My Tennessee Table- Meet the Hosts! (Part 1)

Hi there! And welcome to My Tennessee Table! This is a podcast hosted by two friends and neighbors, who both happen to be former pastors, who love Jesus and want to encourage you and your walk with Lord. We have real conversations about what it means to follow Jesus in this amazing and sometimes messy life. We're so glad you're at our Tennessee Table! We've been expecting you!
On today's episode, Juli tells the story behind her inspiration for this podcast, and how God brought Lele, the co-host, into the My TN Table podcast adventure! Wrapping up with Juli sharing a few personal joys and some hard places God has walked with her. 

Transcript

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Hi. Welcome to my Tennessee table. This is a podcast hosted by two friends and neighbors who both happen to be former pastors who love Jesus and want to encourage you and your walk with the Lord. My name's Lely and I'm here with my co-host. Julie. We are neighbors. And friends. And we are so excited. We are that. This is our first episode of my Tennessee table. Mm-Hmm. The podcast that we get to do together, which is just such a joy. It is a joy and a great story how it happens. We're gonna share that a little bit Yes. How we got here, So well with that, let's just get started. Okay. You wanna jump in, Julie? Yep. Let's do it. Okay. So here's our first question is gonna go out to Julie Mm-Hmm. And so, Julie, tell us. What inspired you to start this podcast and what are, what are you hoping to get out of this? What are you hoping the listeners will get outta this? What are you hoping you and me will get out of this? Yeah. Okay. Well I'm gonna do the short version of that. We may visit the longer version later. In episodes, but, goodness, it could have been maybe six months ago, probably the thought of a podcast Had come to mind and I kind of tossed it around with my husband, what we would do, what we could do. And we, have recently moved to Tennessee Yeah. In the last two years. And so, and I love everything Tennessee Southern, I've really embraced it, like sweet tea and pimento cheese and all that great stuff. I loved it. And so, I thought The first thought I should back up was around the southern table. Yeah. So what would that be? All the good things that's generated around the table. That's good food. It's conversation. it's good ideas. but then as I kind of traveled that road a little bit, I had a few friends, you what included, which maybe we'll share that story. That, kept saying, Julie, that's great. I mean, that's a great idea, but where's Jesus in all this? Mm-Hmm. And I was like, well, he kind of works himself in there, you know? No matter, um, what the questions or how we kind of guide the questions, and then I thought it would be interview style and I had some interviews lined up and actually had recorded some Mm-Hmm. And then realized there's a lot of weeks in the year. It's a lot of interviews to try to a lot line up for the year. So I thought, uh, maybe I do every other week. Maybe I do once a month. And I thought maybe a cohost is a great idea. And so, I put a pause on the direction and content of the Tennessee table. Mm-Hmm. And then prayed about it. And, right away, Le Li my friend Le Lee's, name came to mind. Now we have history brief, as it is, we do have history together. And so I know Le Li's story and I know where she's been and her strengths and also professionally, but I also know that she had taken a step back a little bit. So I thought, God, I don't know. I don't think Lily's gonna be up for it, but I committed. I was like, I'll pray. For a week. And then, I happened to call Lely for another reason. You're getting your car fixed actually at the car place. Oh yeah. He picked up, oh. I was just sitting in the waiting room and I was like, oh, Julie's calling. I have like plenty of time. I have no children here with me. Yes. I can actually talk. Yes, he might listen. Which I think was divine. Your car, I don't know, it was a tire or something. And so I had asked you to pray about it and I really fully expected you to go. Uh, you know my story, I'm just, I'm looking for some space or margin and you said, you know, timely. Timely invitation. I'll pray about it. So you prayed about it for a week, and then again we're neighbors. So our next meetup was on the street by the mailbox. Mm-Hmm. When you were driving home and I said, Hey, it's been a week, what are your thoughts? You know, um, and I kind of explained everything to you and what I wanted to, thought, I wanted to stay able to be, and ble blah blah. And you're like, Mm-Hmm. And then I kept explaining. You go, I'll do it. Mm-Hmm. And I was like, yay. Then we met over lunch. Again, I went for the whole spiel about everything. Great. At the southern table. This is my avenue. Mm-Hmm. And your exact words were. First you said, you explained it to me. Maybe I just missed it, but where's Jesus in all this? And, and then at that table, you and I flipped content. We're like, okay. The Lord is obviously telling us to go a different direction. And so that's kind of the inspiration. For my Tennessee table. and I was really thinking about this. What's my hope for my Tennessee table? The conversations that we've had and we've had with our friends in the neighborhood and our bible study friends. what a joy that is just to walk life together with Jesus the great parts, the parts we just don't understand and we still don't understand. Mm-Hmm. Biblical study that we've done together. Just life questions, kids, all of that to know that we have someone to walk beside us And just to be real with, so it's my hope that listeners will just connect, they'll find that kind of exhale space to be like, I'm with my friends and these are things that I've tossed around. you can just say, just say it. Mm-Hmm. It's on our hearts. We're wondering it. Maybe we. Aren't confident in something, just a space of safety, of conversation, real conversation about what it means when we walk with the Lord. And it is a blast and it's an adventure, but it also is really hard. Mm-Hmm. Sometimes. Mm-Hmm. And we don't get it. And sometimes we don't wanna get it. But just a space, I think a space of refresh and a space to sit if you're just in a spot or you just need to be with some friends for a while. Well, I, I'm gonna interject here and say that as like Julie said, she's sitting there across the table from me and she's talking about all things southern entertaining, blah, blah, blah, and I'm just decor. Yeah. I'm just looking at her like, girl, you're a Jesus girl. Like, what I mean? Yes. All those things are so good and. I love those things. Yeah. I mean I'm, my background a little bit is I'm a photographer. I take pictures of tables all the time. You were probably part of my inspiration, probably You were. Look at those pretty tables. Yeah. So I take pictures of these beautiful, like just well thought tables for entertaining people within your homes. And while I think that's so good and that's so great and like there's so many great things that do happen around the table, which is why we're sticking with the name. Mm-Hmm. My Tennessee table because. Of the things that happen around the table. Right. But I'm like, Julie, like you're a former pastor, like you've been to seminary. Mm-Hmm. Like you have so much to offer listeners and people and women that are just out there like, I'm struggling in my marriage, I'm struggling in my children. I am struggling. My job, I'm whatever they're struggling with. I, I hope that because of your background and just where you've been and what God's done in your life, that you'll just be able to speak into that and speak like, yes, like you said, this is hard, but Jesus. Mm-Hmm. You know, And this is how he got me through. And so hopefully our listeners will go, okay. Like, I can hold onto that, like. Jesus is with me and these friends on this podcast are with me and they've been there and this is what they said and this is how they got through it, and it was only by the grace of God. And so. I hope that that's what our listeners get. Yes.'cause you are, oh God. Just a breath of fresh air. Well, you are. And the friendliest person that I have ever met in my entire life. Oh God. Well thank you. Well, and I think too, you know, we've been some places Mm-Hmm. You know, with the Lord, and we're sitting in some places with the Lord. I hope it's present day of what our conversations are like with Jesus and yeah. What the lord's, stirring in our own hearts. You know, we don't have it all figured out, but we're on this journey together. God created us for one another and for community, so let's just do it. Let's just be honest and real and loving Be his. And I love what you said, but Jesus, that's one of my favorite, favorite phrases, but Jesus. But that's it. He's everything. Well. We'll talk more about that next week. Okay. I'll kind of tell my side of the story next week. Mm-Hmm But. F for now. Let's talk more about Julie. Oh, boy. So I know, since this is our first episode, we thought it'd be a great time to just share with you guys part of our stories. Obviously, over the episodes and seasons that are to come, you guys are gonna learn more about us and you'll get to know us even more. We'll talk more in depth, especially even about the things that we're sharing today. We'll go more in depth on those things. Mm-Hmm. But to start, Julie, will you tell our listeners a little about yourselves? Hit the high parts of your story. The good stuff. Oh my goodness. Okay. the good stuff. Okay. let's see. I was raised by a Christian mama, a single Christian mama, by the way, who's was. Wonderful. God's best gift to me in my early years. we lived in Michigan early on in life, and then we moved to Wyoming. Beautiful, big Wyoming. So I have spent most of my life in Wyoming, and it is beautiful. Summers are gorgeous. Winters not so good. Oh yeah, I bet. every February we're like, it's time to move, but we never did. So I met my husband there. Married there. We had our children there. We had a little bit of time in our early years where we moved quite a bit. Mm-Hmm. Home base was always Wyoming. my husband played minor league baseball for the Padres. San Diego. San Diego Padres. So we moved, I'd be home five months, we'd be gone. Six, seven months we'd be home. So that was kind of a little travel moment for us in there. And along in there our children came along. So we had three kids in four years. Oh, so listen. Oh boy. It was fun. And it was loud. And it was busy. And so, but home base has always been Wyoming for us. a large part of our family is still there now, so I got to stay home with my kids for about 10 years, which was such a gift to me. I do it all again. and then I started work in the school district And that was great too. And, prior to that, when our last child was born, We started in small group ministry in some form or facet getting plugged in, or if we were leading couples groups or I was leading a women's group. Love that. Mm. and then while I was working in my office, for the school district, I remember, having a phone conversation with one of the gals from small group and hanging up and nobody else was in the office. And I remember thinking, Lord, I wanna give my life to this. I wanna give my life to whatever. This is this beautiful community that happens. As you sit next to women and across from women. And so that began a calling for me. I didn't know what that looked like. I did know I should probably get some education of some sort. So I did that. I started a certificate program with a college and then completed that and thought, okay, I'm, I'm all in. So I got a bachelor's degree in, Christian Ministries and then I went on to seminary to get a master's in theological studies. and then. I was hired by our home church to work with small groups and that was a blast. I had an awesome lead for a community group pastor, Tammy Kin, great mentor, great friend to me, still is. And, but there was just still a string in my heart. And so Lance is a Wyoming boy, that's my husband through and through Big Hunter. We built our house next to his parents, who we love. I could not have been given better in-laws. Honestly. and he had no intention. He had no intention of leaving Wyoming. and neither did I really until that story kind of happened. And so we kind of had some rubber meet the road conversations. Mm-Hmm. Of he'd be like, baby, you have. Everything that you thought your heart needed. We were at our home church, we were there 20 years. our kids are here. Why would you ever wanna go anywhere else? Because I was seeking vocational, ministry at other. At other churches in other states. And so I prayed for it to go away. I was like, Lord, please just take it away. Like if it's just not of you, I will lay it down. And it didn't go away. So we prayed through and interviewed, about three or four years, in there. And then, and then Lance's heart turned. And I think there's a lot in this. We could Sure talk about this. Oh yeah. About the Lord's answer to prayer and not answer to prayer. And that sometimes It is for someone else, the delay may be for someone else. While I think it was good for me as well, I think in Lord's, the Lord's graciousness to Lance, he just, his heart wasn't in that spot yet. And it wouldn't have worked well if we had gone. Oh yeah. And so I understand why the Lord kind of stayed us in that spot. But anyways, so then I took, a role at a church in Everett, Washington. And we moved, I took an adult discipleship pastor role there, and we were there about six years. Loved it. Love the people, love the challenges. love all that the Lord did in Lance and i's relationship. And then, Lance got transferred to Franklin, Tennessee. Here you are. And here we are. And I have loved this too. I, I'm, I think after you do like a big move, you realize, okay. God's good. I mean, he's, yeah. There's bumps. It doesn't all go smooth, but you can do it. Mm-Hmm. So, the move to Tennessee wasn't quite as much of a, a hurdle for both of us as gonna Washington, but yeah. We love it. And we have a great church here too. And I get to, volunteer now'cause I'm not in a pastoral role, vocationally, I get to do volunteer work and so I volunteer in women's ministry at church and so, and then other projects like this. Like my Tennessee table. And, I had wrote a 30 day devotional called Flourish, and really the beginning of that was just as a discipleship tool from my kids. My, my kids are big kids, like my kids are adults and have families. And so, the Lord provide space for me to do that. Yeah. Which has been a blessing. So within your story, I want you to tell us some of like your, just your greatest joys. Mm. Okay. Greatest joys. Mm-Hmm. Oh goodness. If we do like a broad stroke for this joy, and if I had to pick one from minus, this is, this is just the first episode, Julie, like you can, Broad stroke as much, much as you want. There's, we can only dig deeper from here. I'm so glad.'cause I'm thinking what do I like? How do I streamline? Yeah. But one of my big joys, if we're talking like the ministry umbrella, is seeing people, Realize how much God loves them. Mm-hmm. No matter what they've done or what's been done to them. I've said that for years, like a tagline.'cause it just sticks. Because I'm that person no matter what I've done or what's been done to me, that God has immense love for me. And so watching somebody get a hold of that idea, not just cognitively, but internally, and then watching this beautiful life transform, and come to life. Mm. And then. I'm gonna get choked up and then to stand back and just watch. And it to realize it had nothing to do with you. It had to do with the Holy Spirits. Yeah. using you as a conduit just to tell someone God loves them so much. And that what he's capable of and what they are capable of through the power of the Holy Spirit. So that's one of my biggest joys in ministry. Is just watching that happen. personal joys. There are so many, I mean, I'm at a different stage of life than you, and we'll get into that as well. But, I have grandchildren and so, and you don't look like you have grandchildren. Uhhuh, by the way. I know this is a podcast. You're just listening. But if you've seen a picture of Julie, she does not look like she, she's grandkids. Well, thank you. You don't thank you. they are a high joy. I remember my kids absolutely are a joy, but when you have grandkids, it's a whole new depth of love. That's what I used to put on my Instagram pictures of them hashtag new depths of love because it's Really quite phenomenal. So that would be, you know, family joy. As grand babies. So, so you've shared just some, you know, broad stroke joys. Mm-Hmm. But what are some of the, what have been the, some of the biggest challenges that you've faced so far? Mm. Yeah. We talked about this Mm-Hmm. Before we got on mic today. Mm-Hmm. Because, we know each other's stories. We have done this in our bible study group that we did a season of stories. And I would encourage you side know anybody who's been together for a while as a small group to take some time to do, story session. Oh yeah. That was actually your idea. Lele. We have led community groups for, I don't know, 10, 12 years, and that's one thing that we've always. Tried to do is come in and share your stories. It's hard to jump into Bible study and like talk about the Lord when you have no idea where that person's been, what they've been through. Like have they known the Lord for a year or have they known the Lord for 20 years? You know, you just, you approach everything so much differently. I love getting to hear somebody's story. It's one of my favorite things about it was so, it was so good and We loved each other, but it just again, connected us more deeply for sure. But so, for me. Two come to mind right away. Mm-Hmm. And that would be the passing of my mama. I was 34 when she passed. And so, and being raised by a single mom is a different dynamic. Oh yeah. She was everything, you know, mom and dad, she loved the Lord. she was fun and she was sometimes unpredictable and she was determined and she loved fiercely. And it was just, that has been my benefit. So it was really quite devastating for me when she had passed. She was mom and dad, like I said to me. depths of grief that I had no idea even existed. Hmm. And really, really a, a dark place for me, there were some byproducts of that that have been very good and there were byproducts in the beginning that didn't look good. And we will go into that deeper. That kind of leads into, probably in the second largest challenge. And that was just on kind of the, heels of that happening. Mm-Hmm. That Lance, I, Really hits some real bumps within our marriage. Bumps isn't a word. Like, I don't even know Cliff. I'm not sure Yeah. What word to use, but it, It wasn't easy. Mm-Hmm. all wrapped together and grief at the same time. You know, we had to find a way to, Refine each other, reconcile. it was, we just had a lot. It was a really a hard season. and if you do any, you know, looking on things that are troublesome to marriage, it's like, finances. Yeah. Loss of a job, death of a parent. uh, I don't even know if building a home is on there, but we were building our house. You know, I lost my mom. Our marriage was falling apart lot, a lot kids. We had kids gonna college. It was just a lot. Mm-Hmm. So of that season, now on this side of it, I absolutely wholeheartedly can say that God will always, he is the redeemer, you know, the redeemer, capital r of our souls, but he can redeem situations and so he has made all kinds of beauty on the other side. But boy did it hurt For a while there. So again, like you said, we can, we will get into some of those conversations later. As we. Spend time together on the podcast. Well, and knowing, having met you and Lance Post all of that, I would've never known that that was part of your story. cause you just got, you guys love each other so well, but then I think maybe that's why you love each other so well, because you walked through just such dark, deep. Dark places. Yes. Yes. So yeah, we will definitely be talking about marriage on this podcast. Mm-Hmm. In the future. I mean, I've only been married, I say I've only been married 15 years. I mean, that feels like a long time. That's good. Yeah. It's almost long, as long as I've lived in my parents' home. Mm-Hmm. You know? So, yeah, that does feel like a long time. Yes. but Julie's been married for longer, so I don't know, 34, 34 years. Whatever we can bring, we are in different places in our marriages, but whatever we can bring, we will definitely talk about marriage. We might even have the husbands on the podcast. I think that would be so great. And you said we'll definitely talk about marriage and like we'll be, we'll be circling that block a couple times, probably within podcast seasons, I'm married super young, so I'm married at 19. And honestly, he's my best friend. But we, and we talk about it now, that we, we could have made it through that time. Yeah, we could have made it. but I don't think we'd be anywhere near where we are now, where he travels for work. But I'm always want him home. I mean, I miss him. You like him? I like him. I don't just have to love him. I like him, you know, and children getting married and having grandchildren, and then crisis. In our children's lives. I can't imagine having to do that without him. And I'm not casting a shadow. Mm-hmm. Or being judgmental on people that, that's their road. I'm not at all. I'm just saying specifically to our situation. because of the reconciliation, he's my best friend and I'm so thankful for that. So I love that. Thank you. I love that. Well, Julie, thank you so much for sharing. It's been really good to just to rehear your story, even though I've heard it before and I know so much of it, and we'll, like we said, we'll definitely take a deeper dive into some of these topics in the future on grief. And there's just so much. Oh my gosh, yes. And I think too, I mean, we'll get our, our heads around this, but if as we move along, if people have. Thoughts, topics, let us know. Yes. Like you can put it, you're gonna say this, but you can put it, review. You can let us know. Leave us a comment. Mm-Hmm. Whatever. Yeah, we would love to know things that you guys would like to hear us talk about. Mm-Hmm. Because that would help us really. Yes. Yeah, it's super Help us a lot, so. Well, thanks for listening to our first episode of My Tenancy Table. We're so glad you joined us. If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Very good. Thank you. Till next time.