Loved. Chosen. Redeemed. Called. Period. with Cindy Nicolson

Celebrate 3 years of Hope Unlocked with Cindy Nicholson as we unpack how to break free from old labels and embrace your God-given identity—loved, chosen, redeemed, and called. Cindy shares her 20-year journey from publishing in South Africa to launching Embracing Grace magazine, including a wilderness season, healing from trauma, shame, and perfectionism, and learning print magazine design and layout solo. We explore intimacy with God, renewing the mind, mental health, resilience, food and fitness, family, leadership, creativity, stewardship, and kingdom living. Plus, Cindy’s YouVersion devotional rooted in Isaiah 43, obedience when it’s costly, leaving corporate, and how grace fuels momentum.

Cindy's contact info:

Websites - https://linktr.ee/CindyNicolson  cindynicolson.com  embracinggrace.co

🎙️Hope Unlocked Listener Exclusive! Feeling stirred but not sure what to do next? Book a 45-minute Holy Spirit-led 1:1 coaching session w/ Hope Unlocked host Kristin Kurtz, founder of New Wings Coaching. This powerful conversation will help you move from stirred to activated—with peace, clarity, & a Spirit-led next step. Book your call HERE now–special pricing to listeners!

Transcript

Reintroducing Cindy And The Grace Journey

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlock Podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching. I help and empower wild-hearted and adventurous women of faith feeling caged and stuck, unlock their true purpose and potential, break free from limitations, and thrive with confidence, courage, and hope. If you're curious to learn more about coaching with me, head to NewWinksCoaching.net and be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together. Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome Cindy Nicholson to the show. I am very excited to have her back. She is a dear friend of mine, and she was on actually on 2-2 of 24. If you want to go back and listen, it was episode 44. And I know that she's going to have some amazing, I guess we could even call it kind of part two. The last uh title of the podcast that she did was Embracing Grace and Divine Connections: A Journey of Faith, Identity, and Purpose with Cindy Nicholson. So before we get started, would you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Oh, thank you so much, Kristen. Um, it is always just I always enjoy our conversations, and I'm so blessed to be here today to be able to share with you. And a huge congratulations on celebrating the third-year anniversary of Hope Unlocked podcast today, which is so amazing that I get to do this with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

I know, right? I'm so happy that you're here to celebrate with me for sure. Such a blessing.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Well, yeah, my name is Cindy Nicholson, and I'm the daughter of the King of Kings. And you know, I really love introducing myself this way because it really separates who I am from what I do, and you know that I'm all about identity. Um, I am very passionate about helping women break break free from limiting beliefs, you know, all those quiet thoughts and beliefs that hold them back. Um, and I help them see themselves the way God does, which is loved, chosen, redeemed, and called. And I do all of these things through coaching and mentoring. I host a podcast called Embracing Grace, and I've just recently launched the Embracing Grace magazine. Yeah. That's me.

Why Launch A Magazine Now

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Love it. Well, part of why I wanted to have Cindy on, like for sure, was to really help announce her new magazine and just maybe even tell a little bit of the back end of her stepping into this. So um, congratulations on your end. It's a huge accomplishment. And yeah, would you just tell us a little bit about you know how that came to be? Like what is your vision for it? And um, yeah, all the goodness there.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Yeah. So oh, I have wanted to start a magazine for as long as I can remember. And actually, since starting it, I have had a few conversations with people who actually remember having con like we were having conversations about it about 20 years ago, which is really amazing. So it's a dream that has been in my heart for a very, very long time. And in the last I I started working for a magazine in South Africa, um, which is where I'm originally from. And I think God really solidified it in me then, and I realized back then that it would be training ground for me to understand the um whole process of publishing and what it is about. So I absolutely, and I've always loved publishing since since working there. I've always loved it. It just resonated with me so much, and I enjoy writing, which also obviously helps a lot. So um I think in the last couple of years, it's always been on the back of my mind uh that that's something that I want to do, and I didn't really know how to go about doing it, even though I come from a publishing background, it's a lot of work, and you know, we were a team of 15 back then, um, and it was a monthly publication, so it was busy, and I was endeavoring to do it all on my own. So it was a a big, a big goal and a big dream to do. And um, after starting the podcast, and interestingly enough, so many times last year on the podcast, I kept saying, I wonder whether or not the podcast was taking the place of the magazine, because everything that I was talking about and sharing about, including with guests, were topics that I knew in my heart is what I wanted to do in the magazine. Um, and a couple of years ago, friends of ours, we actually almost launched one, which it did. I mean, the the idea sort of came. I put stuff together and it fizzled out, and I was like, Lord, what is happening? Why, why are these ladies not jumping onto this? And obviously it wasn't the right time. And yes, last year, um, through a very, very much a season of wilderness and just quiet and just really laying a lot of things down again, God just burst it in me. And yes, you know, I am so blessed and so honored that all of the authors, including you, said yes to joining me and helping me launch that first issue, which um has been on the shelves since uh December, which is really amazing. So, yeah, you it's available digitally on my website, and then also it's available um on Amazon in print.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

And what what is your website? So people can go over there.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Yeah, so the website is embracinggrace.co.co and then Amazon. Obviously, you can just search for Embracing Grace magazine and it should pop up in most countries. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Well, tell us a little bit about because embracing grace is really the the umbrella over much of what you do, right? So tell us a little bit more about um you know the concept of the magazine and what people can expect when they turn the pages.

Inside The Magazine: Spirit, Soul, Body

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Yeah. So the magazine is broken up into different sections. Um, it is uh it starts with spirit because that is who we are, right? That's exactly how I introduced myself, and it is really all about discovering who you are in Christ. You know, it it explores topics such as identity and faith, sonship and prayer, um, the prophetic uh kingdom living but from a sonship or being a daughter of God. And it talks about intimacy, etc. And then we move on to the soul, which is our mind, our will, and our emotions, and that talks a lot about mental health and resilience and you know finding the inner healing that we need. It's about renewing the mind with the word in order to live effectively as such, if you want to call it that, as spirit beings, because we do need to renew our mind daily. Um, it also covers the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to look after this temple. So it covers that section will cover things like food and fitness and well-being, and hopefully some delicious recipes, etc. Um, and then the last three sections are kingdom living, which is all about family and relationships, marriage, parenting, you know, creating a home that's filled with God's love and peace and his joy. Um, and yeah, and then we move on to kingdom stewardship, which is all about our purpose, uh, careers, uh, business, entrepreneurship, finance, leadership, creativity, stewarding our gifts that God has given us effectively through whatever that looks like, whatever we're doing. Um, it also covers finances through a kingdom lens and how that really just honors God and serves others. And then the last section is Kingdom Impact, which is all about highlighting the beautiful work that Christian charities and businesses do around the world, you know, impacting lives for Jesus and bringing about transformation in so many different ways. So, yeah, it's a it's a beautiful magazine, if I could say so myself. And it just covers all of us holistically. You know, it's not a magazine for just women, it really does speak to the heart of every single person on this planet, really.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

It's beautiful. Yeah, I love um and I just love too that you said even the podcast, like how it kind of overlaps as well because you were interviewing people that technically like it could be inserted into the magazine, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Yes, absolutely. And that's what I did, right? I reached out to all of the amazing people that I met, including you, um, that I'd met through the podcast and asked them to write. And uh I've absolutely loved how people just jumped in and said yes because they saw the vision and they knew my heart. Uh my heart really is to help women and men see themselves the way God does, and in whatever area of their life that is. So yeah, very grateful and very humbled by by what we've done together.

Kingdom Living, Stewardship, And Impact

SPEAKER_02 10:24

Well, and I love you know, all these the different sections that you mentioned. Did you, I'm just kind of curious, like the the blueprint for this? Like, how did that come to be? Did you, you know, were you on a walk one day and it just dropped on yours as something that has been, you know, you mentioned 20 years, a couple decades ago, that this was really put on your heart. And I want to really capture how um, you know, even myself and and many out there that are listening, there might be a dream that he's given you that um there's a there's a timing aspect to that. So maybe kind of a two-part question, you know, like was this something you saw back then? Was this a a fresh download as far as like what the inside of the magazine would look like and what people would experience? Could you share a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah, absolutely. So um it was not a one-time event. I think it's something that has really grown in me over time. Um, and very much, and again, this is two-part because it all came together in the last couple of years as I started understanding my identity and also, therefore, understanding how knowing who I am in Christ impacts all of these different areas of my life, right? Because it all starts with understanding who we are and whose we are. Um, however, having said that, the magazine that I used to work for was a um magazine that focused on natural health. And in it, they spoke about health, obviously, and body, and it spoke about the soul. I can't remember exactly what the the sections were called, but um they spoke about the soul, and then right at the end was the spirit. But the spirit section was very much new agey type of things, all of that, you know, very, very opposite to what the word the word teaches. So, which is why I loved the publishing side of the magazine so much more than the actual content, even though the you know, natural health side of it was fine, supplements and all of those things. But the spiritual side of the things were really it just did not resonate with me at all. And then already God planted in me to say, you need to switch this around, you know, you need like you love to say, flip the script exactly. Um, but I never understood what that meant until I really stepped into my identity as his daughter a couple of years ago. Um, then I went, okay, now I understand. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

Wow. So, and for those of you who have not heard her first podcast, definitely go back and listen. I I think that you got into that a little bit more um as far as that, you know, a couple of years ago getting reprocessed, right? Going through the process. Um, would you just touch on that briefly? Like what that might look like for somebody who's like, how is it that how did that come to be? How did you start learning more about your identity and and what was the Lord showing you through that? Like how I'm just gonna use my, you know, the article title that I put in the magazine was misidentified in big letters, missidentified. Um kind of those false labels that you um picked up. And then what was that flip the script for you personally to come out of the, you know, I don't know if it was an was it an identity crisis? Because I I think that many are in an identity crisis, right? Um, so what does that look like for you personally for the identity aspect?

From Dream To Blueprint: Identity First

Breaking False Labels And Finding Identity

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Yeah, so thank you. I um, you know, I I love to joke and say that I was born saved, and the reason for that is I Christianity and Jesus was all I knew growing up. And maybe I haven't I haven't really ever caveated it or shared much about my journey um back then. But um growing up, however, wasn't easy. I um was sexually abused when I was a kid over a very long time. So um I grew up um with in a in a very racially tense family, racially tense environment being in South Africa. Um, you know, I was raped when I was 21. And um so all of that really um set me up in a way where as much as I knew about God because I went to church, I lived in church. Honestly, we we were in church so often because I was as a young child I was part of the orchestra. So we were always there. Um, I was in youth and I was, I mean, I was teaching Bible school classes, the the you know, the little ones when I was like 10, 11 years old. Um and so I only knew God, but I didn't know God as a father, I didn't really fully understand my identity. And then um, you know, I went through a period of walking in sin, even though I was in church, and I, you know, the story of the adulterous woman was my story. And um, I uh had a relationship with a married man, and it was um, you know, ended up being part of who I became because of the judgment and the um, you know, just people's opinions and all of that. It makes it really hard for you to walk in your in who you really are when all you can see is this um the judgment from others. And so I really did not have a good self-perspective perspective of who I was. I felt I was nothing because I was treated that way as a child. I mean, the the um the molestation and the sexual abuse made me really fearful of of men, of people in general. I was always felt like I needed to earn my way, I needed to um prove myself to everyone. And by doing that, I needed to work exceptionally hard to prove who I was, even in a work environment. You know, I was always the one that was there first and I left latest. You know, I uh that was who I was, and I was a perfectionist in many ways because I felt like I needed to earn even God's love. And um, yeah, the journey to really understanding who I was in Christ only happened a couple of years ago when I was really at a very low point. Um, we had lost a few friends um after COVID. Actually, it wasn't even during COVID, it was afterwards. And um there were just there was just a time when God had asked me to start a blog, or he had maybe let's put it this way, he had confirmed that I could start a blog. I left my corporate job to do that. And um I had heard his voice so clearly, and it became my baby. It became something that I was like so passionate about. And while I was losing these friends, like a friend of mine lost her husband um in his sleep, which was very unexpected. I another friend of mine died died of cancer two months later, um, and another friend lost their son a year later, and we had been praying for his healing. Um, and we were just at an all I was at an all-time low. Um and then God said close the blog. And I was like, what do you mean? You know, right, you cannot ask me to do this. And it took me a while to to step out in obedience because usually I'm quite obedient very quickly when when God speaks, but I didn't back with that I couldn't because I was like, Lord, I I don't know if I'm hearing you correctly. But when I did, um I just totally surrendered to him. And through that journey, he just lavished his love on me in so many different ways. Um, and I want to touch on this because I think it's really important. You spoke about embracing grace, and I chose the name because it really grace is God's empowerment, right? Um, it is his ability on our ability, it's his our pastor used to say it's his super on our natural to be able to live life in in a way of faith that we can step out in faith. It's his ability on ours, and that is what grace is. And so embracing grace is really embracing the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to live our lives the way he wants us to. But people need to uh people often mistake grace and mercy, and mercy is uh God uh giving us what we don't deserve, which is his love and forgiveness and his grace, his holy spirit, and he withholds what we do deserve, which was death, ultimately separation from him. So embracing grace was really after I understood who I was, after understanding his mercy and what he did for me on the cross, um, and that walking in that kind of forgiveness, um, you know, receiving that and now embracing the grace to be able to help other people walk through that same journey, whether it's you know, through sin, whether it's just limiting beliefs, you know, shame and unworthiness, etc. Um it's that ability that we we have, that we just receiving Holy Spirit's help through all of this.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

Yes. And I love, you know, just I'm I'm sure the Holy Spirit gave you this name for your you know, I would I I like to call kind of what you know both of us are doing is it's basically like a business tree, right? So it's it's ministry and business, it commingles. When you like what you'd confirm that, right? You got that name, like you were seeking out a name for for your business tree. And like what was your like first thought on that? Like you know, when you stepped out, because you stepped out of corporate, right? And uh like me, we both are kind of uh in the world's eyes, kind of wild, right? And I love the wild ones. So when you stepped out to start this blog, I feel like we we should touch on this because I know of a lot of people um who have in especially the last six years since 2020, there's been like a mass exodus out of Egypt, we could just call it right. What was that like for you? He's like, okay, leave your job, start a blog, go from job to blog. What was that like for you? And was that the name of the blog as well? If people are wondering, do you still have the like did the blog come back?

Surrender, Mercy Vs Grace, And Calling

SPEAKER_00 21:27

No, it didn't add it. It didn't. No, I I mean I have tried to add a full yeah, fully laid down, even though I I did feel the release to use some of the blogs that I had written on my current uh website, even though it's not a focus at all anymore. Sure. Um, I guess the magazine will take the place, yeah, yeah. Um so yes, it was um, you know, when he started it it was really my desire. And you know, the scripture which says that God gives you the desires of your heart. And that is really I love what you you said. I think you said a co-mingling, and that's what it was. It was my desire, but I knew that that desire came from him because a desire for us to share God's word can only be from him. It's not something that comes from ourselves, you know, it comes from him because that's our mandate. That's Jesus came to die on the cross for our salvation, to forgive us of our sins, to heal us from the sick, and to reconcile ourselves. us back to himself. And therefore that mandate is ours as well, no matter what we're walking in. And I always I've always loved business. I loved the idea of having my own business and not working for somebody else. I I just do not enjoy it. I I feel like I am called to um yeah just doing it on my own but also doing it for God because whatever I do I want to do for him. I don't necessarily want to work in a corporate environment where there's no spiritual purpose necessarily. And um so I was working for a beautiful nonprofit by the not not a Christian nonprofit but a nonprofit uh international one which do they do amazing work throughout the world but I was really just feeling Lord I know you've called me for more and not more in the sense of more money or more acclaim or more anything. It was more in the kingdom. Yes that is the more that I was longing for and I remember sitting um and having a quiet time early one morning and there was a storm outside and I was watching our neighbor's tree just being blown from side to side and the rain was just pelting down. It was pouring and it was such a massive storm here at that time. And I said to God I was sitting there and having my tea with him and I said you know Lord I am so ready to step out of the boat and I know that's cliche but that's what I said to him I'm like I'm so ready to step out of the boat and immediately I heard the words in my spirit so as clear as day it was he said and when you do don't look at the wind the rain and the storm and I was like that was my confirmation to just do it and I think that same week I just leaving corporate to to work in this business what did you say? Business tree business tree yeah business tree is that you count the cost before you do. I mean I just made a leap for it and I'm really grateful my hubby is so amazing that he supported me in it. And but it's not always easy you know it's it's it's not an it's not an um it's a journey that we walk through with God. So if you're ever going to do this make sure that you've heard from him.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

Yes yes and when when was this that you left?

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Oh gosh I think it was in 2020 if I'm not mistaken it was um oh 2019 I think it was just before COVID hit. Okay. Okay. Literally like the the November I think I resigned my last day was the first of December of 2019.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

Wow so this has been well for sure like six years a little over six years. Yeah. Would you be open to sharing one of the most wild miracles that you've experienced during this time. And then also maybe one of the most challenging parts of walking this out because like you said it's not easy and I believe we're not called to easy. But I would say coming from the perspective myself of you know leaving in 2021 I always say it's it's been a wild adventure. So tell us a little bit more about your wild adventure.

Leaving Corporate For A “Business-Tree”

SPEAKER_00 26:15

Yeah I have to say that mine's been an amazing adventure um as hard as it is a lot of the time because you're you're doing these things on your own right um however I have met the most amazing people including you on this journey and that has been such a blessing. I mean I have so many friends all around the world and it's and we talk all the time and sometimes you know there you know there's a couple of months that go by we don't talk but when we catch up it feels like we've been friends forever and I that's such a blessing to me. I I just love friendship like true friendship and and that's been really special I think if I mean if I have to think of the most challenging thing it was most probably putting it was and it wasn't the magazine together. And the reason for that is yes I had all of the author's writing which was amazing but I put the magazine together everything by myself and I have always said and God proved me wrong that I I always said that I was not visually creative. What so yeah and and the reason for that is I mean honestly if when I was working at the magazine I I started right at the bottom because I'd also closed a business and and felt like I was nothing at back then and started working at a magazine in the admin department and worked my way up to general manager. But I'm telling you even though I was involved in every single aspect of the business except finances they would not let me close to the design with a long pole. No of course not I I was just not visually creative and I didn't even try I was just like that's designers I mean I could give input but there's no way I was of any influence in the arena yeah 100% and so putting this together was a God journey because every time I created an article and put it together I was like Lord this could only be you yeah honestly this could only be you because there is no way that I could have done this in my own ability.

SPEAKER_02 28:38

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Isn't that amazing it it is it is so it was the most challenging but also the the a wonderful experience to walk it with him.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Yes yes well and I'm and I'm just thinking of you know like for those of us who've had babies like it's it's very painful. And I was thinking about this recently because my niece had asked me like about the birth like birthing experience because I had said to her like I had ACL reconstruction and it was worse pain than childbirth and she's like well now I want to know about childbirth and I'm like well okay but as you were talking I was just thinking you know how a lot of women and even myself like you have a child and then the baby's born and you look at the baby and you're like wow this is amazing I think I want to do this again. And you you tell people like you know well when you you know right away when you have another one it's like could we just enjoy this for a little while and I want to make sure that we really embrace this this first issue that you know it it was born in January like January 2026 is on the front cover of this birth certificate of Embracing Grace magazine so how often will you be birthing new Embracing Grace magazine babies do you have do you have um like a vision on that is it going to be like monthly quarterly how what is he showing you?

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Yeah so this you're expecting daily absolutely no way I can do this monthly um I might be able to do it quarterly but the vision for now is to do it biannually um and that is only because I'm doing it on my own. I think if I had a team um I definitely would be able to do it maybe quarterly um but for now I am I'm very happy with with doing it biannually um so the next issue will be June July and I'm already working on it I've already received a few articles from some of our um authors which is really amazing and so I'm excited to to you know just share what what God's placed on their hearts.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

Yes and I I just want to capture like if you guys are listening here today Cindy is probably one of the most creative like visually I don't know if the word is like visually appealing like she makes the most amazing graphics and um I don't know just all the things that are included in you know maybe something that just came out too as well we gotta we gotta make sure that we capture something else that was just birthed. But I was like wow I love the cover on that even I I guess you would call it a cover right yeah for this other thing that you birthed tell us tell us about this other thing that was just birthed which other thing well um it's on an app uh it starts with a Y oh my goodness oh yes sorry I know sometimes we birth things when we're like yeah when we've got a lot of things that are birthing all at the same time like sometimes we forget about our you know the twin but oh my goodness yeah that is so funny but you know why it's because I'm working on so many different things right now that I'm like okay which one are you referring to?

Miracles, Challenges, And Designing Solo

SPEAKER_00 32:16

I don't know what I'm actually yeah so I have just launched um and I'm so grateful and so honored and um so blessed myself that I have just published a devotional on you version the Bible app which is called Loved, Chosen Redeemed and Called and that is also you know God just placed that on my heart through through time interestingly enough Isaiah 43 um is a scripture that God gave to me many many many years ago I I would say almost not quite 30 years ago but nearly 30 years ago and I never really I didn't remember it until I read through it again a couple of years ago and you know what it's like God places words on your heart and then he confirmed it to me in Isaiah 43. So he speaks about being loved he speaks about being your redeemer and he says that he calls you by your name and you are his you know you are mine. He speaks about you know that scripture speaks about that he's forgiven you he's the Lord your God don't be afraid all of those things you know it's just and that's also on the front cover of the magazine actually I've I've put it as the tagline love, chosen, redeemed and called is because you are loved right um and he has chosen you and I want people to know that you know I think the journey that I've walked through my life is that I never thought that I could be chosen for anything. And I can tell you now I've I've never been sporty. I don't really enjoy sports. You can talk to me about sports I will not have a cooking clue what you're talking about. But when I was a child because I didn't enjoy sports nobody ever picked me because I wasn't good at sports and I was okay with that. I mean I had I almost had a permanent sick note for for Zed because I didn't enjoy it you know I always made my mom write a letter or get one from the doctor if I needed it. But um I never so I was never I never felt chosen and God revealed to me through Isaiah 43 that he has chosen us and he has called us by our names you know he knows you so intimately um and yeah just walking through a journey of forgiveness and receiving his forgiveness has been really beautiful. So the devotional just shares a little bit more about why we're loved um chosen redeemed and called yeah and tell them the name of the devotional it's called that loved chosen redeemed and called okay and they can find it on the app and then is it available on a website too like off an app yes yes it is available on the Bible app um and you when once you're in the app you can just search for love chosen redeemed and called or you can search for it by my name um and in the app uh you can do the same if you go if you click on love because they do have different sections if you click on love it should also come up under the love uh section of it but just search the name it's probably the easiest I wanted to make sure that they heard the name of the devotional but ultimately you can look it up by Cindy's name too that's how I found it yeah and you can follow her on there because I'm sure there'll be many more devotional babies being um highlighted on this beautiful app that it's it's amazing. I think has they have they reached what a billion downloads or something I think at oh my goodness I think it actually may be yes I actually have been wanting to put that onto my my platform because I just think it is so amazing how you know how well they've done I just don't have the the analytics right now unfortunately.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Well I love everything that the Lord has called you into what is something that's um maybe stretching you beyond I know obviously you've been stretched a lot but is there anything else that you feel like he's stretching you into this year in your business tree life um your walk beyond what you could ask or imagine.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Yeah there is a lot happening at the moment um and I think the stretch comes into consistently being obedient. I mean the two of us were just chatting before the podcast that you know how many new podcasts stop going after the 10th one you know just statistically and in business is the same you know after two to three years people tend to stop because it it it's hard work. And I think the stretch comes into continuously being obedient. So it's even though there's a lot of new things happening um I've got another two devotionals that got us laid on my heart for you version which I still need to write um the the second issue of the magazine will be well has been a little bit more challenging to put together and the reason for that is I knew um almost everybody that wrote in the first issue because I've either done a podcast with them or I had get gotten to know them over time. Whereas the second issue is I'm reaching out to brand new people who I've researched or have come across my path so I don't you know it's not a natural yes like it was with the first one. So that is a stretch and um then also I am doing a membership which um is I'll be sharing a little bit more um about that coming up soon with two other amazing coaches. And uh yeah so there's a lot of stuff happening in the background uh that God's leading me in but I think it's really being obedient uh with what is called because sometimes we're looking for the new and I don't I want to just be obedient with what God's called me to do now.

Publishing Cadence And What’s Next

SPEAKER_02 38:30

Yes. Be um tenacious it's one of my favorite words absolutely keep going keep going perseverance long suffering patience. Oh my goodness right oh yeah well this has been enjoyed today I'm so glad that you're able to come back today and um anything else that you'd want to share with us today that um you know you you know you're leaning into any like words of knowledge you'd like to share over somebody today if you remember the first episode I think I did this back then um but I do this for the ones so if you could just get in mind somebody who's listening in right now would you have anything else that you'd like to share with them and then we are definitely sorry say that again oh and then would you pray us out today?

New YouVersion Devotional And Isaiah 43

SPEAKER_00 39:17

Oh yes for sure absolutely um I definitely would just I want you to know everybody listening how loved you are by our Heavenly Father you know we're the world is in such turmoil at the moment and we need to lean in to the Father the word says that when we draw near to him he will draw near to us and God is waiting for you to just sit and be in his presence just open up your heart and receive from him I think it is so um pertinent at this time that we know that Jesus died for us on the cross for the the reason of forgiving us our sins for healing us but also to bring us back into relationship with the Father and if you have a desire to get to know this father who would send his son to die for you on the cross to pay the ultimate price for your sin if you do not know how to do that just reach out to either Christian or myself. But it is such a simple prayer of saying Lord I know that I'm a sinner and I know that I need your forgiveness so I am receiving you right now Jesus I acknowledge that you died on the cross for my sin and that you have paid the price you've forgiven me of all of my sin and I am now a part of your family you call me your son or you call me your daughter I am your child and I want you to know that God wants to provide for you he wants to love you he wants to give you his joy and his peace and his holy spirit to to guide you and lead you into all truth. You know God's heart is for you and Isaiah 43 says is the one who created you says to you do not fear for I have redeemed you I have called you by your name you are mine. God wants you to be his and he wants to love you. So I just feel I that is something on my heart and uh God wants to to just impart his purpose within you because our purpose really is no matter what part of the part of life we find ourselves in whether it's motherhood or um you know you're you're in the corporate world or you're in ministry our mandate really is to reconcile man back to God. We're getting to a point where in this world as we as we can see life happening around us and wars and rumors of wars and things like that happening, you know the end of the world is coming. We do not know when that is nobody knows. The Bible's very clear that not even Jesus knows only the Father knows the day the time and the hour that when that will happen so we need to be ready um we need to have our relationship right with God we need to be filled up with the Holy Spirit and we need to share God's love with other people because God does God's heart is that nobody would perish he wants every single person saved if that was possible. So the more we share his love with others uh the more people get to go to heaven one day. So um yeah if if you want prayer if you need to reach out please uh reach out to me I am um love praying with people um and yeah I hope that the the magazine will also share many many articles that will touch your heart um the first issue was all about identity and purpose so you'll find a lot of that in there um and yeah I think that is that's it um yeah so let's pray yes I think rather we just want to welcome you into this place and we just say thank you so much that you never leave us nor forsake us that your love is always with us your word says that you are love it's not the way we understand love that is limiting or a conditional but you are love and in love there is no fear. Your word says that perfect love casts out fear and we know fear to be anything the umbrella for things like shame and guilt and unworthiness and imposter syndrome and comparison Lord we know that fear is that but you cast all of that out because of your love so Lord we just invite love into our hearts right now I pray Father God and I just release love and peace and joy over every single person under the sound of my voice every single person hearing this podcast Lord I pray that you will bless them that you increase them that you protect them provide for them I thank you Lord that you will grow them in wisdom and spiritual understanding Father God may they know who they are I pray, Lord, that as they read your word, that their minds will be renewed. I pray that their sp their bodies will be strengthened, Father God, as they read your word. And I thank you, Lord, for just protecting their families, their relationships, Lord. I pray that you will place people around them who will empower them, equip them, and just encourage them more with the word, Father. I thank you that you bless our families, Father God, each and every one of us, Lord, our families, our children, our parents, Lord. I thank you that you bless them. And I pray, Father God, that the impact that we're making in this world will be for your glory. I just thank you, and I bless you, Father God, and I give you all the glory, even for this podcast, Lord. Three wonderful years of sharing Jesus with the world. I pray for a blessing over Kristen and the Hope and Lock Podcast, Father God, and everything that she does. We thank you that you just release your empowerment to prosper over everything that she does. Thank you, Jesus, that you get to get the glory. We just praise you and thank you for being such a wonderful father in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 45:51

All right. Well, um, Cindy, could you tell people the best way to get a hold of you should they want to learn more about what you're doing and and step into your um realm of goodness and freedom and grace?

Obedience, New Contributors, And Membership

SPEAKER_00 46:06

Oh, absolutely well. Thank you so much. So, yes, you can reach me on my website, which is www.cindynicolson.com. And Nicholson is without the H. And then also you can reach me on the Embracing Grace uh website, which is embracinggrace.co. Um, I have a podcast called Embracing Grace with Cindy Nicholson, which is available on most of the uh platforms where you listen to your podcasts, and it's also available on YouTube. Um, and then also obviously the magazine you can um find information through there. I'd also love, if you don't mind, Kristen, just open up. Um, if people are interested in writing for the magazine or the blog, please do reach out to me. Just go onto the website, the Embrace and Grace website, and you know, use the contact form there. Um, I am open up to opening it up to authors. Um, obviously there are criteria which will be very clear when you when you do sign up to write. Um, but I'd love to just invite people who are interested to to reach out um and see how you can bless others with the word of God.

SPEAKER_02 47:21

Yes, please do that. If you are if you're feeling that nudge in you and don't discount it. Um, I know some might be thinking, well, I don't know. Do it, right? Wouldn't you say Cindy? Absolutely. Oh, well, it's so beautiful. I'm I'm sitting in front of my window and it looks like there's a huge heart in my sky. It's almost like the sky opened up and the clouds have parted, and there's a huge heart in the sky. So beautiful. Um, well, I will be sure to add Cindy's um contact information in the show notes. So if you didn't catch it here um verbally, go to the show notes, check them out. And I'm gonna close with the anchoring verse for Hope Unlocked. It's may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And that's Romans 15, 13. So thank you again, Cindy, and thank you for being a brave voice who's setting so many free. I'm sure we'll have her back again in the near future. Have a blessing, everybody.

SPEAKER_00 48:23

Thank you so much for the opportunity. Yes, you're welcome.