S3 Episode #20- Anne Jansen
THE ONE WITH ANNE JANSEN
This week we are excited to welcome Anne Jansen to the show! Anne is the founder and visionary of The Well which exists “for every woman who wonders if she belongs, who wonders if she is seen, who wonders if she is disqualified, who wonders what Jesus has to offer, who wonders what living a new life looks like…”
Anne is a devoted wife to her husband Ron and mom to 4 kids. She loves Jesus, coffee, flowers, and spending time outdoors. She was a nurse for 10 years working in oncology and hospice before staying home to homeschool her children. After the Lord rescued her from a life of shame and sin, she felt called to transition from caring for people’s bodies to caring for their hearts. You can now find Anne finishing up her counseling degree and seeing clients at Journey Christian Counseling. Anne’s life passion is for women to find their true identity in Christ and be set free. She is the founder and visionary of a new ministry for women called The Well which aims to create a space for all women to come as they are, be seen and known, encounter Christ and be changed, and go and tell.
In this episode, Anne reminds us that it's never too late-- you're not too far gone, and your life and story has meaning and great value!
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The things we shove under the rug, by God’s grace, don’t go away. It is God’s loving-kindness that doesn’t allow us to keep that poison inside of us.
God designed our hearts for love and connection. When we attempt to meet that need outside of God’s design, it can lead to trouble.
Satan’s weapon of shame against us is one of his most powerful tools. Shame can lead to hopelessness. However, when we have completely run out of our coping mechanisms, God often does some of his best work. When we are weak, He is strong.
The Power of Confession
The book of James tells us that when we confess our sins to one another, we will be healed.
When we bring things into the light, shame begins to lose its power over us.
Anne felt Jesus saying to her, “It doesn’t matter what you are walking home to. You are who I say you are, and I say you are clean and restored.”
Jesus calls us out of darkness and into His glorious light.
We will never get to a place on this side of Heaven where we have fully “arrived”. However, every new struggle is an invitation for more of Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been. You have a true identity in Christ and He is not done with you yet!
God never gives up on us!
Shame
Being in “The Pit” -- We all end up in our “pit” in a different way, however there is a shared experience of darkness and shame once we get there. The enemy is not a creative foe, he is using the same lies on all of us.
How to get out of the pit…
Lift up your eyes. There will be people in your life to surround you and support you, and Jesus is waiting there to rescue you.
Tell someone. The things that we keep in the darkness are the things that Satan uses against us. But, where the light is, the darkness cannot go. Sharing the truth of your experience with someone that you know and trust allows light in. It can be very embarrassing to say aloud the things we believe about ourselves. Satan wants us to feel alone in our struggle, but when we share with others, we can realize that we are not alone.
Hope is never lost. As long as there is a morning coming, God’s mercies are new. The story is not over-- God is still working it out and he can use every part of our story for His good and glory!
Seek Mentorship. We were never meant to do this alone.
Giving God Your YES
Anne shares that when she started giving God her “yes”, He began to open doors she never expected. She began leading a summer Bible study, and this simple act of obedience continued to grow her and bring new people into her life who shared similar experiences with shame. God began to teach her a new way to live.
When we create space and time for Jesus, God will show up. We may not get everything right along the way, but God can use it all.
The Woman at the Well - John 4
The Samaritan woman goes to the well in the middle of the day because she is caught in her shame and she doesn’t want to be seen.
Jesus sees her and knows her. She is changed by her encounter with Jesus.
Jesus asks us to come as we are. You don’t have to be polished or perfect. Jesus sees you and loves you as you are.
Then, after you experience the transforming love of Jesus, go and tell others! Healing can happen through sharing our stories in community.
Final Thoughts
It’s not too late. You’re not too far gone!
Keep your eyes on Jesus and just do the next right thing.
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PSALM 18
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44 foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.