Ep. 569: When Life Gives You Lemons, Jesus Laughs
What happens when a group of women who’ve walked through cancer diagnoses, traumatic births, mental health battles, motherhood chaos, and long seasons of waiting decide to stop holding back their stories? You get Jesus Laughs — the newest Fit Press publication from Tamra Andress and her incredible cohort of co-authors.In this special podcast episode, Tamra gathers several of the book’s authors to share the lemon moments behind their chapters — and the lemonade God made from them. This is not a polished highlight reel. This is the real thing: women who said yes when every part of them wanted to say no, choosing to trust that their story could minister to someone else’s spirit.The Jesus Laughs devotional is available now at your favorite bookstores. Pick it up, gift it to a friend, and leave a review — these women’s testimonies deserve to be in more hands.Meet the AuthorsTami Tenbarge — Chapter 10: “If Not This, God, Then What?”Tami’s story is about the moment she got stuck — laser-focused on one specific thing she was believing God for — until He lovingly ripped away the tunnel vision and opened an entirely new window. Her chapter centers on the question she finally asked Him: “If not this, then what do you want for me?” That surrender unlocked a whole new purpose she didn’t even know was waiting."Only God truly knows what’s best for our lives. If we surrender to Him, He will show us the greatest adventure and create for us the sweetest lemonade — if we trust."Cara Pinder — A Birth Story That Changed EverythingCara spent nearly a decade trying to close the chapter on the most terrifying day of her life — the birth of her daughter, when both of their lives hung in the balance. God kept nudging her to share it anyway. What she thought was a private wound became a pivotal faith story: the power of prayer, community coming together, and a peace that defied every medical circumstance surrounding her.Cara almost said no to contributing to this book because she didn’t consider herself a “perfect Christian.” Her final word to listeners? This book is a perfect starting place for anyone who’s afraid to pick up a Bible or walk into a church — ten real women, ten real stories, God at work even when they didn’t realize it.Rachel Kemp Schoen-Kiewert — How Jesus Turned the Worst Day Into Holy WonderRachel experienced what she calls the worst day of her life last summer. She describes going into a kind of holy numbness — and then God started making her crack jokes. With a 2-year-old worshipping with her in the kitchen and a 9-year-old by her side, laughter became the thing that regulated her nervous system when nothing else could.The joy bomb that followed? Two weeks after the tragedy, Rachel found out she was pregnant. Baby Matteo made his official podcast debut in this very episode — and the fact that Rachel wrote her chapter right after having him makes the whole thing even more beautifully full circle."When you possibly think you’re just going to crumble — He lifts you up and brings you new, joyful things to focus on."Kim Harrison — The Fruit of WaitingKim’s chapter isn’t a tragedy story — and she’s honest about that. It’s about something quieter and in some ways harder: being obedient to God’s specific instructions and then still waiting. The fruit she discovered in that process? Patience. And through the lens of Jesus at the Wedding at Cana, Kim explores what it looks like to see joy in Scripture, to trust that God is intricately involved in every detail — even something as seemingly small as a wedding running out of wine."Some seasons, there are miracles that are just boom, done. And then there are other seasons where it’s still a miracle — it just takes time."Fran Grittinger — The God Who SeesFran’s chapter is about her breast cancer journey — chosen specifically because God could use it in two ways: to showcase the joy that can come through something terrifying, and to encourage women to prioritize early detection. She shares how insecurity almost caused her to miss her early diagnosis entirely, and how God’s perfect plan intervened through an unexpected messenger.Her lemonade recipe: Jesus adds His living water and the sweetness of joy to our sour, sometimes bitter lemons. Three days before this recording, she caught herself wanting to rewrite her chapter in her mind. God’s response? You are never going to write anything perfect — I’m the only perfect one."How can we really know the sweet without the sour? I had to have those lemons to taste the lemonade."Melody Ganaway — Finding Purpose on the Scenic RoadMelody comes from the entertainment world — singer, dancer, performer. Her chapter is about the journey of discovering the purpose God actually had for her, and how every scenic detour He took her on was not a wrong turn. Hebrews 12:11 anchors her story: no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful — later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.She’s a new mom to a 4-month-old, and the way she tells it, looking back on everything now, it’s obvious: God was cheering her on the entire time."Through the peaks and the valleys — God is with you."Melissa Batt — From Survival Mode to Truly LivingMelissa’s chapter is one of the most quietly powerful in the book. She’s spent the majority of her life in survival mode — existing rather than living — and her story is about the slow, beautiful undoing of that. She spent years micromanaging and controlling every area of life to keep herself and her family safe. God’s invitation? Let me make the lemonade. You just hand me the pitcher.John 10:10 is the heartbeat of her chapter: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Over the last 7 years, Melissa has been learning what it actually means to laugh with God."We aren’t meant to exist. We’re meant to truly live."Nicky Asher-Bowling — A Permission Slip for Imperfect MothersNicky has three boys who gave her beautiful gray hair — and her chapter is an honest reckoning with who she was as a mother before she started depending on God. She shares openly about her bipolar diagnosis and her kids’ diagnoses, and how she couldn’t see the silver lining until she got much older and much more desperate for Jesus. She prayed over every word of this chapter. She almost said no. She’s so glad she didn’t."God couldn’t use me unless I went through those things and learned to depend on Him."Kimberly Price — You Were Pressed Not to Perish, But to PourKimberly closes out the author lineup with what might be the most quotable testimony of the episode. Six years into a deep wilderness journey, she’s writing from the other side — and she distinguishes clearly between vulnerability as the world defines it and the actual power of testimony. She traces her journey through the sour, through the squeeze, and into the celebration — which, she says, didn’t arrive as a single moment but as the unveiling of an entire life.She uses the imagery of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. When the sour became song, she was able to dance with Jesus again — with a freedom she first knew as a little girl."The undoing is not the end. The pressing is not your punishment. The wilderness is not abandonment. The waiting is not wasted. The struggle is not failure. It is sanctification. It is preparation. It is becoming."What You’ll Take Away From This EpisodeThe story you’re not sharing is often the very story someone needs you to shareSaying yes to God — even when it scares you — is where testimony beginsLemonade requires more than lemons: it requires the surrender to let God sweeten itJoy is not the absence of pain — it’s what God produces in the middle of itCommunity and testimony together have the power to call out life in one anotherGod gets the last laugh — and His plans for your latter days are greater than your formerGet the Book + Leave a ReviewJesus Laughs is available now at your favorite bookstores. This is a devotional that belongs on your coffee table this summer — and it’s the kind of book you’ll want to press into the hands of every woman (or man) in your life who needs to know God sees them in the middle of their lemons.Buy it on Amazon - https://a.co/d/04ViwAKGIf this episode blessed you, please leave a review. Reviews are how these women’s stories reach people they will never personally meet. That’s the whole point.Connect With the AuthorsAll author bios, links, and contact information are available inside the book. You can also find each author listed in the show notes below. Follow along with their individual journeys — they are all doing incredible missional work.Fran Grittinger - https://www.instagram.com/frangrittingerKim Harrison - https://www.instagram.com/kimharrisoneverythingprettyKimberly Price - http://www.instagram.com/kimberlyannpriceMelissa Batt - <a...
