another friend, and you’ll be entered to win! Winners will be announced by Friday ¾ via instagram.  All the LOVE! Emily and Brett

Summer Shine, owner of Luna Juice Bar and founder of Sunshine Recovery Home in Waco sits down for a candid interview on life, addiction, recovery and restoration. SHOW NOTES: Perpetual Help Home  is a Christian based restorative justice organization assisting women in breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness through making life changes, regardless of race, color, or creed. Sunshine Recovery House is a long-term housing for women in the early stages of recovery from addiction Luna Juice Bar was founded by Summer Shine, and it was the first micro-loan that Lovely Enterprises funded. Summer’s business' mission to "Help People. Get Healthy." Song: Worth The Fight is a song written by Brett and Emily Mills. Find Summer on Instagram @lunajuicebar and @sunshinerecoveryhouse!

Who are we? What do we do? Why are we Here? Treasures is a unique, faith-based outreach and support group for women in the sex industry. The mission is to reach, restore, and equip women in the sex industry and victims of sex trafficking to live healthy, flourishing lives, and train others to do the same across the globe. Access is a holistic training program aimed at gaining access to power, influence and opportunity for individuals exiting the commercial sex industry.  Lovely Enterprises is the social enterprise of Jesus Said Love aimed at reducing recidivism into the sex trade through sustainable products, female empowerment programs, and micro-loans to survivors.  Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative effort to combat human trafficking in the Heart of Texas region.  Stop Demand School is an 8 hour intervention and diversion class for those individuals who have been arrested for prostitution. Upon completion of the course, participants receive a certificate of completion to submit to the their attorney or the court.  brett@jesussaidlove.com emily@jesussaidlove.com Insta: @lovewaco @bamills @jesussaidlove @lovelyenterprises

Hi, we're Brett and Emily. In 2004 we started an organization to reach those impacted by the commercial sex industry called Jesus Said Love. In this episode, we're talking about where it all began.

I think there are stories we hear and wonder, “How would I survive that?” Loosing a child, surviving a natural disaster, loosing everything to a fire, and of course - cancer. Brett & I go way back with Chris and Julie to old college days. You’ll even hear Chris reference a song he remembers me singing at our large group Bible Study. We didn’t know each other, but knew of each other. Our lanes in ministry intersected here and there like kids bumping elbows between classes at school. I kept up with them through Instagram and knew they had left their church position and headed to LA for a new start, then…like a freight train hitting a stalled car on the track, Julie was hit with stage four breast cancer. She has beat it now, twice. And in the midst of loosing their church family in Oklahoma they found themselves wading through the swamp of cancer searching for healing. What they found was a new understanding of family. A miracle in the wasteland.  Chris and Julie now host a podcast and are writing a book called “Finding Family”. I think you’re going to be inspired and also challenged to accept what feels totally unacceptable so that a new way of living emerges.  Cheers to all of us finding family in the most unexpected places.

This one was for the MAMA’S!!! I said it on the show and I’ll say it again: I feel like this was a book I both needed and one I could have written. My journey in motherhood was not necessarily untraditional, but it was uncommon. I both worked and stayed home, we danced to a nonconformist rhythm. As my children were born, I was also birthing the ministry of Jesus Said Love, leading worship around the country and the world, and writing/recording music with Brett. Hattie and Lucy (our older girls) were often on the road with us, sleeping in small college dorm rooms for summer camps, getting to know different nannies, and being nursed at truck stops and airports along the way. When Gus came along we didn’t travel as much but our ministry to women in the sex industry grew and our time leading worship locally became routine. Weeknight band rehearsals and home visits to women from the clubs, Friday night club outreaches and Sunday soundchecks for Brett and I at 7am meant all three kids were backstage in pj’s where a hearty breakfast of donuts, juice boxes and peppermints abounded. Along my road I would have several Southern women say, “I love that your calling is to ministry to women in the sex industry, mine is to be a mom.” My mouth would swallow the shame and my gut would regurgitate it as rage: My calling to women did not nullify my calling as a mom. Where did this asinine hogwash come from in the church? Motherhood and ministry are not antithetical, but rather a beautiful paradox that we live within. I do hope this conversation gives you beautiful freedom and a deep breath as a mom.  Cheers to rewilding motherhood!

Brett and Emily visit with Carlos regarding his amazing work in Puerto Rico. Visit The Happy Givers.

Season 4 is here and we’re headed in new directions! Join us for this intro episode and hear about the new places we hope to go. New for this season is the JSL Podcast subscription. Become a subscriber and get special perks and video versions of the podcast episodes! This first episode is available to all listeners…head to JesusSaidLovePodcast.com and subscribe today!