The Light In Us – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we talk about gratitude for the unexpected, the strain we sometimes feel and its purpose, weakness, the natural and physical man, and accessing God's love that in turns helps us to feel it for ourselves – inclusive of our weakness.

Erin shares a recent experience of feeling disconnected and doing the important work of discovering where she was needing to be heard, seen, and understood. In addition, she was able to identify the incredible gifts that came as a result of some of her wounds, and beautifully demonstrates how Christ makes weak things become strong.

Please note, in this episode two sacred stories are shared: one involves the suicide of a family member and the other is an experience with abuse. Specific or graphic details are not discussed, and both are shared with Christ at the center and demonstrate his healing and transcendent power.

In this powerful and vulnerable episode, Corey shares his conversion story, his recent focus on stillness, and how Christ experienced all of our suffering and overwhelming joy.

Erin recounts the sacred experience she and her family went through after her oldest sister passed due to mental illness and suicide.

Corey then shares an account of a healing experience he had which took him back to his childhood where he was the victim of an act of abuse.

We talk of the power of God that heals, the importance of sharing our sacred experiences, and the ways we move toward Zion.

See artwork by Corey Strange here:

https://www.instagram.com/corey_strange_fine_art/

@Corey_Strange_Fine_Art

We loved having our dear friend Tara on the podcast. She discusses her recent scripture study about the heart – that the condition of the heart is what determines everything.

We discuss what it means to have an open, soft, or broken heart, the laws of sacrifice and consecration, love as the core of all attributes, seeking revelation to know the mind and will of God, what it means to boldly approach the throne of God as a child, and more.

Tara shares insights about the allegory of the olive tree from Jacob 5 and the story of the creation as a pattern for what happens internally in us.

We talk about what it can look like to experience joyful repentance and the importance of discerning voices – separating the lies from the truth – and moving towards perfection, meaning complete awareness and intention.

We were delighted to have our friend Christie join us for a conversation about learning how to hear the voice of the Spirit, her decision to travel the world with the intention of reconnecting with God, and the valuable lessons she gained and continues to learn through life's experiences.

We touch on concepts such as obedience to the letter and the spirit of the law, prayer & answers, facing our unbeliefs, asking with faith, the layers of meaning of God's words, and waiting upon the Lord.

Hello! We're your hosts, Erin and Michael Allen. In this episode, we share the story of how we created our family crest and purpose – the beauty-for-ashes experience of how job insecurity led to a weekend of possibility and clarity.

We dive into some of our specific guiding principles and why they are important to us, such as:

• Thoughts and words have power to create
• Always be honest; the whole truth is safe
• A little plus often equals a lot
• God is in the details of our lives

If you're interested in doing your own crest and purpose, we have created guides for ⁠individuals⁠ and ⁠families⁠ which are available to listeners for free. If you'd like to have it designed so you can print it out, you can find ⁠more info here⁠.

Thank you for gathering with us.

Welcome to the Light In Us podcast. We are your hosts, Erin and Michael Allen, and our intention is to learn together to partner with Christ and create a light-filled life.

We desire to have deep conversations that get to the substance of faith, spirituality, and growth as individuals, families, and communities.

In our daily journey of progressing in light and truth, we will also stumble through darkness and deception. We explore our relationship with God, with the plan, and with struggles and victories.

Our hope is that these conversations can uplift, edify, and strengthen those who are seeking deeper connection and building Zion – in our hearts, homes, and communities. 

In this conversation with Laura Farr, we discuss the sacredness of creativity, the creative cycle, the joy of creativity as well as the loneliness, doubt and discouragement that can emerge in the process.

Laura shares insights about the "pit" where we can get stuck or give up, and how to become gently and compassionately more aware of our own thoughts and limiting beliefs. We can utilize prayer, bridge thoughts, visualizations, and even petitioning God for help in our sleep and dreams to help us connect, create, and progress.

She reminds us that we are all creators as children of the Supreme Creator, and that we get the opportunity to connect and collaborate with God in our creative work, which in reality permeates all aspects of our lives.

To learn more about Laura and her creative coaching: https://www.laurafarrcreates.com/

In this episode, Mandy Smith shares her story from falling in love with weight training in her youth to feeling like she had to become thin based on societal and cultural expectations. She transitioned into powerlifting and became more aware of our relationship with, our judgments about, and the language we use about our bodies.

Learning how to love her body and strengths, she felt impressed to open a gym with a culture and community that is welcoming, inclusive, and counter to the undesirable norms of gym culture.

On this path, she has developed a deeper love for people in any body, to embrace the marginalized, to help others learn how to love themselves.

We continue to discuss with Joseph Brickey and Niki Covington themes of the inner child and what it means to become as a little child, rebirth and becoming new creatures, references to Joseph's and Niki's religious artwork for temples, and ideas on worship and temples.

Here is Joseph Brickey's website:

https://www.josephbrickey.com/

And Niki Covington's website:

https://nikicovington.com/

We were blessed to be joined by Joseph Brickey and Niki Covington who are each accomplished artists and have created many pieces individually and in collaboration for temples all over the world.

In our conversation, we discuss the symbolism of art and expression, the exoteric and esoteric, and Joseph shares the idea of the "mesoteric," or the bridge between them, and that Christ is the Mediator who brings all things together in one.

Insights and ideas are shared on doing the deep internal and the external work, creating sacred and safe spaces, stillness in being focused on Christ, the symbolism of the navel as related to our center and concentric growth, emptiness or nothing as representing all possibility, drawing nearer to the Lord, and more.

Here is Joseph Brickey's website:

https://www.josephbrickey.com/

And Niki Covington's website:

https://nikicovington.com/